Everything in your will is something that is truly yours. These are assets that have been designated for someone else, like:
- insurance money.
- The accounts are for "brokerage or investments."
- The money for retirement and pension plans
- Income from bank accounts that payout when you die.
Crafting legally valid wills stands as one of the most critical estate planning tasks Canadians can complete. Without proper will documentation dictating asset and property distribution, significant complications or even disputes can arise upon one's death. However, many wrongfully believe creating wills demands great expense or uncomfortable conversations around mortality. This leads over 50% of Canadians to enter their senior years lacking these binding directives.
Fortunately, the emergence of online will solutions makes the process far more accessible and budget-friendly than traditional lawyer routes. Through guided digital interfaces, Canadians can outline executors, beneficiaries, distribute assets, and finalize legal wills on their own time, even revisiting periodically as life changes occur. Removing common barriers of high-costs and mortality angst, these modern platforms enable creating vital, binding plans protecting families and assets once gone. As estate planning grows only more relevant in today's digital age, all Canadians should re-evaluate whether accessible online will creation tools could provide needed peace of mind through clear, legal documentation of their intentions after death.
What is an Online Will?
It is possible to make an online will with a tool. It takes between 25 and 35 minutes to make an online will. You'll be asked a lot of questions about your estate. A legal will is made after you give the correct information.
It's time to print out the document, sign it in front of two witnesses, and you've made your will. Online wills are a lot easier and cheaper than going through a lawyer.
Are These Wills Allowed in Canada?
The validity of an online will comes down to proper execution adhering to jurisdictional legal requirements. While Canadian law permits legal digital will creation, without meeting key criteria these still risk being void when probated. To ensure legitimacy, reputable online will providers consult estate lawyers to engineer templates compliant across all provinces.
At minimum, all Canadian wills must satisfy basics like being signed while of sound mind and without duress by the testator in front of two witness who are not beneficiaries. Additionally, formats must align to specific provincial statutes dictating will construction and hierarchies governing distribution. By collaborating with specialized lawyers, digital will platforms can bake appropriate structures and guided flows to customize documentation meeting localized legal needs upon completion.
So while the internet introduces ease-of-use benefits, Canadians leveraging these tools must still ensure the outputs produced are executed properly. Validating an online provider consults lawyers, updates regulatory changes and focuses on legal compliance remains essential. Only through sufficient guardrails and customization guided by professionals can digital wills offer the soundness demanded when challenged.
Who Can Benefit From It?
As long as you fit into one of these groups, an online job might be right for you:
- You don't have to deal with complicated situations or make unique rules for your beneficiaries.
- You want to make power of attorney documents so that someone can make decisions for you if you get sick or aren't able to make them for yourself (also called a living will).
- You have a child or kids.
- You own a pet. As a dog owner, you should know why you need a will.
- You own property, have assets, or have investments in Canada, and you want to keep them that way.
- You want to leave specific gifts for your friends and family when you die, and you want to (e.g., antiques or art).
- When you die, you want to leave a part of your estate or a cash gift to a good cause.
Canada's Best Online Will Kits
With the best online will-writing services, you can have a legal will ready in as little as 25 minutes, and it can be done quickly. As a result, you won't have to pay for an estate planning lawyer. You'll also save money on the fees.
1. Wills and Testaments
There are a lot of people in Canada who use LegalWills.ca to make wills and other documents online. It's the country's most popular service for this. Canada has used the platform to make legal online wills for more than 20 years.
This online will service costs $39.95 for a single will and $63.92 for a mirrored will, which is the same price for both (couples). It costs $29.95 to add a power of attorney or a living will to your account.
In LegalWills, you can get updates for free for a year. You can pay for unlimited updates and storage after that for a one-time fee.
It is available in all provinces, including Quebec.
The cost depends on your needs.
2. WILLFULL
Willful was started in 2017 and is one of the best places in Canada to get a legal online will that is legal. The company has three packages: a basic plan, a premium plan, and a plan for couples (mirrored).
Will-writing kits range in price from $99 to $250 for a willful plan for a married couple.
You can put a power of attorney and a health care directive in your last will and testament, but you don't have to. At no extra charge, all plans come with unlimited changes.
It is now available in Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Quebec, as well as the rest of the country.
The cost is from $99 to $250.
3. Epilogue
Epilogue is an online platform in Canada that helps people make wills. It was started by two former estate planning lawyers.
If you're an individual, their service starts at $139. If you're a couple, it goes up to $289 for a full package of wills and powers of attorney.
Making a will in Epilogue takes just 25 minutes. They assist you throughout.
If you want, you can also make changes to your documents online for free at any time of the day.
It is available in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, with plans to start in the Atlantic Provinces this year.
It costs from $139 to $289.
4. formalwill
When a lawyer came up with the idea of FormalWill, he thought of a way to make a Canadian will online. Each province and territory in Canada has its own set of will kits that are made to work with them.
People can buy a legal will for $59, a power of attorney for $39, a living will for $39, and a pet will for $59 from them. FormalWill doesn't allow revisions to legal wills unless you pay an additional fee for "peace of mind."
The power of attorney and living will documents on FormalWill can't be changed.
For up to $249, you can have a lawyer look over your will or give you advice.
It is available in all of Canada's provinces and territories.
Depending on the package you choose, the cost will be different.
5. CanadaWills
CanadaWills is a 100% free online will kit platform that only gets money from donations. Using an online service, you can also make your legal will and a living will for free. To make a will, you need to fill in all the information online, then print out a pdf version of the document, sign it in front of two people who aren't beneficiaries, and sign it.
If you want a free option, this one is great because it's not like the other companies on this list. It doesn't have the same level of customer service and support.
It is available in every province except Quebec.
Conclusion
Online wills are meant for simple wills that only deal with assets, taking care of your family, and planning for your last days. In some cases, an online will kit may not be enough to handle your legal needs, in which case you should get help from a lawyer.
Online wills are a great way to make a legally binding will quickly and easily if you have simple legal needs. Remember that if you get an online will, you must print it and sign it in front of two people who aren't your beneficiaries for it to be valid.