Estate plan
Iowa
Everything to plan your estate in Iowa: execution requirements, the documents we generate, statutory citations, and the exact wording our generators insert.
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Will, living trust, durable power of attorney, and healthcare directive. All four documents, all valid in Iowa, all for $29/year.
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Iowa content last reviewed May 18, 2026.
Will
2W
Trust
—
POA
N
HC Directive
2W
E-will
Not adopted
RON
Limited
Since 2019, not all documents
ROW
Some documents
Remote online witnessing
Community property
No
Minimum age
18
Will
Iowa Code §633.264 et seq.
Witnesses: 2 required
Two competent witnesses must sign in the presence of the testator and each other (Iowa Code §633.279(1)); 'presence' includes electronic presence in real time under §633.279(5) (2023 Acts ch 133)
Witnesses sign together: Required
Iowa requires the attesting witnesses to sign in each other's presence; signing within a reasonable time of one another is not sufficient.
Notarization: Recommended
Not legally required, but recommended for self-proving affidavit
Holographic will: Not valid
Iowa does not recognize handwritten wills without witnesses
Self-proving affidavit: Available
Allows the will to be admitted to probate without witness testimony
Living Trust
Witnesses: None required
No formal execution requirements beyond settlor signature; notarization strongly recommended when funding real property
Notarization: Recommended
Not legally required for the trust document, but needed to transfer real property
Durable Power of Attorney
Witnesses: None required
No witnesses required for power of attorney
Notarization: Required
Notarization is required for a valid durable power of attorney
State-specific notes
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
Iowa Code §144B.1-144B.12 (Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care); Iowa Code §144A.1-144A.12 (Life-Sustaining Procedures Act, governing the Living Will portion of this Healthcare Directive)
Witnesses: 2 required
Iowa requires 2 witnesses
Notarization: Not required
Notarization is not required but may be accepted
State-specific notes
6 more documents with a subscription
$29/year unlocks the documents below alongside the four free ones above. Your answers and documents are saved privately to your account, encrypted in your browser, so you can revise them any time life changes.
Disposition of Remains Authorization
Names the agent who controls funeral, burial, or cremation decisions, with optional preferences.
HIPAA Authorization
Stand-alone PHI release that survives death for the period you specify, separate from the in-life authorization in your healthcare directive.
Nomination of Conservator
Pre-nominates the person you want a court to appoint if a conservator (or guardian of the estate) is ever needed.
Business Succession Declaration
Identifies your interests in any closely-held businesses and how they should be transferred or wound down.
Real-Estate Retitling Checklist
Step-by-step instructions for transferring real-property deeds into your trust so the trust actually controls those assets.
Letter of Instruction
Non-binding personal note to your executor and family: where to find documents, account access, funeral wishes, and other practical guidance.
Free vs. paid
Electronic will status
Iowa has not adopted electronic will legislation. A traditional paper will with physical signatures is required.
Digital assets access
Iowa has adopted RUFADAA (2017). This is the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which lets your executor, trustee, or agent access your email, social media, cryptocurrency wallets, cloud storage, and other digital accounts after death or incapacity.
To take advantage of RUFADAA, your will, trust, or power of attorney must explicitly grant authority to access digital assets. Without explicit authorization, service providers can deny access even to a court-appointed executor.
Remote online notarization (RON)
Iowa authorized RON in 2019.
Will
Not allowed
Trust
Allowed
POA
Allowed
Remote online witnessing (ROW)
Iowa allows remote online witnessing for some estate planning documents. Witnesses can observe your signing over a live video call instead of being physically present. Iowa permanently authorized electronic-presence witnessing under §633.279(5) (added by 2023 Acts ch 133); 'presence' includes any manner, physical or electronic, in which the witness and testator can see and hear the acts of each other in real time. Counterparts execution permitted under §633.279(3) when remote signing is used.
Will
Allowed
Trust
Not allowed
POA
Not allowed
HC Directive
Not allowed
This information is general in nature and not legal advice. Laws change. Consult a licensed estate planning attorney in Iowa for guidance specific to your situation.