Free Maryland Last Will and Testament
Build a complete Maryland will in minutes — free, no account. Fill in your details and download a ready-to-sign PDF with the protective clauses built in and Maryland's correct signing requirements.
A free, ready-to-sign will — but not legal advice.
This builds a complete Maryland 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 — Maryland 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.
In Maryland a properly witnessed Will is automatically self-proved, so no separate affidavit is needed.
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 Maryland: In Maryland, a valid will must be in writing, signed by the testator (or by another person in the testator's physical presence and at the testator's express direction), and attested and signed by two or more credible witnesses in the presence of the testator. No notary is required. Maryland wills are essentially auto-self-proved: a properly executed will can be admitted to probate without locating the witnesses, so a separate self-proving affidavit is not necessary. (Maryland added optional certified-will/attestation forms — one before a notary, one before a supervising attorney — chiefly for electronic and remote-witnessed wills under 2022 SB 36.) Maryland does not allow ordinary civilian holographic wills, except for armed-forces members serving overseas.
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, Maryland, 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.
Maryland 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 Maryland.
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], Maryland.
____________________________________
[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: ____________________________
How to Sign Your Will in Maryland
In Maryland, a valid will must be in writing, signed by the testator (or by another person in the testator's physical presence and at the testator's express direction), and attested and signed by two or more credible witnesses in the presence of the testator. No notary is required. Maryland wills are essentially auto-self-proved: a properly executed will can be admitted to probate without locating the witnesses, so a separate self-proving affidavit is not necessary. (Maryland added optional certified-will/attestation forms — one before a notary, one before a supervising attorney — chiefly for electronic and remote-witnessed wills under 2022 SB 36.) Maryland does not allow ordinary civilian holographic wills, except for armed-forces members serving overseas.
Maryland requires 2 witnesses: Attested and signed by two or more credible witnesses in the presence of the testator. Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §4-102(a). (Maryland permits electronic and remote witnessing under additional safeguards added by 2022 SB 36, including a supervising attorney for remotely/electronically witnessed wills.). Your will does not need to be notarized to be valid. In Maryland, a correctly witnessed will is automatically self-proved — no separate affidavit needed.
Maryland also recognizes holographic (handwritten) wills, but a typed, witnessed will is far less likely to be challenged.
Can You Disinherit a Spouse in Maryland?
Cannot fully disinherit a spouse. The surviving spouse may elect against the will: 1/3 of the 'estate subject to election' if there is surviving issue, or 1/2 if there is no surviving issue, reduced by the value of spousal benefits. Maryland modernized this in 2020 to reach an AUGMENTED-ESTATE base (probate + certain non-probate transfers and inter vivos transfers) rather than just the probate estate, closing the old loophole of defeating the share with non-probate transfers. The right is absolute unless waived by a valid pre/post-nuptial agreement.
No-contest clauses: An in terrorem clause is VOID if probable cause existed for instituting the proceedings (statutory probable-cause exception). Note: Maryland has had essentially no appellate decisions interpreting the statute, so it is enforced as written but rarely litigated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a will made online valid in Maryland?
Yes, if you sign it correctly. Maryland 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 Maryland will need to be notarized?
No. Maryland does not require your will to be notarized. Notarizing the separate self-proving affidavit is optional but makes probate easier.
How many witnesses does a Maryland will need?
2 witnesses. Attested and signed by two or more credible witnesses in the presence of the testator. Md. Code, Est. & Trusts §4-102(a). (Maryland permits electronic and remote witnessing under additional safeguards added by 2022 SB 36, including a supervising attorney for remotely/electronically witnessed wills.) They should be adults who do not inherit under the will.
Can I leave my spouse out of my Maryland will?
Cannot fully disinherit a spouse. The surviving spouse may elect against the will: 1/3 of the 'estate subject to election' if there is surviving issue, or 1/2 if there is no surviving issue, reduced by the value of spousal benefits. Maryland modernized this in 2020 to reach an AUGMENTED-ESTATE base (probate + certain non-probate transfers and inter vivos transfers) rather than just the probate estate, closing the old loophole of defeating the share with non-probate transfers. The right is absolute unless waived by a valid pre/post-nuptial agreement.
Is this really free?
Yes. The generator is free, requires no account, and runs 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 Maryland 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 Maryland estate-planning attorney. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
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