Do It Yourself Wills Forms - Trust And Will Reviews


Do it yourself will forms can save you hundreds without the expense of hiring an attorney to prepare a will. The do it yourself will forms offered by US Legal Forms are professionally drafted by attorneys and are regularly updated to comply with the laws of your state. If you're unsure how to write your own will, there are simple steps for filling out do it yourself will forms that we'll outline below:


  • 1. Most do it yourself will forms initially have you identify yourself and your marital status and children if you have any.

  • 2. There are fill-in areas for listing your specific assets and who is to inherit each. When naming the heirs in do it yourself will forms, you should be as specific as possible, by listing the name, address, and phone number of an heir where possible. The do it yourself will forms also have a residuary clause, where you can name the person you wish to receive any unspecified property, referred to as the residuary estate.

  • 3. If you own a home, you can list the address in a do it yourself form's clause for declaring a homestead.

  • 4. Do it yourself will forms have a place for you to name an executor to handle the probate of your estate. This should be a trusted person, and may also be a beneficiary named in do-it-yourself will forms.

  • 5. If you have children, our do it yourself will forms allow you to name a guardian and/or trustee to handle their affairs if they are underage, disabled, or financially irresponsible. The do it yourself will form already contains all the terms you need for creating a guardianship or trust. All you need to do is fill in the names of the guardian or trustee, and the starting and ending date for trust distributions where indicated in the do it yourself will forms.

  • 6. You may include instructions for handling your remains and final services in do it yourself will forms. Instructions for cremation, burial, funeral services, and anatomical donation may be specified.

  • 7. The final step in preparing do it yourself wills is for you and two witnesses to sign it in front of a notary. Once witnessed and notarized, do it yourself will forms are enforceable under the law.

  • 8. The do it yourself will forms of some states include a self-proving affidavit, which is a short form completed with the witnesses and notary when you sign the will form. The purpose of including the self-proving affidavit in do it yourself will forms is to avoid the witnesses having to appear personally in court to probate the will.

The do it yourself will forms offered by US Legal Forms are professionally drafted and reviews by attorneys to cover all the important terms typically included in a last will. However, if you desire to customize the will, our do it yourself will forms may be modified in Word to suit your needs.

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Also available - Elder Law Questionnaire, Estate Planning Questionnaire, Survivor's Guide to A Death in the Family

For your convenience we have included some general will information and a glossary on common will terminology. 

Tips for Preparing Do It Yourself Wills Forms

  1. The content of your will isn’t set in stone. Regardless of what turns of events you experience throughout your life, be it marriage, separation, loss of a family member, or health problems, you can always introduce changes to the last will and testament you drafted and approved. How you need to do that is defined by the laws of each state.
  2. Some states impose an inheritance tax. This is something you want to consider before creating Do It Yourself Wills Forms to avoid any legal fees and penalties from the IRS in the future. How much beneficiaries need to pay out in estate or inheritance tax is determined the state you reside in.
  3. Your wishes laid out in the document can be contested. When preparing Do It Yourself Wills Forms, consider the following case: if the beneficiaries that you refer to in your legal will think that you disinherited them or assume that you've been tricked into creating it, they might contest it with the court. Other widely popular reasons behind contesting a will are an improperly executed paperwork or the incapacitation of the testator.
  4. Go over intestacy laws and regulations before drafting a will. Intestacy signifies passing away with no a will. This is when the court starts to deal with inheritance issues after your death. If the distribution of assets specified by your local laws meets your needs, then you can postpone or not create it at all. Nevertheless, to avoid any risks associated with a family feud or major disagreements, it's highly advised to draft a will. You can do it and get the needed Do It Yourself Wills Forms online using US Legal Forms, one of the most expanded libraries of professionally drafted and frequently refreshed state-specific legal documents.