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. Sign the self-proving affidavit (14 V.S.A. § 108) before a notary so your witnesses won't have to testify in probate.
Can You Disinherit a Spouse in Vermont?
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.
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.
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. 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.
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 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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