Last will and testament for Pennsylvania
A will decides who inherits what you own in your own name, and who is in charge of getting it there.
$39, or $20 for a second household member ($59 for both). Includes 6 months of changes.
What you pay counts in full toward a package.
Who this is for
- You have children and want to say who raises them and what they receive.
- You want to leave something to someone the law would not choose for you.
- You own a home and want your estate administered by a person you picked.
- You have been meaning to do this for years and want it finished this week.
What it does not do
- It only governs assets that pass through your estate. A retirement account, a life insurance policy or a jointly owned house passes by its beneficiary designation or by ownership, and the will does not touch it.
- It does not avoid probate. A will is the instrument probate uses.
- Naming a guardian for children is a nomination the court weighs. It is powerful evidence of your wishes and it is not an appointment.
- It has no effect at all until it is signed correctly. An unsigned will is a wish list.
How to sign it in your state
Pennsylvania
Last Will & Testament
Sign with two witnesses. A notary is for the separate self-proving affidavit - not the will itself.
- Witnesses: 2, and they must be present at the signing.
- Notary: only for the separate self-proving affidavit, never as a substitute for the witnesses.
Who cannot witness: Avoid beneficiaries and anyone receiving a gift under the will.
20 Pa.C.S. §§ 2502, 3132.1
Self-Proving Affidavit
Sign the self-proving affidavit before the notary with the will witnesses present.
- Witnesses: none required for this signing route. Use them only if the printed signing page calls for them.
- Notary: yes, the signature is acknowledged before a notary.
New York
Last Will & Testament
Sign with two witnesses. A notary is for the separate self-proving affidavit - not the will itself.
- Witnesses: 2, and they must be present at the signing.
- Notary: only for the separate self-proving affidavit, never as a substitute for the witnesses.
Who cannot witness: Avoid beneficiaries; an interested witness can affect the witness's gift.
EPTL § 3-2.1; SCPA § 1406
Self-Proving Affidavit
Sign the self-proving affidavit before the notary with the will witnesses present.
- Witnesses: none required for this signing route. Use them only if the printed signing page calls for them.
- Notary: yes, the signature is acknowledged before a notary.
New Jersey
Last Will & Testament
Sign with two witnesses. A notary is for the separate self-proving affidavit - not the will itself.
- Witnesses: 2, and they must be present at the signing.
- Notary: only for the separate self-proving affidavit, never as a substitute for the witnesses.
Who cannot witness: Use disinterested witnesses even where an interested witness may be legally competent.
N.J.S.A. 3B:3-2; 3B:3-4
Self-Proving Affidavit
Sign the self-proving affidavit before the notary with the will witnesses present.
- Witnesses: none required for this signing route. Use them only if the printed signing page calls for them.
- Notary: yes, the signature is acknowledged before a notary.
Get started
A will is the document people mean when they say they need to sort this out, and it is also the one they most often misunderstand. It governs what you own in your own name and nothing else. The retirement account with your ex-spouse still on the beneficiary form is not affected by the will that leaves everything to your children. That is why Airlooms gives away the beneficiary designations checklist: the will is only half the picture.
Airlooms builds your state's version, prints the self-proving affidavit with it, and gives you the signing sequence in order, because a will that is signed in the wrong order is the most expensive kind of document to own.
The will is the one document Airlooms will not sell you in four questions. It asks the full set, because a will cannot be honest with less.
Common questions
What happens if I die without a will?
State intestacy law supplies the rules instead. In Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey those rules pass your estate to your relatives in a fixed order, starting with a spouse and children. The question is not whether anyone inherits, it is whether the fixed order matches what you wanted.
What is a self-proving affidavit?
A separate sworn statement, signed by you and your witnesses before a notary, that lets the court accept the will without tracking your witnesses down years later. Airlooms includes it, and the price shown covers both.
How many witnesses do I need?
Two, in all three states, and the ceremony matters. You sign or acknowledge your signature while both witnesses are present, and each witness signs while you and the other witness are present.
Can a beneficiary be a witness?
Avoid it. In New York an interested witness can lose the gift made to them. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are more forgiving, but a disinterested witness is the right answer everywhere.
Should I write on it after signing?
No. Handwritten changes after execution create exactly the dispute a will is meant to prevent. Regenerate the document instead, and sign the new one.
Included in
- Will & Essentials, $69 for 18 documents, 55% less than buying the pieces. See what is in it
- Trust & Property, $129 for 28 documents, 57% less than buying the pieces. See what is in it