A Codicil to Will form is an easy way to make small changes
to your Will and it can be done quickly if there is an urgency to alter the provisions in a Will.
With our free templates it may not cost you anything at all, or it may attract a lesser fee if you do it yourself and then have it checked by an estate attorney.
Take care to read through our legal guidelines and step by step instructions on How to Make a Codicil / Addendum to a Will which will clarify which clauses are necessary, and why, in order to assist you with the legal requirements for drafting an addendum to a Will.
You can make as many changes as you wish or correct any mistakes in your Will or add an explanation for revoking a bequest and gifting it to someone else e.g.
"My son has neither expressed nor shown any interest in continuing with the hobby of stamp collecting and I therefore revoke clause 6 of my Will and direct my stamp collection be gifted to my granddaughter."
Write it in your own words - the aim is not to put it in legalese but rather to make your intention as clear as possible.
You may find it helpful to review the additional information on our Codicil to Will page:
Below is a Codicil to Will form where we give sample wording for specific instances. Download or copy and paste the template into your word program and delete or modify to suit your circumstance.
Note: You can also skip down to the section below the Codicil to Will form for downloadable Codicil templates in shorter versions specifically tailored to the most common amendments / addendum to a Will, namely:
____________________________________
(Full Legal Names)
____________________________________
(Identification / Social Security Number/s)
1. Declaration
I hereby declare this to be my Codicil to my Last Will dated _________________. I declare that I am of legal age and of sound mind and that this Codicil expresses my wishes without undue influence or duress.
2. Amendments to my Last Will in this Codicil:
a. Change of Executor
Clause _____ of my Last Will to be amended to change my intended appointed Executor from _____________________ to: ___________________________ (full legal names) and I hereby confirm that _________________ remains as alternate Executor, if my newly nominated Executor is unwilling or unable to serve. In all other respects the section dealing with my Appointment of Executors shall remain the same.
b. Change of Guardian for my Minor Child
Clause _____ of my Last Will to be amended to change my intended appointed Guardian from _____________________ to: _________________________ (full legal names) and confirm that _______________ remains as alternate Guardian if my newly nominated Guardian is unwilling or unable to serve. In all other respects the section dealing with my Appointment of a Guardian shall remain the same.
c. Removal of Beneficiary
Clause ____ of my Last Will naming _____________ of address ________________ as beneficiary shall be removed in its entirety.
d. Addition of a Beneficiary
I have a child named ______________ Date of Birth ______________ who shall inherit in equal shares with my other children as specified in Clause _________ of my Last Will.
e. Additional Bequest
I give to the Oncology Department of the hospital in ______________ the unrestricted gift of $ ______ provided that I have sufficient cash reserves to honour this gift after the settlement of any and all debts I may have.
f. Deletion of Section
The following section shall be deleted in its entirety: _____________.
g. Deletion of Sentence
Section _____________ contains the following sentence: _______________________ which shall be deleted.
3. Affirmation of Terms
Unless specifically amended in my Codicil all other terms and provisions of my Last Will shall remain in full force and effect and I hereby reaffirm and republish my Last Will and any existing Codicils thereto.
Executed on this ________ day of _________________ 20_____
at this location _______________________________________
SIGNED: _______________________________ in the presence of the undersigned witnesses.
Declaration of Witnesses
As witnesses we declare that we are of sound mind and of legal age to be called upon as witnesses and that to the best of our knowledge ____________________, the creator of this Codicil to Will is of legal age, appears to be of sound mind and signed this Codicil willingly and free of undue influence or duress. We declare that he / she signed this Codicil in our presence as we then signed as witnesses in his / her presence and in the presence of each other witness, all being present at the same time.
Under penalty of perjury we declare these statements to be true and correct on this _____ day of _________________ 20 __ at this location ________________________________.
Name: _________________________ Address: _________________________
Name: _________________________ Address: _________________________
Acknowledgement
This document was sworn to and acknowledged before me on this
______day of ____________________20__
by ________________________(Testator's full legal names) who is personally known to me or who has provided identification in the form of _________________.
Signature of Notary Public ______________________
Full legal names ______________________________
My commission expires ________________________
State of ________________________ County of ______________________
In some jurisdictions the attestation may be done by a Commissioner of Oaths as follows:
I, (full legal names) of (address) in my capacity as Commissioner of Oaths certify that the testator named ______________ is personally known to me or who has provided identification in the form of _________________ and that the accompanying is a Codicil to Will of the testator.
Signature _________________ Capacity _________________
Place ___________ Date __________
Note about a Self-Proving Affidavit
Having your document sworn to and signed under oath before a notary public or commissioner of oaths may be accepted in some jurisdictions and your witnesses will then not be required to testify in court to having witnessed your signature.
You need to be sure that you understand the legal formalities in your state / province / country when you draft your Codicil to Will form and most importantly, the requirements for witnesses and/or attestation by a notary public or commissioner of oaths.
As mentioned earlier, here are shorter versions of the above Codicil to Will form to cater for the instances below. Follow the links for downloadable and fillable PDF and Word templates.
We also provide legal guidelines on How to Revoke a Will.
Our printable Codicil to Will templates do NOT replace your Will and all the documents need to be kept together.
Give original copies of your Will and Codicils to a trustworthy person for safekeeping. If you have filed your Will with your county/state or any other institution then you should do the same with any Codicils.
Legally reviewed by: MD Sawyer (LLM)
January 2022
