Wills, explained
What a will actually does, what makes one legally valid in your province, and what happens to your estate if you never make one.
Are online wills legal in Canada?
Online wills are legally valid in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. No province requires a lawyer. What matters is how the will is signed and witnessed — and that part differs by province.
What happens if you die without a will?
Intestacy rules decide who inherits when there is no will — and they differ sharply by province. Ontario gives common-law partners nothing. BC and Alberta treat them as spouses.
Holograph wills: when a handwritten will counts
Ontario and Alberta accept a will written entirely in your own handwriting with no witnesses. British Columbia does not. What makes a holograph will valid, and why they get contested.
How much does a will cost in Canada?
From free kits to $1,200 lawyer retainers — what every route to a will costs in 2026, what you get for the money, and when paying more is actually worth it.
Signing and witnessing your will, step by step
Execution is where wills fail. The exact signing procedure for each province, who can be in the room, what BC allows electronically, and the affidavit that makes probate smoother.
What is a will, and what does it actually do?
A will names your executor, decides who inherits, and appoints guardians for your children. Here is what it covers, what it does not, and why the province you live in changes the answer.
What makes a will legally valid?
Four requirements make a will valid, and one of them — witnessing — is where most homemade wills fail. The rules by province, with the statute for each.
Where to store your will (and where not to)
A will that cannot be found is presumed revoked. The storage options ranked — home safe, lawyer's vault, court deposit — and why a safety deposit box is a trap.
Who can witness a will — and who absolutely cannot
Two witnesses, correct ages, no beneficiaries. The complete witness eligibility rules for each province, and the void-gift trap that quietly disinherits people.
Start your will. Pay when you approve it.
Answer the questions, read your finished will, then decide. $15 until October 31, 2026 — $29 after that.