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Free Estate Planning, Legacy Planning, Funeral Planning, Grief Support and Memorial Tools
What the Free Memorial Merits Tools Do
Memorial Merits tools are free online tools that answer a planning question in a few minutes and give you a result you can print, save or email. Some estimate a cost, for example our Funeral Cost Calculator, which gives an itemized funeral estimate for your state. Some check a plan or find the right documents, for example our Estate Readiness Tool, which tells you whether you need a will or a living trust. Others help you create a keepsake or find support. Every tool is free, needs no account, and most of them can be added to your own website for free.
Free to Use, Free to Share, Free to Add to Your Website
Every tool is free. No login, no account and no fees. Start any tool and get your result right away.
Add tools to your website. Most tools install free on any website with one copy of code, and every installed copy updates when we update the tool. Get the free code.
Print, save or share. Tool results print or email in one step, and the grief comfort audio files are free to download and share with family, clients or patients.
These tools are wellness resources, not a substitute for professional therapy, counseling, or medical care. If you are in crisis, please reach out to a licensed professional or call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Memorial Merits tools are free online planning tools for estate planning, legacy planning, funeral costs, grief support and memorials. Every tool is free, needs no account, and gives you a result you can print, save or email. Most of the tools can also be added to any website for free.
- What they do: Estimate a cost, check an estate plan, find the right documents, design a memorial keepsake, or find support. For example, the Funeral Cost Calculator gives an itemized funeral estimate for your state, and the Probate Cost Calculator lists the probate fees for your state.
- Who they are for: Families planning ahead, families arranging a funeral, executors settling an estate, and the professionals who help them.
- State results: The cost and probate tools cover all 50 states and Washington, DC, with printable reports.
- For website owners: Funeral homes, hospices, churches, estate attorneys, financial advisors and grief websites can install most tools free. Installed tools update automatically. Get the free code.
- Grief support: Solace, the free AI grief companion, and free grief comfort audio are further down this page.
- If you are in crisis: Reach a licensed professional, or call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. These tools are not a substitute for that.
Free Planning Tools from Memorial Merits
Every tool below is free and needs no account. Select a tool to open it. Each card also links to its step-by-step guide and, for most tools, to the free code that adds it to your website.
Funeral Cost Tool
Funeral Cost Calculator
Norfolk, VirginiaHow much does a funeral cost in your state? Get an itemized estimate before you sign anything.
The Funeral Cost Calculator answers how much a funeral costs where you live. Answer six short questions and get an itemized funeral estimate adjusted for your state, compared to the average funeral cost there. Check a funeral home quote or your budget, then print or email a funeral cost worksheet with QR codes. Your results link to vetted products and services, discount links, financing options and funeral homes in your state. Free, no sign-up.
Probate Cost Tool
Probate Cost Calculator
See how much probate costs in your state, and whether the estate can skip probate.
The Probate Cost Calculator shows probate fees by state. Probate commonly takes 3 to 7 percent of an estate before anyone inherits, and California can reach $46,000 on a $1,000,000 estate. Answer four questions and get the probate attorney fee, executor fee and court filing fee, each with the state law cited, plus whether the estate qualifies for a small estate affidavit and can skip probate. All 50 states and Washington, DC. Printable PDF with QR codes. Free, no sign-up.
Estate Settlement Tool
Probate Document Finder
As featured in 
Find out when probate is required in your state, and which documents the family needs.
The Probate Document Finder tells you whether an estate needs probate and lists the probate documents in the order you need them. Pick the state, answer up to seven questions about the estate, and each document on your list says why it is there and cites the state law behind it, including the small estate affidavit limit and waiting period. All 50 states and Washington, DC. Print the list, save it or email it to yourself. Free, no sign-up.
Estate Planning Tool
Estate Readiness Tool
As featured in 
Find out whether you need a will or a living trust, and what is missing from your plan.
The Estate Readiness Tool is a free will vs trust check and estate planning checklist in one. Answer up to 25 plain questions and get a full readiness report: a readiness score, every part of your plan checked, and each gap named with the fix. It shows whether you need a will or a living trust, what probate would cost in your state, your life insurance need in dollars, funeral costs, online accounts and the other legal forms your state requires. Download the PDF or email it to yourself. Free, no sign-up.
Funeral Cost Tool
Cremation Savings Calculator
See what cremation costs in your state today, and what you save by locking in that price.
The Cremation Savings Calculator compares how much cremation costs now with what the same cremation is likely to cost in the years ahead. Enter your age, the number of years to compare and the type of cremation, from direct cremation with no service to cremation with a viewing and service. It uses verified pricing and a conservative inflation rate, not guesses. Free, no sign-up.
Financial Planning Tool
Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator
See the federal tax on an inherited annuity for each payout choice, and the deadline that applies to you.
The Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator shows how an inherited annuity is taxed. Enter the annuity value and your income to see the taxable amount and the federal tax on a lump sum, a 5-year payout, a 10-year payout or lifetime payments, using 2026 IRS tax brackets. Get your deadline dates and a printable Report and Call Sheet. Free, no sign-up.
Memorial Tool
Memorial Cipher
Turn a date, a name or a message into a memorial tattoo or engraving design.
The Memorial Cipher turns any date, name or message into Roman numerals, Morse code, binary, a barcode or a scannable QR code. Use it for a memorial tattoo, a Roman numeral tattoo, an engraving on a monument or a keepsake. A QR code can link to an online memorial page so the design scans to the person’s story. Download the design and take it straight to your artist. Accurate, downloadable and free, with member discounts on cremation tattoo ink and QR memorials.
Where to Start
Help Finder
Not sure where to start? Choose your situation and get the right help in two taps.
The Help Finder points you to the right help for planning ahead, a recent death, grief or settling an estate. Choose one of five situations and one of 24 needs, and get the Memorial Merits page that answers it, the free tools and vetted services behind it, and a free printable PDF guide for your situation, such as a funeral arrangements checklist, a grief workbook or a probate checklist. Free, no sign-up.
New tools are added to this page as they launch.
Step-by-step instructions for each tool, with how-to videos, are below the website install section. Go to the How-To Guides
Add Free Memorial Merits Tools to Your Website
- Funeral homes
- Cremation providers
- Cemeteries
- Churches
- Hospices
- Final expense insurance agents
Put it on your pre-planning page so families can price a funeral before they call you.
Planning calculator
Funeral Cost Calculator: Free Install for Your Website
Your visitors answer 6 quick questions and get an itemized funeral cost estimate for their state, compare a funeral home quote to the state average, and print or email their plan.
- Pick a color and copy the code with the button below.
- WordPress: add a Custom HTML block and paste. Squarespace or Wix: add an Embed or Code block and paste.
- Publish. The tool appears where you pasted the code.
Choose a color:
<div class="mm-funeral-lite" data-ref="tools-page">Funeral Cost Calculator by <a href="https://memorialmerits.com/funeral-cost-calculator/">Memorial Merits</a></div>
<script src="https://memorialmerits.com/api/tools/funeral-lite.js" async></script>Free to use. Keep the Memorial Merits link in the code, or the tool will not run.
- Probate and estate planning attorneys
- Financial advisors
- CPAs
- Trust companies
- Elder law practices
Clients see what probate would cost in their state, which starts the planning conversation.
Probate calculator
Probate Cost Calculator: Free Install for Your Website
Your visitors pick their state, answer a few questions, and see what probate would cost, with the attorney fee, executor fee and court filing fee listed one by one. They can email the report to themselves.
- Pick a color and copy the code with the button below.
- WordPress: add a Custom HTML block and paste. Squarespace or Wix: add an Embed or Code block and paste.
- Publish. The tool appears where you pasted the code.
Choose a color:
<div class="mm-probate-cost-lite" data-ref="tools-page">Probate Cost Calculator by <a href="https://memorialmerits.com/how-much-does-probate-cost/">Memorial Merits</a></div>
<script src="https://memorialmerits.com/api/tools/probate-cost-lite.js" async></script>Free to use. Keep the Memorial Merits link in the code, or the tool will not run.
- Probate attorneys
- Legal document preparers
- Title companies
- Senior centers
- Estate sale companies
Executors get their document list for your state without a phone call to your office.
Probate tool
Probate Document Finder: Free Install for Your Website
Your visitors pick their state, answer a few questions, and get the probate documents their estate needs, with the state law cited. The data updates itself when state law changes.
As featured in
- Pick a color and copy the code with the button below.
- WordPress: add a Custom HTML block and paste. Squarespace or Wix: add an Embed or Code block and paste.
- Publish. The tool appears where you pasted the code.
Choose a color:
<div class="mm-probate-lite"><a href="https://memorialmerits.com/when-is-probate-required/">Probate Document Finder by Memorial Merits</a></div>
<script src="https://memorialmerits.com/api/tools/probate-lite.js" async></script>Free to use. Keep the Memorial Merits link in the code, or the tool will not run.
- Estate planning attorneys
- Financial advisors
- Life insurance agents
- Banks and credit unions
- Senior centers
Visitors find out whether they need a will or a living trust while they are on your site.
Estate planning tool
Estate Readiness Tool: Free Install for Your Website
Your visitors answer up to 9 quick questions, see whether a will or a living trust fits their situation, and can email the result to themselves.
As featured in
- Pick a color and copy the code with the button below.
- WordPress: add a Custom HTML block and paste. Squarespace or Wix: add an Embed or Code block and paste.
- Publish. The tool appears where you pasted the code.
Choose a color:
<div class="mm-estate-lite"><a href="https://memorialmerits.com/estate-planning-tool-2/">Estate Readiness Tool by Memorial Merits</a></div>
<script src="https://memorialmerits.com/api/tools/estate-lite.js" async></script>Free to use. Keep the Memorial Merits link in the code, or the tool will not run.
- Financial advisors
- CPAs and tax preparers
- Annuity and insurance agents
- Estate attorneys
Beneficiaries compare the tax on each payout choice before they meet with you.
Inherited annuity calculator
Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator: Free Install for Your Website
Your visitors enter the annuity value and their income, see the federal income tax on each payout choice, get the deadline date that applies to them, and can email themselves a report and call sheet.
- Pick a color and copy the code with the button below.
- WordPress: add a Custom HTML block and paste. Squarespace or Wix: add an Embed or Code block and paste.
- Publish. The tool appears where you pasted the code.
Choose a color:
<div class="mm-annuity-lite" data-ref="tools-page"><a href="https://memorialmerits.com/inherited-annuity-tax-calculator/">Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator by Memorial Merits</a></div>
<script src="https://memorialmerits.com/api/tools/annuity-lite.js" async></script>Free to use. Keep the Memorial Merits link in the code, or the tool will not run.
- Hospices
- Funeral homes
- Churches
- Grief support groups
- Senior living communities
- Hospital chaplain and social work pages
Families who are not sure what to do next get pointed to the right help in two taps.
Help and resource finder
Help Finder: Free Install for Your Website
Your visitors choose their situation and their need in two taps, and get the Memorial Merits page that answers it, plus a free PDF guide for their situation.
- Gives your visitors free PDF guides and worksheets on every topicA printable guide for each situation: planning ahead, funeral arrangements, grief, probate, and what to say to someone who is grieving.
- Connects your readers to hundreds of vetted resourcesFuneral homes and cemeteries in every state, will and trust services, grief counseling, probate forms and free cost calculators.
- Answers the questions families ask, right on your siteFive situations and 24 needs, from planning ahead to the first days after a death.
- Pick a color and copy the code with the button below.
- WordPress: add a Custom HTML block and paste. Squarespace or Wix: add an Embed or Code block and paste.
- Publish. The tool appears where you pasted the code.
Choose a color:
<div class="mm-help-lite" data-ref="tools-page">Help Finder by <a href="https://memorialmerits.com/start/">Memorial Merits</a></div>
<script src="https://memorialmerits.com/api/tools/help-lite.js" async></script>Free to use. Keep the Memorial Merits link in the code, or the tool will not run.
How to Use the Free Memorial Merits Tools
Each guide below has the steps with the exact button names and what you get at the end. Guides with a how-to video show it at the top. Every tool runs in your browser on a phone or a computer, and none of them needs an account.
How to Use the Funeral Cost Calculator
The Funeral Cost Calculator gives you an itemized estimate of how much a funeral costs in your state.
Video: how to use the Funeral Cost Calculator (1 minute 49 seconds)
Who should use it
Families arranging a funeral now, anyone planning their own funeral ahead of time, and anyone checking a funeral home quote.
Steps
- Open the Funeral Cost Calculator.
- Answer the six questions. Select “Continue” after each answer, or “Back” to change one.
- Read your itemized estimate for your state.
- To compare a funeral home’s price, select “Check a quote” and enter the quote. To test a budget, select “Check a budget”. The tool shows how your number compares to your state’s average.
- Select “Print My Funeral Cost Worksheet” or “Email My Funeral Cost Worksheet” to keep your plan, or “Copy a Link to My Estimate” to share it.
- Select “Change My Answers” to try different choices.
What you get
An itemized funeral estimate for your state, a quote or budget check, and a printable worksheet with QR codes.
How to Use the Probate Cost Calculator
The Probate Cost Calculator shows how much probate costs in your state, fee by fee.
Video: how to use the Probate Cost Calculator (2 minutes 14 seconds)
Who should use it
Executors settling an estate, and anyone planning an estate who wants to know what probate would cost their family.
Steps
- Open the Probate Cost Calculator.
- Choose the state under “Which state?”.
- Enter the estate value under “Estate value:”, or select “Type the exact amount”.
- Answer the remaining questions and select “Continue” after each one.
- Select “Show My Probate Cost Estimate”. The attorney fee, the executor fee and the court filing fee appear one by one, each with the state law behind it.
- Select “Print My Probate Cost Report” or “Email My Probate Cost Report” to keep the report, or “Copy a Link to This Estimate” to share it.
What you get
The probate attorney fee, executor fee and court filing fee for your state, and whether the estate can use a small estate affidavit.
How to Use the Probate Document Finder
The Probate Document Finder tells you when probate is required in your state and which documents you need.
Who should use it
Executors and family members settling an estate who need to know where to start.
Steps
- Open the Probate Document Finder.
- Choose the state the person lived in.
- Answer each question and select “Next Question”.
- Select “See My Document List”. The answer to “Is probate required?” appears first, followed by your documents in order.
- Read “Why you need it” under each document for the reason and the state law.
- Select “Print or Save This List”, “Email Me This List” or “Copy the Link to This List” to keep it.
- Select “Start Over” to check another estate.
What you get
A clear answer on whether probate is required, and the documents you need in order, each with the state law cited.
How to Use the Estate Readiness Tool
The Estate Readiness Tool tells you whether you need a will or a living trust and checks every part of your estate plan.
Who should use it
Anyone without a will, anyone with a will but no trust, and anyone who wants to check that their plan is complete.
Steps
- Open the Estate Readiness Tool.
- Select “Start My Free Report”. The first question appears.
- Answer each question and select “Continue”. Select “Back” to change an answer.
- Read your report: your readiness score, whether you need a will or a living trust, and each gap in your plan with the fix.
- Select “Download your full report (PDF)” to save it, or enter your email under “Email me this report” and select “Email My Report”.
- Select “Start over” to begin again.
What you get
A readiness score, a will vs trust answer, and a list of each gap in your plan with the fix.
How to Use the Cremation Savings Calculator
The Cremation Savings Calculator compares what cremation costs today with what it will likely cost later.
Who should use it
Anyone planning cremation ahead of time who wants to see what locking in today’s price would save.
Steps
- Open the Cremation Savings Calculator.
- Enter your age in “Current age”.
- Enter the “Number of years to compare”.
- Choose the “Service type”: “Direct cremation (no service)” or “Traditional cremation with viewing and service”.
- Choose your state under “State (optional)” to use your state’s pricing.
- Select “See My Savings”. Your savings estimate appears.
What you get
Today’s cremation price next to the projected future price, and the difference.
How to Use the Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator
The Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator shows the federal tax on an inherited annuity for each way you can take the money.
Video: how to use the Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator (1 minute 45 seconds)
Who should use it
Anyone who has inherited an annuity and needs to choose between a lump sum, a 5-year or 10-year payout, or lifetime payments.
Steps
- Open the Inherited Annuity Tax Calculator.
- Enter the “Total value of the annuity today”.
- Enter the “Amount originally put in (the principal)”.
- Choose the type of annuity: “It was an IRA or retirement account (qualified)”, “It was regular, already-taxed savings (non-qualified)” or “I am not sure”.
- Fill in the remaining answers, including your income, and select “Estimate the Taxable Portion”. The taxable amount and the federal tax for each payout option appear.
- Select “Download My Results (PDF)” to save your results and your deadline dates.
- Select “Start over” to try different numbers.
What you get
The taxable amount, the federal tax on each payout choice using 2026 IRS brackets, and your deadline dates.
How to Use the Memorial Cipher
The Memorial Cipher turns a date, a name or a message into a design for a memorial tattoo, an engraving or a keepsake.
Who should use it
Anyone planning a memorial tattoo, a Roman numeral tattoo, a headstone engraving or a custom keepsake.
Steps
- Open the Memorial Cipher.
- Choose a format, such as “Roman numerals”, “Morse”, “Binary” or “QR code”.
- Enter a date in “Day”, “Month” and “Year”, or type a name or message in “Your date or text”. For a QR code, enter a web address in “URL or text”.
- Select “Generate”. Your design appears.
- Select “Download PNG” to save the image, or “Copy” to copy the text.
- Take the image to your tattoo artist or engraver.
What you get
A downloadable design in Roman numerals, Morse code, binary, a barcode or a QR code.
How to Use the Help Finder
The Help Finder matches your situation to the right Memorial Merits pages, tools and free PDF guide in two taps.
Who should use it
Anyone who is not sure what to do first: planning ahead, a recent death, grief, settling an estate, or helping someone who is grieving.
Steps
- Go to the Help Finder on the Memorial Merits Start page.
- Under “I need help with…”, choose the situation you are in. The list of needs for that situation opens.
- Choose what you need help with. The answer screen opens.
- Read “How Memorial Merits helps”, then select a link button to open the page or tool you need.
- Select “Download the Free PDF” in the “Free printable guide” box to get the guide for your situation.
- Select “Start over” to look at another situation.
What you get
The pages and tools for your need, and a free printable PDF guide for your situation.
Solace: Free AI Grief Companion
Scan to install the app Featured · Free AI Companion
Meet Solace
Not a chatbot. Not a search engine. Never trying to sell you anything.
Solace is Memorial Merits’ free AI grief companion, available 24/7 on every page of this site. She was built for the moments when you need patient, compassionate guidance and nobody is awake, or you are not ready to talk to a person yet. She can help you process grief, plan a funeral, work through estate decisions, write an obituary, journal through your feelings, or simply sit with you when everything feels heavy.
Created by someone who lost his father and wished something like her had existed during the worst days of his life. She has been helping visitors ever since.
How to Talk to Solace
- Select “Talk to Solace” in the bottom-right corner of any Memorial Merits page, or open the Memorial Merits mobile app.
- Type what is going on in the message box and select “Send”.
- Read Solace’s reply and keep talking for as long as you need. Ask her to help you plan a funeral, write an obituary, sort out an estate question, or journal through your feelings.
- Select “Start fresh” to begin a new conversation.
Solace is a support tool, not a replacement for counseling or medical care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Free Grief Comfort Audio: Binaural Beat Tracks to Download
Three short theta-wave tracks built to settle your nervous system when grief makes it hard to sleep, focus, or even breathe. Each one is free to download, runs about two minutes, and loops for as long as you need it. Use headphones for the full effect.
Calming Audio
Grief Comfort Binaural Beats (Silent Focus)
A pure theta-wave binaural track with no words and no distractions. Just healing frequencies designed to gently ground and soothe your nervous system. Two minutes, stereo. Best with headphones.
Calming Audio
Grief Comfort with Ocean Waves
Theta-wave binaural tones blended with soft, rhythmic ocean wave sounds. Designed for calming presence, reflection, or sleep support. Two minutes, stereo.
Calming Audio
Grief Comfort with Rainfall
A gentle rain soundscape layered over theta binaural tones. Works well for easing anxiety or listening while journaling. Two minutes, stereo.
When You’re Ready for More Than Sound
These tools can help in the moment, but grief doesn’t live in moments. If you’re carrying more than you can hold on your own, talking to someone who understands can change everything. These are licensed, vetted therapists available online, on your schedule.
Explore Grief Counseling OptionsHow to Use the Free Grief Comfort Audio
- Put on headphones. Binaural beats work through headphones.
- Press play on a track: Silent Focus, Ocean Waves or Rainfall.
- Select “Download Audio” on a track to save the file to your phone or computer.
- Share the file with family, clients or patients for personal use.
Memorial Merits Tool Videos on YouTube
The Memorial Merits YouTube channel has how-to videos for the free tools, short versions for your phone, and the steps for website owners who want to add a tool to their site. New videos are added as new tools launch.
Visit the Memorial Merits YouTube ChannelFree Planning Tools: Frequently Asked Questions
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