People usually update their estate plan after a major life change, like getting married, divorced, having a child, or moving to a new province. Others update it after a change in an important role, like an executor, guardian, or beneficiary, or just to fix an error like a misspelled name or old contact details. It's a good idea to review your documents regularly to make sure everything's accurate. For more details, see our guide on when to update a will.
If you want to make changes to your legal documents in Willful, the process is straightforward, but there are a few important things to know before you start. At this time, Willful does not offer codicils (legal amendments to a will). Our documents include a revocation clause, which means that if you create a will on our platform and execute it (properly sign and witness it), it will override any pre-existing wills and/or power of attorney (POA) documents. You can update your Willful documents anytime through your account, but if you make changes, you’ll need to download, print, sign, and witness your updated documents for them to be legally valid.
Step 1: Log in and find what you want to update
How you get to a section depends on where you are in your estate planning process.
If you're still working through your estate plan: your home page shows personalized steps for completing your plan. Click any step to jump straight to it, make your change, and Willful will guide you through the rest of that section in detail.
If you've completed your estate plan: click Review and edit on the tile for the document you want to change, either on your home page or under Your documents in the left-hand menu. Each document has its own summary page listing every decision you've made, grouped into sections:
Last Will and Testament
People & pets: the people and pets in your plan, like your partner and children.
Estate distribution: specific gifts, donations, and your Estate allocation (who inherits your estate).
Inheritance age: the age your beneficiaries must reach before inheriting directly.
Roles & responsibilities: your child guardians, pet care, and executor.
Final wishes: your farewell preferences, like burial or cremation.
Power of Attorney for Property
Roles & responsibilities: your attorney and when the document takes effect. How to appoint or change an attorney for property
Power of Attorney for Personal Care (called a Representation Agreement or Personal Directive in some provinces)
Roles & responsibilities: your attorney or representative. How to appoint or change an attorney for personal care
Healthcare wishes: your pain management and medical plan preferences.
Not sure this is the right place?
Fixing a typo in someone's name? Edit them once in Key contacts and the change applies everywhere they appear. How to manage contacts
Updating your own name, address, or date of birth? That's done in your account settings, not your documents. How to make changes to your account
Step 2: Make your changes
Click Edit next to the section you want to update, make your changes, then click Save. Repeat for each section you need to change.
Step 3: Finalize the updates
Once you've made all your changes:
Download your updated documents and review them carefully for errors or outdated details before you sign.
Print, sign, and witness them according to your province's requirements. How to download and/or print your legal documents
Important: Your updated will contains a revocation clause that automatically cancels any previous wills and POAs. This also means you must re-sign your new documents for them to be legally valid.
Differentiating between people with the same name
If you're naming two people with the same name in your Willful will, make it clear which is which. Use their middle names if you have them. If their middle names are identical or missing, use suffixes like Jr./Sr. or I/II/III.
Adding personal wishes outside your legal documents
Want to share extra details, like funeral arrangements or other personal wishes? You can do that in a separate document. Since funeral wishes aren't legally binding, you can create this document in any format, store it with your will, and share it with family and loved ones so they know your preferences.