Estate planning

General information

Preparing in advance for the end of your life can be very helpful for your family members and can help make sure your wishes are carried out.

Wills

For information about making a will:

Electronic wills, which can be signed and stored electronically rather than in paper, are allowed beginning January 1, 2022, under the Washington Uniform Electronic Wills Act. The Final Bill Report has a summary of the effects of the law. More information about this new law is available from King County Probates and from the National Notary Association.

You can file your original will with the court for unsealing after you die. The Superior Court Clerk's Office has more information about the will repository service.

Powers of Attorney

  • Washington LawHelp has very simple forms for a Durable Power of Attorney for either health care or finances, and a form to revoke a previous power of attorney.
  • If you only need a Special Power of Attorney to allow someone else to buy or sell a house on your behalf, there are forms from the Washington State Bar Association.

Health Care Directives (Living Wills)

A Health Care Directive is a form that lets you say what kind of medical treatments you do or do not want if you are terminally ill or permanently unconscious and cannot make decisions for yourself. It names a person to speak on your behalf and gives them guidance about your wishes.

Self-help kit from the law library

self-help form kits

The law library sells a Transfer on Death Deed self-help kit that includes forms and instructions to allow a property owner to transfer the property to another person as an inheritance when the property owner dies. The kit includes creating, recording, revoking, or claiming under a Transfer on Death Deed. Kits can be purchased at the library or online and mailed out.

Free eBooks about estate planning, wills, and trusts

 
Estate Planning basics book cover

How to find estate planning eBooks

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