Is a hand written Will legal in Australia? Has the Will been witnessed accordingly? Is the hand writing even legible? These are all essential things to take into consideration when preparing a Will and testament in Australia.
There would be many a person who hand writes their Will and testament, noting all of their final wishes and details and then tucks the pieces of paper away in a “safe place”. The issue then becomes: how does anyone find it when the time comes? And furthermore, will they be able to read your handwriting?
A classic example of this has just come to light recently. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, (who died August 2018 of pancreatic cancer) was thought not to have left a Will at all. However, three hand written Wills have recently been discovered in her Detroit home. Unfortunately, the Wills are not clear. One of the Wills is 4 pages long with words scratched out and notes made in the margins.
A (no doubt very costly and stressful) court hearing has been set for 12th June 2019 as two of her sons are contesting the contents of these Wills.
In Australia, for a Will to be legally binding, you must have two independent individuals (over the age of 18) witness you signing each page of your Will – including the all important very last page.
If you’re an everyday Australian looking to complete a legally binding Will and testament online, this is where we come in.
Your Wills is an Australian-based company (supported by SLF Lawyers) that offers you a simple, straightforward solution allowing you to effectively create a legally recognised Will online.
Here’s the fast facts:
- There are only 9 simple steps from start to finish to complete your Will
- No payment required until after you’ve completed Step 8 – then review and submit your Will.
- To officially finalise your legally binding Will, ensure you have two independent individuals (over the age of 18) witness you signing each page of your Will – including the all-important very last page. Your witnesses then need to sign each page of your Will too. Your witnesses must use exactly the same pen you used to sign your Will. Done! It’s that easy!
We also offer Will Sharing Service that allows you to share an unsigned copy of your Will with your Executor, Accountant, Lawyer, Family member/s and or Trusted Friend.
Got questions? We’ve got answers: https://www.yourwills.com.au/faqs/
Or if you’ve got a more specific question, get in touch: info@yourwills.com.au
Ready to be a responsible adult? Get started here: https://www.yourwills.com.au/wizard/register
Where there’s a Will, there’s a way.
