Free Illinois Last Will and Testament

ARTICLE I — DECLARATION

I, [YOUR FULL NAME], a resident of [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Illinois, 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.

Illinois 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 Illinois.

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.