TAS Public Trustee — Free will preparation

What Is This Payment?

The Public Trustee free will service lets eligible Tasmanians have a standard will drawn up at no upfront cost. In the rule database it is tagged as an eligibility-only benefit in the TAS Legal Concessions cluster, with an entitlement scope of person and a yearly period. The yearly period reflects the cap built into the rule: the free preparation is available through one appointment per 12 months, so a person can revisit and update their will once a year without charge.

The administering body is Public Trustee Tasmania, a state body that prepares wills and administers estates. Applications are made through the Public Trustee channel directly rather than through Services Australia or a private law firm. The service is listed among the Tasmanian Government's concessions because it removes a real cost barrier — the fee a solicitor would charge — for people on a concession card.

The design intent is to encourage people to make a valid will, which reduces the cost and uncertainty of administering an estate later. The condition attached is that the Public Trustee is named as executor: in exchange for preparing the will for free, the Public Trustee takes on the role of administering the estate after death. That executor role is normally where the Public Trustee's fees arise, charged against the estate at the time, which is the lifecycle distinction many applicants overlook.

How Much Can You Get?

This rule is an eligibility_only type, so it pays no cash and there is no rate to calculate. The value is the cost you avoid: a standard will prepared at no charge. The rule amount note benchmarks the market price of an equivalent will at around $400 to $800 from a private solicitor, so that range is the practical saving.

To gauge the value, work through it in order. First, confirm the headline benefit: standard will preparation is free when the Public Trustee is named executor. Second, weigh the avoided fee: a private solicitor typically charges $400 to $800 for a standard will, so that is the upfront saving. Third, account for the downstream cost: the Public Trustee's executor fees are charged to the estate when it is administered, which is a separate cost borne later, not by you now.

Because the amount type is eligibility-only, there is no multiplier and no income taper. The rule does not vary the value by your circumstances; it either unlocks the free standard will or it does not. The one figure that bounds the benefit is the frequency cap — one appointment every 12 months — which limits how often the free preparation can be used, not its dollar value.

Eligibility Conditions

The eligibility block is an all set, so every item must pass.

1. Tasmanian residence: state = TAS. The service is provided by Public Trustee Tasmania and is open only to state residents.
2. Eligible concession card: concession_card_type in [pensioner_concession_card, health_care_card, dva_gold_card, commonwealth_seniors_health_card]. Holding one of these four cards is the only test beyond residence; there is no separate income or asset assessment.

Required fields for assessment are your state and your concession card type. With those two inputs the rule can return a yes or no, which keeps the gate simple compared with income-tested concessions.

The excludes block and conflicts list are both empty, so no other payment or card disqualifies you. The free will service can be used alongside any Centrelink payment or other Tasmanian concession.

One practical consideration sits in the rule note: the free service covers a standard will only. A complex estate — for example one with trusts, business interests, or contested arrangements — may attract additional fees, because the work falls outside the scope of a standard preparation.

How To Apply

Application metadata defines a single channel: Public Trustee. You arrange the will directly with Public Trustee Tasmania, which both prepares the document and takes on the executor role. There is no separate government form to lodge first.

Evidence requirements are explicitly listed in the rule and should be prepared in advance:

• concession card — one of the four eligible cards, presented to confirm entitlement to the free service

Two practical tips help here. First, bring a clear list of your assets, beneficiaries, and wishes to the appointment, since the free preparation is limited to one appointment every 12 months and a well-prepared visit avoids needing a second one. Second, ask up front whether your estate is treated as standard, because a complex estate can attract additional fees that the free preparation does not cover.

Read the official Public Trustee Tasmania will guidance

Rule-Based Scenarios

Scenario 1: Pensioner makes a first will

Aarav is 71, lives in Devonport, and holds a Pensioner Concession Card. He has never made a will. Because he is a Tasmanian resident with an eligible card, the rule returns eligible. He books an appointment with Public Trustee Tasmania, names the Public Trustee as executor, and has his standard will prepared at no cost. He avoids the roughly $400 to $800 a private solicitor would charge, and the executor fee only arises later when his estate is administered.

Scenario 2: Health Care Card holder updates a will

Huong holds a Health Care Card and had a will prepared 14 months ago after she remarried. She now wants to add a new beneficiary. Because more than 12 months have passed since her last appointment, the one-appointment-per-12-months limit no longer blocks her, and the rule returns eligible. She updates her standard will at no charge, again naming the Public Trustee as executor.

Scenario 3: No eligible card, not eligible

Nikhil is a 45-year-old Tasmanian resident on a full-time salary with no concession card. He wants a free will but holds none of the four eligible cards. The concession card condition is the only gate beyond residence, so the rule returns not eligible. He would need to use a private solicitor at the usual $400 to $800, or obtain an eligible card through a change in circumstances.

Scenario 4: Complex estate attracts extra fees

Quang holds a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card and qualifies for the free standard will. However, his estate includes a family trust and a part-share in a small business. The rule note flags that complex matters may attract additional fees, so while the basic preparation is free, the trust and business elements fall outside the standard scope and are quoted separately by the Public Trustee.

Common Mistakes

• Overlooking the executor condition: the will is only free when the Public Trustee is named as executor. The rule note ties the free preparation to that role, and the executor fee is later charged against the estate, not waived.
• Assuming the whole estate process is free: the saving is the avoided $400 to $800 preparation fee. Administering the estate after death is a separate service with its own cost borne by the estate.
• Booking more than once a year: the rule limits the free service to one appointment every 12 months. Trying to book a second free appointment inside the same year falls outside the cap.
• Expecting a complex will for free: the free service covers a standard will. Estates with trusts, businesses, or contested arrangements may attract additional fees because they sit outside standard preparation.
• Thinking there is an income test: the only gate beyond Tasmanian residence is holding one of the four eligible concession cards. There is no income or asset assessment in the rule, so card status alone decides eligibility.
• Confusing the card list: only a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, DVA Gold Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card qualifies. A state seniors card or another concession does not satisfy concession_card_type for this rule.

Related Benefits

The conflicts list and affects list in this rule are empty, but the free will service is part of a wider set of Tasmanian concession-card benefits used by the same cohort. Use these links to navigate the surrounding rules.

• TAS Seniors Card — broader concession access for older Tasmanians, often held alongside the pension that unlocks this service.
• TAS No Interest Essential Loan (NILS) — another concession-card-linked financial assistance for the same low-income cohort.
• TAS Council Rates Concession — ongoing rebate for concession-card holders, complementing this one-off legal service.
• TAS Water and Sewerage Concession — utility concession for the same card cohort.
• TAS Free Ambulance — health-cost relief that pairs with legal and financial concessions for older Tasmanians.
• TAS Energy Bill Relief — bill assistance for concession-card holders managing fixed incomes.

Frequently Asked Questions