Completing, signing & storing your will

• Read the whole will, clause by clauseDon't just skim the bequests. Check the executor's powers, the guardian nomination and any trust terms too.
• Check every name, ID number and addressA misspelled name or wrong ID number is one of the most common reasons a will is disputed later.
• Confirm your executor and guardian have agreed to actNominating someone without asking them first can leave your estate without a willing executor when it matters.
• Choose two independent witnessesThey must be 14 or older, able to give evidence in court, and (critically) not a beneficiary or married to one. A witness who benefits under the will can lose that inheritance.
• Set a date, time and place all signatories can attend togetherEveryone signs in one sitting. You cannot post a will around for signatures.

• Sign at the very end of the documentYour signature must appear after the last clause, not in the margin or on a separate page.
• Both witnesses watch you sign, in the same room, at the same timeA witness who signs later, or from another room, invalidates the whole will.
• Initial every page except the lastThis stops pages being added, removed or swapped after signing.
• Witnesses sign immediately after you, while everyone is still presentThen sign each other's presence too. All three signatures happen in one continuous sitting.
• If you can't sign personally, or you sign with a markA Commissioner of Oaths must complete the required certificate before anyone leaves the room. Tell us in advance if this applies to you. We'll arrange it.
• Leave no blank lines or spacesAnything left open can be filled in by someone else later. Draw a line through unused space if it's ever left on a page.

Rather have us run the signing. Book a 20-minute signing appointment with lawvero and we'll check every formality in the room, so nothing is left to chance.

• Store the signed original somewhere safeA fireproof safe, your bank's safe deposit box, or with your attorney. lawvero stores original wills for clients at no extra cost.
• Tell your executor exactly where it isAnd tell one other trusted person too. A will that can't be found is treated, in practice, as if it never existed.
• Keep a copy for yourself, but know its limitsA copy is useful for your own reference. Only the signed original can be used to wind up your estate.
• Don't staple, pin or attach anything to the originalPhysical marks or removed staples can raise questions about whether the document was tampered with.

• Review it every two to three yearsEven if nothing's changed, it's worth confirming that.
• Review it immediately after a major life eventMarriage, divorce, a new child, buying or selling a business, or a big change in what you own.
• Marriage can affect an existing willGetting married after signing your will can change how it's treated in law. Talk to us before or shortly after your wedding.
• Never handwrite changes onto a signed willAn amendment needs the same formalities as the original. Sign a new will or a properly witnessed codicil instead.

• Report the death within 14 daysYour executor reports the death, and lodges the original will, with the Master of the High Court.
• Have your executor contact lawveroWe can guide them through reporting the estate, valuations, creditors' notices and the final distribution.