In Pennsylvania, there are laws dictating what wills are and are not valid. In order for the state to consider your will valid, you must follow these laws. Today, we will take a look at what is valid and what is not within the state.
There are some states which allow nuncupative and holographic wills. Nuncupative wills are also known as oral wills and holographic wills are also called handwritten wills. With an oral will, you tell someone else what your final wishes are. A holographic will involves anything you write yourself. In some states, it can even include wills written on sticky notes or pads of notebook paper.
The states that allow these types of wills often govern their validity through laws. For example, you need to write a holographic will by hand. A nuncupative will may only cover up to $1,000 in assets. But Pennsylvania law does not consider nuncupative nor holographic wills to be valid. This means you cannot write your own will, nor can you simply tell it to someone else.
Because of this, it is important for you to create your will following proper guidelines. This includes being 18 years old and of sound mind at the time you created it. You will also need two witnesses to sign in your presence.
Are you curious about estate planning, and especially planning a will? Do you want to learn more about the process? If so, you can follow the link here to our web page on estate planning. There, you can learn more about these matters.