Estate plan
Tennessee
Everything to plan your estate in Tennessee: execution requirements, the documents we generate, statutory citations, and the exact wording our generators insert.
Plan your Tennessee estate in 20 minutes
Will, living trust, durable power of attorney, and healthcare directive. All four documents, all valid in Tennessee, all for $29/year.
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Tennessee content last reviewed May 18, 2026.
Will
2W
Trust
—
POA
N
HC Directive
2W
E-will
Not adopted
RON
Enacted
Effective 2019-07-01
ROW
Not allowed
Remote online witnessing
Community property
No
Minimum age
18
Will
Tenn. Code §32-1-101 et seq.
Witnesses: 2 required
Two witnesses must sign in the presence of the testator and each other (T.C.A. §32-1-104(a)(2))
Witnesses sign together: Required
Tennessee 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: Valid
Handwritten wills without witnesses are recognized in Tennessee
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
Advance Directive for Health Care
Tenn. Code §68-11-1801 et seq.
Witnesses: 2 required, or notary
Tennessee accepts either 2 witnesses or notarization
Notarization: Accepted as alternative
Acknowledged before a notary public. Tenn. Code §68-11-1803(b)
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
Tennessee has not adopted electronic will legislation. A traditional paper will with physical signatures is required.
Digital assets access
Tennessee has adopted RUFADAA (2016). 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)
Tennessee authorized RON in 2019. The law took effect on July 1, 2019.
Will
Not allowed
Trust
Allowed
POA
Allowed
Remote online witnessing (ROW)
Tennessee does not allow remote online witnessing for estate planning documents. Witnesses must be physically present when you sign.
Will
Not 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 Tennessee for guidance specific to your situation.