Alternatives to Quicken WillMaker for Washington Advance Directives

If you've looked at Quicken WillMaker & Trust ($109–$149 per year) and decided it's more than you need for advance directives, you're not wrong. WillMaker is a comprehensive estate planning suite — wills, trusts, financial powers of attorney, healthcare directives — designed for people who want to build their entire legal document package in one platform. If you only need Washington advance directives, you're paying for a subscription to features you won't use.

Here are the alternatives worth considering, ranked by what they actually deliver for Washington-specific healthcare planning.

Option 1: Washington-Specific Advance Directive Kit

A state-specific kit focuses exclusively on Washington law — the DPOA-HC under RCW 11.125, the Health Care Directive under RCW 70.122, and the body disposition directive under RCW 68.50.160. No will builder, no trust generator, no financial POA.

What you get that WillMaker doesn't: Washington witness eligibility checklist (the exclusion rules that invalidate improperly witnessed directives), body disposition directive for human composting and water cremation, dementia/VSED planning directives, POLST preparation guidance, and hospital filing instructions for the Washington Health Care Declarations Registry.

What you don't get: Wills, trusts, financial powers of attorney. If you need those, a state-specific kit won't cover them.

Cost: Under $50, one-time purchase.

The Washington Advance Directive Kit integrates eight documents into a single workflow built around Washington statutes.

Option 2: Free Templates (WSMA + Washington Law Help)

The Washington State Medical Association publishes a free DPOA-HC form. Washington Law Help (Northwest Justice Project) provides a free Health Care Directive. Both are legally valid, drafted by attorneys, and widely accepted by Washington hospitals.

What you get: Legitimate, no-cost statutory forms.

What you don't get: Integration between the two documents, body disposition directive, witness eligibility checklist, dementia/VSED planning, execution guidance, or filing instructions. You'll need to download forms from multiple sources and figure out the sequence yourself.

Cost: Free.

Best for: People with straightforward healthcare preferences who are comfortable navigating legal forms independently.

Option 3: US Legal Forms

A subscription-based legal document library ($8–$15/month billed annually) with state-specific templates including Washington advance directives.

What you get: Access to a large database of legal forms across categories, cloud-based PDF editor.

What you don't get: Educational guidance, witness verification, specialized Washington directives (dementia, VSED, body disposition), or any walkthrough of the execution process. Forms are clinical templates without context.

Cost: $96–$180/year (subscription).

Best for: People who need multiple legal document types across different areas of law and want a single subscription source.

Option 4: Elder Law Attorney

A Washington elder law attorney will prepare your advance directives as part of a comprehensive estate planning engagement, typically including wills, trusts, financial powers of attorney, and healthcare directives.

What you get: Customized legal documents, attorney-supervised execution, advice on how directives interact with your estate plan, Medicaid coordination if needed.

What you don't get: Speed. Consultations book two to four weeks out in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area. And you'll pay for the full estate planning engagement even if you only needed advance directives.

Cost: $500–$1,500+.

Best for: People with complex estates, contested family dynamics, or Medicaid long-term care planning needs.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Who This Is For

• Anyone who searched for WillMaker but only needs advance directives, not a full estate planning suite
• Washington residents who want state-specific documents rather than national templates adapted for their state
• People who want human composting, water cremation, or green burial documented in a binding directive
• Anyone who needs dementia-specific or VSED planning that national software platforms don't include

Who This Is NOT For

• People who genuinely need the full WillMaker suite — wills, trusts, financial powers of attorney, healthcare directives — in one platform
• Anyone who already has an attorney handling their estate planning documents
• Residents of states other than Washington

The Core Trade-Off

WillMaker gives you breadth — dozens of legal document types across all categories. A Washington-specific kit gives you depth — every document, checklist, and filing step that Washington law requires for advance directives, including the specialized directives that national platforms don't cover. The right choice depends on whether you need one deep solution or one broad one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Quicken WillMaker include Washington-specific advance directive forms?

WillMaker generates state-customized forms, but the customization is limited to basic statutory requirements. It doesn't include Washington's body disposition directive (RCW 68.50.160), dementia/VSED planning directives, or detailed witness eligibility verification — all areas where Washington law is more progressive and specific than the national template.

Can I use WillMaker for my advance directive and a separate kit for body disposition?

Yes, but you'd be paying for two products when a Washington-specific kit covers both. The DPOA-HC and living will from WillMaker are legally valid — you'd just need to supplement them with a body disposition directive and any specialized dementia or VSED directives separately.

Is WillMaker worth it if I also need a will?

If you need a will, trust, financial power of attorney, and healthcare directives — and you're comfortable with software-guided legal documents — WillMaker's annual subscription covers all of them. The cost makes more sense when spread across multiple document types. For advance directives alone, it's expensive.

Are free Washington templates as legally valid as WillMaker's output?

Yes. The WSMA and Washington Law Help templates are drafted by attorneys and cite the correct statutes. Validity depends on proper execution (qualified witnesses, proper signing), not on whether you paid for the template.

See more Washington guides →