Free Will Template for California: Copy by Hand (2026)

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If you want a valid will in California without paying a lawyer or gathering witnesses, the state gives you a simple option: a handwritten will, known formally as a holographic will. The catch is that you cannot type it, print it, or fill in the blanks on a downloaded form and call it done. To be valid, the important parts and your signature have to be in your own handwriting.1

This guide gives you a free California will template you can copy out by hand. Read the whole page first, then use the sample text below as a model, adjusting the names, cities, and gifts to match your own situation.

Why the will must be entirely in your handwriting

California recognizes two main do-it-yourself paths. A typed or printed will must be signed in front of two witnesses who watch you sign and then sign it themselves.2 A holographic will skips the witnesses entirely, but in exchange the law requires that the signature and the material provisions (the parts that say who gets what and who is in charge) be in the testator's own handwriting.1

That distinction is the whole point of copying the template by hand. If you print the sample below and merely sign it, you have created a typed will with no witnesses, which is not valid. If you write every meaningful sentence yourself in ink and sign it, you have created a valid holographic will. So do not photocopy, do not type, and do not paste in printed paragraphs. Write it out.

Do not type or print this. A holographic will is valid only because it is in your handwriting. Use pen on plain paper, write the material provisions and your signature yourself, and keep the finished page somewhere your executor can find it.

Template 1: single person, no spouse

Copy the following by hand, replacing the example name, the city, and the gifts with your own details. The example uses a Los Angeles resident named Robert Daniel Carter.

Template: single person, no spouse

Last Will and Testament of Robert Daniel Carter

I, Robert Daniel Carter, a resident of Los Angeles, California, declare this to be my will. I am of sound mind and I revoke all earlier wills and codicils.

I appoint my sister, Susan Carter, as executor of my will. If she is unable or unwilling to serve, I appoint my friend, David Nguyen, as executor.

I give my entire estate, real and personal, to my sister, Susan Carter. If she does not survive me, I give my entire estate to my nephew, Thomas Carter.

I direct that no bond be required of my executor.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, on this 3rd day of July, 2026.

Robert Daniel Carter

Template 2: married with children

This version names a spouse and children and includes a common backup plan. The example uses a San Diego resident named Maria Elena Reyes.

Template: married with children

Last Will and Testament of Maria Elena Reyes

I, Maria Elena Reyes, a resident of San Diego, California, being of sound mind, declare this to be my will and revoke all prior wills and codicils.

I am married to James Reyes. I have two children, Sofia Reyes and Lucas Reyes.

I appoint my husband, James Reyes, as executor. If he cannot serve, I appoint my daughter, Sofia Reyes, as executor.

I give all of my property, real and personal, to my husband, James Reyes, if he survives me. If he does not survive me, I give my property in equal shares to my children, Sofia Reyes and Lucas Reyes.

If any child of mine is under 18 at my death, I appoint James Reyes as guardian of that child, and if he cannot serve, I appoint my sister, Carmen Ortiz, as guardian.

I direct that no bond be required of any executor or guardian named here.

Signed at San Diego, California, on this 3rd day of July, 2026.

Maria Elena Reyes

The signature and date rules

Sign your full name in your own hand at the end of the document, after all the gifts. The signature is one of the two things the statute specifically requires to be handwritten, so it must be yours and it must be there.3

A date is not strictly required for a holographic will to be valid, but you should always include one. If an undated will conflicts with another will and it cannot be shown which came later, the undated will can be treated as invalid to the extent of that conflict.1 Writing the city and full date in the closing line, as the samples do, removes that risk and makes your intentions clear. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see our guide on how to write a will in California, and for the legal background read holographic wills in California.

Community property and family protections to know

California is a community property state. Property you and your spouse acquire during marriage is generally owned half and half, so your will can only give away your own half of the community property plus your separate property.4 That is why the married template leaves the estate to the spouse: it reflects how most couples want their shared property to pass.

California does not force you to leave anything to adult children, but it does protect family members who were accidentally left out. If you marry or have a child after signing your will and you do not mention them, the law may treat that person as an omitted spouse or omitted child and give them a share, unless the will shows the omission was intentional.5 The practical lesson: update your will after a marriage or a new child, and if you truly mean to leave someone out, say so in writing.

If you die with no valid will at all, the state's intestacy rules decide everything. Your community property passes to your surviving spouse, and your separate property is split between your spouse and your children according to a fixed formula that may not match what you would have chosen.4 Writing your own will is how you stay in control of that outcome.

Put your own details in place

The templates above are a starting point, not a finished will. Change the names, the city (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento all work as your stated place of residence and in the date line), the executor, the guardians, and the gifts so the document reflects your life. If you would rather answer a few plain questions and get clean, California-specific wording to copy out by hand, our will template tool builds the text for you. Either way, remember the one rule that makes it count: write it out yourself, and sign it.

Sources

  1. 1California Probate Code Section 6111 (holographic wills) (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  2. 2California Courts Self-Help: Wills and life planning (selfhelp.courts.ca.gov)
  3. 3FindLaw: California Probate Code 6111 (codes.findlaw.com)
  4. 4California Probate Code Section 6401 (intestate succession) (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  5. 5FindLaw: California Probate Code 21610 (omitted spouse) (codes.findlaw.com)
Max Kuch

About the author

Max Kuch

Max Kuch writes about estate planning, wills and inheritance for California Will Template. He gathers the rules from the California statutes and the leading public data, then explains them in plain, accessible language so anyone can put their wishes in writing.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes, if you finish it correctly. California Probate Code Section 6111 recognizes a holographic will, which is one where your signature and all of the material provisions (the parts that say who gets what) are in your own handwriting. No witnesses are required. Our service gives you a clean, California-specific draft. To make it valid you copy the operative wording out by hand, then sign it. We strongly recommend you also date it, because Section 6111(b) allows an undated holographic will to be challenged if it conflicts with another will and the order cannot be established.

Because that is exactly what makes a holographic will valid under California law. Section 6111 requires that the material provisions and your signature be in your own handwriting. A printed or typed document that you only sign is not a valid holographic will in California and would need witnesses to qualify as a formal will. We give you the full text and a clear guide, so you simply transcribe the substantive parts (names, gifts, executor) in your own hand, sign, and date it.

California has no forced heirship, so you are generally free to decide who inherits. Two protections still apply. California is a community property state, so your surviving spouse already owns one half of the community property regardless of your will. Separately, the omitted spouse and omitted child rules (Probate Code Sections 21610 to 21612) protect a spouse you married, or a child born or adopted, after you signed the will: they may still take a share unless your will shows the omission was intentional. If you truly want to leave someone out, say so clearly in the will.

Keep the original signed handwritten document somewhere safe, such as a fireproof home safe or a bank safe deposit box, and make sure the person you name as executor knows where it is and can reach it. California has no statewide registry for holographic wills. If you prefer an official option, you may lodge the original with the clerk of the superior court in your county for safekeeping during your lifetime. Do not staple, alter, or mark the original after you sign it.

We do not recommend a single joint document. A California holographic will must be in the testator's own handwriting, and one page written by two people creates confusion about whose words are whose and complicates changes later. The clean approach is two separate mirror wills, one written and signed entirely by each spouse, that reflect the same wishes. Our tool produces an individual draft for each of you so you can each write and sign your own.

Yes. You can revise your California will whenever your circumstances change, for example after a marriage, a divorce, a birth, or a move. The safest method is to write a fresh holographic will that revokes all previous wills, then copy it out by hand, sign it, and date it. Dating matters here: if two handwritten wills conflict and one is undated, Section 6111(b) can make the undated one invalid. Destroy the old original once the new one is signed.

No. This service helps you create a valid holographic will for straightforward situations, but it is not legal advice and does not replace an attorney. If your estate is large, you own a business, you have blended family issues, property in more than one state, minor children needing guardianship planning, or you expect a dispute, consult a California estate planning attorney. For many people with simple wishes, a properly handwritten, signed, and dated will is a solid starting point.

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