Can I Write My Own Will? DIY, Online and Lawyer-Drafted Wills Compared

Is it legal to write your own will?

Yes. State laws say who can make a will and how it must be signed, but none requires a lawyer to draft it. California's court self-help site lists three options side by side: write your own will, use the state's fill-in-the-blank form, or hire a lawyer. It suggests having a lawyer at least review what you create (California Courts).

The basic requirements are similar everywhere:

1. You're old enough. Usually 18. Georgia allows 14 (O.C.G.A. §53-4-10) and Louisiana 16 (La. Civil Code art. 1476).
2. You're of sound mind, meaning you understand what you own, who your family is, and how the will divides your property (Cornell Legal Information Institute).
3. It's in writing and you sign it.
4. It's witnessed as your state requires, usually by two adults. Pennsylvania doesn't require witnesses at signing. See your state's rules.

Some states publish official fill-in-the-blank wills, including California (Prob. Code §6240), Michigan (MCL 700.2519) and Wisconsin (Wis. Stat. §853.55). Use them exactly as written. Michigan's form warns that adding or crossing out words may make all or part of the will invalid.

A will written entirely in your own hand, called a holographic will, is valid without witnesses in about half the states. Florida won't accept one, even if it was valid where you wrote it (Fla. Stat. §732.502).

DIY, online or lawyer: how do they compare?

Online prices are from LegalZoom, Trust & Will and Quicken WillMaker pricing pages in October 2026. Lawyer prices are medians from a March 2026 study of 909 law firms by Legal Templates, a company that sells DIY legal documents (Legal Templates). Details are in how much a will costs.

When is a DIY or online will enough?

A will you make yourself is often enough when:

• You know who should inherit, and you're leaving property to them outright or in simple shares.
• Your estate is well below estate tax thresholds, federal and state.
• Your children are all from your current relationship, or you have none.
• You don't expect anyone to challenge the will.
• Much of what you own already passes by beneficiary form or joint ownership.

Our free will builder is one way to do it. It needs no account, your answers stay in your browser, and it produces a will, or a codicil to the will you have, plus a state-specific signing checklist. It doesn't prepare wills for Louisiana or North Carolina residents.

When should you hire an estate planning attorney?

Talk to a lawyer if any of these apply:

• Your estate may owe estate tax. The federal exemption is $15 million per person in 2026 (IRS), but 12 states and D.C. have their own estate taxes, starting at $1 million in Oregon (Tax Foundation). Michigan's statutory will notes that it "is not designed to reduce estate taxes." See estate tax in 2026.
• You own a business. Someone has to run it, value it or sell it, and partners may have agreements that affect who can inherit your share.
• You have a blended family. Wisconsin's official will form itself warns that it may not work well if you have children from a previous marriage. And in most states, a spouse can claim a share of your estate no matter what your will says (Cornell LII). See wills for married couples and blended families.
• A beneficiary has special needs. Supplemental Security Income generally limits an individual's resources to $2,000 (20 CFR §416.1205), so a direct inheritance can cost someone benefits. A lawyer can set up a supplemental needs trust instead.
• You expect a challenge. A lawyer can document your capacity and wishes. Clauses that penalize a beneficiary who contests the will are unenforceable in Florida (Fla. Stat. §732.517), and many other states limit them (Cornell LII).
• You own property in more than one state or country. Real estate in another state may need a separate "ancillary" probate there (Cornell LII). Property abroad may be subject to that country's rules.
• You live in Louisiana. Its notarial will must be signed before a notary and two witnesses (La. Civil Code art. 1576), and a handwritten will must be entirely written, dated and signed in your hand (art. 1575). Use a Louisiana form or a Louisiana lawyer.

You can also split the difference: draft the will yourself, then pay a lawyer to review it.

What are the most common DIY will mistakes?

1. Signing it wrong. Formalities vary. In New York you must sign at the end, tell the witnesses it's your will, and have both sign within 30 days (N.Y. EPTL §3-2.1). In Florida, the witnesses must sign in front of you and each other (Fla. Stat. §732.502).
2. Using a beneficiary as a witness. In New York, that witness's gift is void unless two other witnesses who receive nothing also signed (N.Y. EPTL §3-3.2).
3. Changing it by hand. The Florida Bar warns that writing on a will after signing "may invalidate part of the will or all of it" (The Florida Bar). Sign a codicil or a new will instead. See how to change a will.
4. Leaving out a residuary clause or backups. Anything your will doesn't give away passes under state law. See what to include in a will.
5. Leaving money outright to young children. Use a trust or a custodian, or a court may need to step in.
6. Forgetting assets outside the will. Michigan's official form reminds you that the will "has no effect on jointly held assets, on retirement plan benefits, or on life insurance" with a named beneficiary.
7. Never updating it. Review it after a marriage, divorce, birth, death or move to another state.