How to make a will in your state
Every state has its own requirements for making a will. Find your state and learn what you need to make a will.
By
Elissa Suh
Published July 29, 2020|1 min read
Table of Contents
Editorial disclosure
Every state has its own requirements for making a will. While some of the requirements are very similar between states — for example, you'll almost always need witnesses to sign the will to make it valid — there are some key differences, too.
Often, state will requirements may vary along such factors as the characteristics of the executor or of your witnesses. If your estate is worth under a certain amount after you die, sometimes your heirs can avoid probate entirely, but that threshold too varies between states.
Estate planning in each state
Click on your state below to learn more about how to make a will in that state.
| Alabama | Indiana | Nebraska | South Carolina |
| Alaska | Iowa | Nevada | South Dakota |
| Arizona | Kansas | New Hampshire | Tennessee |
| Arkansas | Kentucky | New Jersey | Texas |
| California | Louisiana | New Mexico | Utah |
| Colorado | Maine | New York | Vermont |
| Connecticut | Maryland | North Carolina | Virginia |
| Delaware | Massachusetts | North Dakota | Washington |
| Florida | Michigan | Ohio | West Virginia |
| Georgia | Minnesota | Oklahoma | Wisconsin |
| Hawaii | Mississippi | Oregon | Wyoming |
| Idaho | Missouri | Pennsylvania | |
| Illinois | Montana | Rhode Island |
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Elissa Suh
Personal Finance Editor
Elissa Suh is a personal finance editor at Policygenius in New York City. She has researched and written extensively about finance and insurance since 2019, with an emphasis in esate planning and mortgages. Her writing has been cited by MarketWatch, CNBC, and Betterment.
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