Free Vermont Last Will and Testament
Build a complete Vermont will in minutes — free, no account. Fill in your details and download a ready-to-sign PDF with the protective clauses built in and Vermont's correct signing requirements.
A free, ready-to-sign will — but not legal advice.
This builds a complete Vermont will with the protective clauses most templates skip (survivorship period, residuary, minor's trust, executor powers). It becomes legally valid only when you sign it correctly (see the signing steps below). For a large or blended estate, have an attorney review it. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
About you
Children
Name all your children, even any you are not leaving anything to — naming them prevents an 'omitted child' claim.
Who inherits everything else (your residuary estate)
The catch-all gift of everything not specifically given. Shares should total 100%.
Specific gifts (optional)
Particular items or sums to particular people.
Executor (the person who carries out your will)
Options
Naming them states the omission is intentional. Note: you generally cannot fully disinherit a spouse (see the warnings).
Before you sign — Vermont notes
Choose 2 witnesses who are adults and who do NOT inherit under this Will. A beneficiary (or a beneficiary's spouse) should never witness your Will.
Add at least one residuary beneficiary with a share above 0%. Without a residuary gift, everything not specifically given would pass by intestacy (state default rules), defeating the point of the Will.
To make this Will valid in Vermont: A valid Vermont will must be in writing and signed in the presence of two or more credible witnesses by the testator (or by another at the testator's direction in the testator's presence), and the two witnesses must attest and subscribe the will in the presence of the testator AND each other (14 V.S.A. § 5). Notarization is not required for validity. (Historically Vermont required three witnesses, but the current statute requires two.) To make the will self-proving, the testator and witnesses give a sworn acknowledgment before a notary covering the four facts in 14 V.S.A. § 108. Vermont does not recognize unwitnessed holographic wills.
This is a do-it-yourself Will for a straightforward estate. If you have a large or blended estate, business interests, tax concerns, a special-needs beneficiary, or want to disinherit close family, have an attorney review it. This is not legal advice and RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
Or email yourself a copy (PDF)
Last Will and Testament of [YOUR FULL NAME]
ARTICLE I — DECLARATION
I, [YOUR FULL NAME], a resident of [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Vermont, being of full legal age to make a will and of sound mind and memory, declare this to be my Last Will and Testament, and I revoke all wills and codicils I have previously made.
ARTICLE II — FAMILY
I am not married.
If I have not named or provided for a child or other descendant in this Will, that omission is intentional and not the result of accident or mistake.
ARTICLE III — PAYMENT OF DEBTS, EXPENSES, AND TAXES
I direct my Executor to pay my legally enforceable debts, the expenses of my last illness and funeral, the costs of administering my estate, and any estate or inheritance taxes payable by reason of my death, out of the residue of my estate, without apportionment.
ARTICLE IV — TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY
I give my tangible personal property (household goods, furniture, vehicles, jewelry, collections, and personal effects not otherwise specifically given) to my residuary beneficiaries as they agree, or as my Executor determines if they cannot agree.
Vermont does not give legal effect to a separate personal-property memorandum, so any specific items must be listed in this Will itself to be binding.
ARTICLE V — RESIDUARY ESTATE
I give all the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate to [RESIDUARY BENEFICIARY].
If no beneficiary named in this article survives me, my residuary estate shall pass to my heirs at law under the intestacy laws of my state.
ARTICLE VI — SURVIVORSHIP
Except as otherwise provided, a beneficiary must survive me by 30 days to receive any gift under this Will. A beneficiary who does not survive me by 30 days shall be treated as having predeceased me. This protects my estate from passing through the estate of a beneficiary who dies shortly after me.
ARTICLE VII — APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR
I nominate [EXECUTOR NAME] as Executor of this Will.
I direct that my Executor serve without bond and, to the fullest extent allowed by law, without court supervision (independent administration). My Executor shall have all powers granted to executors and personal representatives under the law of my state, including the power to sell, lease, invest, and distribute estate property, to pay debts and taxes, and to settle claims, all without prior court approval, as my Executor deems to be in the best interest of my estate.
ARTICLE VIII — DIGITAL ASSETS
I authorize my Executor to access, manage, distribute, and dispose of my digital assets and electronic communications, and to act as my fiduciary under the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (or its equivalent in my state), with full authority to consent to a custodian's disclosure of the content and records of my electronic communications and accounts.
ARTICLE IX — SIMULTANEOUS DEATH
If any beneficiary and I die under circumstances in which the order of our deaths cannot be established, that beneficiary shall be deemed to have predeceased me. If my spouse and I die under such circumstances, my spouse shall be deemed to have predeceased me.
ARTICLE X — GENERAL PROVISIONS
This Will shall be governed by the laws of the State of Vermont.
If any provision of this Will is held invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain in full effect. Words of one gender include the other, and the singular includes the plural, as the context requires. The headings are for convenience only and do not affect the meaning of this Will.
EXECUTION
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I sign this Will, consisting of the foregoing pages, on this _____ day of ____________, 20____, at [CITY], Vermont.
____________________________________
[YOUR FULL NAME], Testator
ATTESTATION — The foregoing instrument was signed by the Testator and declared to be the Testator's Will in our presence, and we, at the Testator's request and in the Testator's presence and in the presence of each other, sign below as witnesses, believing the Testator to be of sound mind and under no constraint or undue influence.
Witness 1: ____________________________ Address: ____________________________
Witness 2: ____________________________ Address: ____________________________
SELF-PROVING AFFIDAVIT (14 V.S.A. § 108) — sign this part before a notary to make probate easier:
Vermont does NOT prescribe a single rigid verbatim affidavit form. Under 14 V.S.A. § 108, a will may be self-proved as to its execution by the sworn acknowledgment of the testator and the witnesses, made before a notary public or other official authorized to administer oaths, stating that: (1) the testator signed the instrument as the testator's will or expressly directed another to sign for the testator in the presence of two witnesses; (2) the signing was the testator's free and voluntary act for the purposes expressed in the instrument; (3) each witness signed at the request of the testator, in the testator's presence, and in the presence of the other witness; and (4) to the best knowledge of each witness at the time of signing, the testator was at least 18 years of age or emancipated by court order and was of sound mind and under no constraint or undue influence. Faithful practice template:
"STATE OF VERMONT, COUNTY OF _______. We, [TESTATOR], [WITNESS 1], and [WITNESS 2], the testator and witnesses, being first duly sworn, declare to the undersigned authority that: the testator signed this instrument as the testator's will (or expressly directed another to sign for the testator in the presence of two witnesses); the signing was the testator's free and voluntary act for the purposes expressed; each witness signed at the request of the testator, in the testator's presence, and in the presence of the other witness; and that to the best of each witness's knowledge the testator was, at the time of signing, at least 18 years of age or emancipated by court order, of sound mind, and under no constraint or undue influence.
_________ Testator _________ Witness _________ Witness
Subscribed and sworn before me this ___ day of ____, 20__.
_________ Notary Public / Officer (SEAL) My commission expires: ____"
How to Sign Your Will in Vermont
A valid Vermont will must be in writing and signed in the presence of two or more credible witnesses by the testator (or by another at the testator's direction in the testator's presence), and the two witnesses must attest and subscribe the will in the presence of the testator AND each other (14 V.S.A. § 5). Notarization is not required for validity. (Historically Vermont required three witnesses, but the current statute requires two.) To make the will self-proving, the testator and witnesses give a sworn acknowledgment before a notary covering the four facts in 14 V.S.A. § 108. Vermont does not recognize unwitnessed holographic wills.
Vermont requires 2 witnesses: The will must be signed in the presence of two or more credible witnesses by the testator (or in the testator's name by another person in the testator's presence and at the testator's express direction), and the witnesses must attest and subscribe the will in the presence of the testator AND each other (14 V.S.A. § 5).. Your will does not need to be notarized to be valid.
Choose witnesses who are adults and who do not inherit under your will. A beneficiary should never witness your will. Then sign the self-proving affidavit (14 V.S.A. § 108) in front of a notary. That sworn statement lets the court accept your will without tracking down your witnesses later, which speeds up probate.
Can You Use a Handwritten (Holographic) Will in Vermont?
No. Vermont does not recognize holographic (handwritten, unwitnessed) wills — a handwritten note will not work. Your will must be typed and signed in front of 2 witnesses, which is exactly what this generator produces.
Spousal and Family Protections in Vermont
Can you disinherit your spouse? You CANNOT fully disinherit a spouse. A surviving spouse may waive the will and elect to take ONE-HALF (1/2) of the balance of the decedent's probate estate after payment of allowances, claims, and expenses. (This is notably larger than the 1/3 used in many states.) The probate court must give the surviving spouse notice of these rights within 30 days of the initial inventory filing.
Children born after your will: A child (or descendant of a deceased child) omitted from the will and not provided for, where the omission was by mistake/accident rather than intent, takes the intestate share the child would have received had the testator died intestate. This is why the generator has you name your children and states that any omission is intentional.
If a beneficiary dies before you: Anti-lapse: if a devisee/legatee who is a kindred of the testator (related by blood) dies before the testator leaving issue who survive the testator, that issue takes the gift in the deceased beneficiary's place, unless a different disposition is made or required by the will. The generator's "per stirpes" option and survivorship clause work alongside this rule.
Survivorship, No-Contest, and Digital Assets
Survivorship: Vermont follows the 120-hour survival rule under its Uniform Simultaneous Death Act — a person who fails to survive the decedent by 120 hours is deemed to have predeceased for succession purposes, unless the will provides otherwise. The generator builds in a 30-to-60-day survivorship period regardless.
No-contest clauses: Vermont has NO statute enforcing no-contest (in terrorem) clauses, and Vermont courts interpret them very narrowly to avoid forfeiture. A good-faith challenge with probable cause generally does NOT trigger forfeiture. Practically, Vermont is treated as a state where no-contest clauses are unenforceable / not given effect — confirmed: VERMONT does NOT enforce no-contest clauses (alongside Florida). Treat any clause as a deterrent only with no reliable forfeiture effect.
Digital assets: Vermont has adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, so your executor can manage your online accounts and digital property — the generator includes a clause granting that authority.
Personal-property list: Vermont does not give legal effect to a separate personal-property memorandum, so list any specific items in the will itself.
What Happens If You Die Without a Will in Vermont?
Vermont follows a Uniform Probate Code-style scheme. A surviving spouse takes the entire estate when there are no descendants or when all of the decedent's descendants are also the spouse's. The spouse's share drops to one-half only when the decedent left a descendant from another relationship, with the other half passing to the decedent's descendants by representation.
- Spouse, no children: Surviving spouse takes the entire intestate estate when no descendant of the decedent survives.
- Spouse and shared children: If all of the decedent's surviving descendants are also descendants of the surviving spouse, the spouse takes the entire intestate estate.
- Spouse and a child from another relationship: The gotcha: if there is a surviving descendant of the decedent who is NOT a descendant of the surviving spouse, the spouse receives one-half of the intestate estate; the other half passes to the decedent's descendants by right of representation.
- Children, no spouse: No spouse: the balance of the estate passes to the decedent's descendants by right of representation.
- No spouse or children: No spouse, no descendants: to the decedent's parent(s) equally; then to descendants of the parents (siblings, etc.) by right of representation; then to grandparents and their descendants; ultimately escheating to the State.
Unmarried partners, friends, and stepchildren you have not adopted generally receive nothing under intestacy. A will is how you override these defaults. Source: 14 V.S.A. §§ 311, 314.
Updating, Revoking, and Storing Your Will
Review your will after any big life change — marriage, divorce, a birth, a death, or a move to a new state. To change it, either sign a new will that revokes the old one (the cleanest option, and what this generator produces) or add a witnessed "codicil." Do not cross things out on a signed will — handwritten edits can invalidate it. Store the signed original somewhere safe and tell your executor where it is; a will that cannot be found is presumed revoked.
Common mistakes to avoid: using a beneficiary as a witness; forgetting a residuary clause (so part of the estate passes by intestacy); leaving a young child a lump sum outright at 18 instead of in trust; not naming a backup executor or guardian; and never actually signing the document. The generator above is built to avoid each of these.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a will made online valid in Vermont?
Yes, if you sign it correctly. Vermont requires 2 witnesses. The document this tool creates is a standard typed will; it becomes legally valid when you sign it following the steps above.
Does my Vermont will need to be notarized?
No. Vermont does not require your will to be notarized to be valid. Notarizing the separate self-proving affidavit is optional but makes probate easier.
How many witnesses does a Vermont will need?
2 witnesses. The will must be signed in the presence of two or more credible witnesses by the testator (or in the testator's name by another person in the testator's presence and at the testator's express direction), and the witnesses must attest and subscribe the will in the presence of the testator AND each other (14 V.S.A. § 5). They should be adults who do not inherit under the will.
Can I leave my spouse out of my Vermont will?
You CANNOT fully disinherit a spouse. A surviving spouse may waive the will and elect to take ONE-HALF (1/2) of the balance of the decedent's probate estate after payment of allowances, claims, and expenses. (This is notably larger than the 1/3 used in many states.) The probate court must give the surviving spouse notice of these rights within 30 days of the initial inventory filing.
What happens if I die without a will in Vermont?
Vermont follows a Uniform Probate Code-style scheme. A surviving spouse takes the entire estate when there are no descendants or when all of the decedent's descendants are also the spouse's. The spouse's share drops to one-half only when the decedent left a descendant from another relationship, with the other half passing to the decedent's descendants by representation.
Does a Vermont will avoid probate?
No. A will still goes through probate — it directs how your estate is distributed and names your executor, but the court still supervises (often a simplified, independent administration). To avoid probate entirely, people use living trusts and beneficiary designations in addition to a will.
How old do I have to be to make a will in Vermont?
Generally 18. Every individual 18 years of age or over, or emancipated by court order, who is of sound mind may make a will in writing (14 V.S.A. § 1). You must also be of sound mind.
Can I write my will by hand in Vermont?
No. Vermont does not recognize handwritten, unwitnessed wills. Your will must be typed and properly witnessed.
Do I need a lawyer to make a will in Vermont?
Not for a straightforward estate — a properly signed will is valid whether or not a lawyer drafts it. See an attorney if you have a large or blended estate, business interests, tax concerns, a special-needs beneficiary, or want to disinherit close family.
Is this really free?
Yes. The generator is free, requires no account, and runs entirely in your browser — your answers are not sent to a server. It is not legal advice and RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
Disclaimer
This generator produces a general-purpose will for a straightforward estate and is not legal advice or a substitute for an attorney. Will and probate law changes; the Vermont requirements here are current as of 2026-06-03. A will is only valid if signed and witnessed correctly. For a large, blended, or complex estate, tax planning, a special-needs beneficiary, or to disinherit close family, consult a Vermont estate-planning attorney. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
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