Pennsylvania Last Will and Testament Template

A last will and testament in Pennsylvania must meet specific statutory requirements to be valid and enforceable in probate court. The testator must properly execute the document with the correct number of witnesses to ensure it directs the distribution of estate assets to named beneficiaries and appoints an executor to administer the estate. Pennsylvania requires two witnesses must sign the will, Pennsylvania does not require the testator to sign in the witnesses' presence, but witnesses must attest that the signature is the testator's. Pennsylvania recognizes holographic wills: recognized, a holographic will written entirely in the testator's handwriting is valid even without witnesses under 20 Pa.C.S. §2502. available, testator and witnesses execute a self-proving affidavit before a notary

Without a valid will, Pennsylvania intestate succession laws determine who inherits, often in ways that contradict the decedent's wishes. A surviving spouse may receive only a portion of the estate, unmarried partners receive nothing, and a court appoints an administrator instead of the testator's chosen executor. Proper execution under Pennsylvania law prevents these outcomes and reduces the risk of a will contest. A complete estate plan typically pairs a will with a power of attorney for lifetime incapacity protection.