will.com / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about making a will on will.com.
Is a will made on will.com legally valid?
Yes, for the 49 states and D.C. we support. A will is valid when it meets three requirements: you're of legal age (18 in most states), you sign it in front of the required number of witnesses, and those witnesses sign it too. will.com generates a document that satisfies all of these requirements for your state. The document itself is just paper — its validity comes from how you execute it, not from who generated it.
Do I need a lawyer to make a will?
No. Attorneys are not required for a will to be legally valid in any U.S. state. A simple will — naming who gets your assets, who raises your children, and who manages your estate — is something most people can do without legal help. Where an attorney adds genuine value: complex estates, business interests, trusts, blended families with significant assets, or situations where you expect the will to be contested. If any of those apply to you, consult an attorney. For most people, a straightforward will made and properly executed is far better than no will at all.
What states does will.com support?
will.com supports 49 states and the District of Columbia. The one exception is Louisiana, which operates under a civil law system derived from French and Spanish law rather than the English common law used by every other state. Louisiana will requirements are fundamentally different, and we don't currently support them. If you live in Louisiana, consult an estate planning attorney.
Is my information private?
Yes. will.com runs entirely in your browser. Your name, your family, your assets — nothing is sent to our servers. We don't store it, we don't see it. When you close the tab, your data remains in your browser's local storage. When you clear your browser data, it's gone. The only exception is if you enter your email address to receive a reminder — we store that email address to send the reminder.
How many witnesses do I need?
Two witnesses for all 49 supported states and D.C. Your witnesses must watch you sign (or you must acknowledge to them that you already signed), and then sign the will themselves. Witnesses cannot be beneficiaries under your will — anyone who stands to inherit should not be a witness. Most states also require witnesses to be adults. The safest choice: two people you trust who have no financial interest in your estate.
Do I need to notarize my will?
Notarization is not required for a will to be valid in any state we support. However, having a notary acknowledge your signature — along with your witnesses' signatures — makes your will "self-proving." A self-proving will can be admitted to probate without your witnesses having to appear in court to testify that they saw you sign. This saves your executor a step and speeds up probate. We recommend it if you have easy access to a notary.
I'm married. Does that change anything?
A few things. First, your spouse is likely your primary beneficiary — will.com handles this in the beneficiary step. Second, if you live in a community property state (Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin), you can only give away your half of community property in your will. will.com includes guidance for community property states. Third, in some states, marriage after making a will can revoke or modify it — which is one of the reasons to update your will after major life events.
What if I already have a will?
Making a new will automatically revokes any prior will — as long as the new will contains a revocation clause, which will.com includes by default. You don't need to destroy the old will (though you can), but the new one takes precedence. Make sure your executor knows which document is current and where to find it.
Can I change my will after I make it?
Yes, at any time. The simplest approach is to make a new will, which revokes the old one. Alternatively, you can add a codicil — a formal amendment — but in practice it's often cleaner to simply make a new will. Either way, tell your executor that there's a new document and where it's stored. Review your will after any major life event: marriage, divorce, new child, death of a beneficiary, moving to a new state, or significant change in assets.
What if I move to a different state?
Wills are generally honored across state lines — a will validly executed in one state is usually recognized in another. That said, your new state may have different rules around spousal rights, community property, or other matters that interact with your will in ways you didn't intend. If you move states, have an attorney review your existing will, or simply make a new one for your new state.
What happens to my digital assets?
Standard wills don't automatically cover digital assets well. Cryptocurrency requires whoever holds your private keys or seed phrase — without those, the assets are inaccessible regardless of what your will says. Email accounts, social media, and cloud storage have their own platform rules. We recommend using our digital legacy guide to set up legacy contacts on Google, Apple, and Facebook, and to document your crypto access instructions in a private letter of instruction (not in your will, which becomes a public document at probate).
Does a will avoid probate?
No. A will must go through probate — the court-supervised process of validating the will and transferring assets to beneficiaries. What a will does is make probate faster and more predictable by giving the court a clear roadmap. Without a will, probate is slower and more expensive. If avoiding probate entirely is a goal, you'd need to combine beneficiary designations (for retirement accounts and life insurance), joint tenancy (for real estate), and potentially a revocable living trust. Our guides cover this in detail.
Is this legal advice?
No. will.com provides legal documents and information, not legal advice. There is no attorney-client relationship between you and will.com. If you have specific questions about your legal situation — especially for complex estates, business interests, blended families, or contested situations — consult a licensed estate planning attorney in your state.
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