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Your Connecticut will done quickly and easily
If you die without a will in Connecticut, a court will distribute your property according to default state laws (intestacy laws). These laws favor spouses, children, and other close relatives as heirs. But they might not match your preferences and family’s needs precisely. A will empowers you to avoid these default laws. Through a will, you can make your own choices about who will receive your property, at what age your beneficiaries will inherit, anyone you’d like to specifically disinherit, and who will be your minor children’s guardians.
With FindLaw, you can easily create a will. Click on the links below to jump down the page:
How it works
It only takes minutes to control your future. Need help? Contact one of our directory attorneys.
Create an account
Create a secure account which is accessible through an easy dashboard you can access any time.
Gather information
You will need a list of your assets, contact information for important people, and any wishes you want to be honored when you’re gone.
Complete your documents
Answer all questions, then we’ll generate your digital documents for downloading, printing, and signing.
Make it legal
Carefully follow the instructions provided in the form, which may include signing your documents in front of witnesses or a notary.
Plan for your future with confidence
This free guide will help you:
Learn the most common estate planning terms
Understand the essential estate planning tools
Gather critical information with an estate planning checklist
What’s next to make my Connecticut will valid?
Validate your will by following these steps:
Choose an executor
An executor (sometimes called a “personal representative”) is the person who is responsible for overseeing the administration of your estate. They will pay off your debts through your estate and distribute your assets according to your will’s instructions. This happens through a court-supervised process called probate. You should choose someone you trust as your executor, like a spouse, adult child, or sibling for this role.
List your beneficiaries
Your beneficiaries are the individuals or entities you choose to receive your property after your death. These may be people, like close loved ones or friends. Or you may choose to leave property to a charitable organization or a trust. Leaving money to a trust can be a good way to provide for a minor child. With a trust, you can name a trustee to manage your children’s finances on their behalf. You can even leave money to provide for the care of animals through a pet trust.
List your assets
A comprehensive list of your assets will help your executor distribute your property according to your instructions. When listing your assets, you should include all of your real property and personal property. Real property refers to real estate like homes, investment properties, and land. Personal property covers your other possessions, including vehicles, jewelry, heirlooms, furniture, and any other property. If you would like to leave specific possessions to certain people, you should make this clear in your will.
List your non-probate assets
Not all property can be transferred through a will. If you have a life insurance policy, annuities, trusts, or retirement accounts with named beneficiaries, they will pass directly to the beneficiaries. If you own property jointly with the right of survivorship, the property will pass automatically to your joint owner. You cannot change these designations through your will. But you should make a list of these properties to help your executor manage their distribution.
List your debts
When your estate goes into probate, your creditors can make claims for payments out of the value of the estate. To help your executor handle these claims, you can make a list of your debts. Be sure to include any credit card balances, mortgages, loans, outstanding taxes, and other obligations.
Choose guardians for minor children
For parents of minor children, one of the most important aspects of a will can be naming guardians for your children. This way, you know that if anything were to happen to you and your children’s other parent, your children will be cared for by a guardian of your choice. Make sure to choose a guardian who is trustworthy and willing to take on this responsibility. Choosing an appropriate guardian will help to avoid family conflict and court proceedings regarding your choice.
Sign your will
You should sign your will in the presence of two witnesses who are not beneficiaries to your will. The witnesses should also sign your will in your presence. Make sure to choose witnesses who do not stand to gain anything from your will (disinterested witnesses). If your beneficiaries witness your will, their inheritance might be voided under Connecticut law. If you would like to create a self-proving will, you will need to ask your witnesses to swear to a self-proving affidavit in front of a notary public.
Distribute your will and store it in a safe place
After you have signed your will, you should give a copy to your executor and attorney (if you have one). You should also make sure to let your loved ones know that you have executed a will. It’s a good idea to keep a copy of your will in a safe place that a trusted person can access. For many people, a good option is to keep their will in a locked safe that they share with a loved one.
Common questions about Connecticut wills
A legally valid will must fulfill certain basic requirements in Connecticut:
- It must be in writing
- You must be of sound mind when you sign your will
- You should sign the will in the presence of two witnesses. The witnesses should then sign your will. You should choose witnesses who are not beneficiaries to your will. If your beneficiaries witness your will, they may lose their inheritance.
Connecticut law further provides that if you created your will in another state, following that state’s requirements, it is a valid will in Connecticut.
A living will is a legal document that you use to specify your medical care wishes and end-of-life treatment decisions. Your living will would only go into effect if you were to become incapacitated and unable to make your own health care decisions. It does not replace a will because it cannot be used to distribute your property, and it is only valid during your lifetime.
A fully handwritten, unwitnessed will is known as a holographic will. Connecticut law does not recognize holographic wills as valid. The exception to this might be if you created a holographic will in a state where it was legally valid, then moved to Connecticut.
Even if you created a holographic will in a state where it was valid, probate judges may be hesitant to recognize these wills. The handwriting can be difficult to interpret and validate, leading to will challenges and additional legal fees. To relieve your loved ones of these problems down the line, you and your two witnesses should sign a printed will.
With FindLaw, you can easily follow the steps to create a valid, customized Connecticut will from the convenience of your home computer.
No, you are not legally required to notarize a will in Connecticut. But if you would like to make your will self-proving, you will need a notary public’s services. When a will is self-proving, the probate court does not need to call your witnesses to testify that your will is authentic. Instead, the court can automatically accept your will as valid and move on with administering your estate.
To make your will self-proving, you need to ask your witnesses to swear to a self-proving affidavit in front of a notary public.
You cannot completely disinherit your spouse in Connecticut. If you leave your spouse nothing, or very little, they may choose to take a “statutory share” of your estate instead of what you left them. This share is equal to one-third of your estate.
However, your spouse is only entitled to have this property as a life estate. In other words, your spouse would have the right to use their statutory share during their lifetime but could not pass it on to their heirs.
If you get divorced after signing your will, Connecticut law voids your will’s provisions related to your former spouse. So, your former spouse will not receive any gifts from your will after your divorce unless you make it clear that a divorce will not affect your will’s distributions.
If you go through a divorce after signing your will, it’s a good idea to create a new will. With a new will, you revoke prior wills, and you can update your distributions. You can then add or remove beneficiaries as necessary. With FindLaw, you can make as many changes to your will as you need for a full year after purchase.
You may want to speak with a lawyer if you:
- Have a past divorce, blended family, or other complex family situation
- Have a high-value estate
- Own a business
- Want to create a special needs trust
- Want legal review of your completed will
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