The single most-searched estate document there is — the will that says who gets what when you’re gone, who’s in charge of carrying it out, and who raises your kids. You (the testator) declare your last will, revoke any older ones, appoint an executor (your personal representative) to gather your estate and pay your debts, name a guardian for your minor children, hand out specific gifts, and dispose of everything left over (your residuary estate). This builds that whole will. Pick the kind and PaperKit reshapes it: a SIMPLE will that leaves your estate directly to the people you name, or a POUR-OVER will that sweeps everything into a revocable living trust you’ve already set up (the perfect companion to PaperKit’s Living Trust — the will catches anything you didn’t retitle into the trust and pours it in). Choose how your beneficiaries take — one person, several in equal shares, or a primary with a named alternate if the primary predeceases you — and toggle the core clauses: revoke prior wills, executor without bond, guardian for minors, residuary clause, a no-contest (in terrorem) clause, and a self-proving affidavit. PaperKit assembles every section — declaration and revocation, family, appointment of executor, guardian, specific gifts, residuary distribution (direct or poured into the trust), executor powers, no-contest, survivorship and governing law — and lays out the attestation with two witness lines and a self-proving affidavit placeholder. It’s a self-drafted will: you review and e-sign it online, then print the clean PDF. (A will must be signed and WITNESSED under your state’s rules — usually two witnesses, sometimes notarized — so complete the witnessing on execution, and a will does not avoid probate the way a funded living trust does. Formalities vary by state; consider an attorney.)
The big lever — leave your estate directly to your beneficiaries, or pour it over into a revocable living trust. This reshapes the residuary clause.
Simple will: your estate is distributed directly to the beneficiaries you name. Straightforward when you don't have (or don't want) a living trust.
One beneficiary takes the residuary estate.
The person making the will. You draft and e-sign it; your executor and beneficiaries take under the will without signing. A will must also be witnessed on execution.
A will takes effect at death and is proved in probate. It must be signed and WITNESSED under your state's rules (usually two witnesses, sometimes notarized). A will does not avoid probate — a funded living trust does that.
A real, section-by-section last will and testament. The will-type choice drives simple vs pour-over; the beneficiary choice reframes how your estate is distributed. Publish to get a hosted link the testator can e-execute online.
$9/mo — remove the DRAFT watermark + “Made with PaperKit” badge, unlimited clean-PDF will documents, and Pro across every tool.
A last will and testament is a template for convenience, not legal advice. A will takes effect at death and is proved in probate; it lets a testator name an executor, name a guardian for minor children, make gifts, and dispose of the residuary estate — directly or (in a pour-over will) into a named living trust. A will's execution formalities are strict and vary by state (signature, the number of competent witnesses and their presence, and any self-proving affidavit or notarization); a will that is not executed and witnessed correctly can be wholly invalid. Spousal / elective-share, pretermitted-heir, homestead and tax rules also apply. A will does NOT avoid probate (a funded living trust is used for that), and is commonly paired with a living trust, powers of attorney and a health-care directive. PaperKit is not a law firm. Review the instrument and consult a qualified attorney.