Is An Online Will Legally Valid in Connecticut?
An online will can absolutely hold up in Connecticut, as long as you finish the process correctly. Let's determine what "correctly" means.
Don’t worry, FeedingBird is designed to support you every step of the way.
What Makes an Online Will Legally Valid in Connecticut?
Online wills are legal in Connecticut, but electronic wills, meaning ones signed and witnessed entirely online, are not currently allowed. Your will needs to be printed on paper, signed by the person stating their wishes (the testator), and attested to by two witnesses who both sign in the testator's presence. Notarization isn't a requirement unless you’d like to choose a self-proving affidavit, which can protect your witnesses from having to appear in court.
Connecticut also won’t honor holographic, or handwritten, wills that lack witnesses. A handwritten will is valid, but only if it's signed in front of two witnesses like any other will.
What You Need to Know about Online Wills in Connecticut
Connecticut Property Laws
Estate laws are often completely different depending on which stat you live in and they are packed full of complexity. Structure your will according to your state’s guidelines if you want to avoid a lengthy, costly court process.
Connecticut is a common law property state, meaning that ownership of an asset can be determined by whose name is on an existing deed or account. A surviving spouse can also claim a statutory share, generally a life estate in 1/3 of the estate, even if a will provides less.
Connecticut Probate
Wills, without exception, go through probate in Connecticut unless the personal property is valued at $40,000 or less and there's no solely owned real estate, in which case the estate may qualify for a simplified affidavit process. Otherwise, you would need a trust to stay out of probate. Connecticut is also one of the few states with its own state estate tax.
Avoiding Probate in Connecticut
- Choose a revocable living trust rather than opting for a will by itself. Your estate will be managed by you as trustee and you have the power to identify who will be trustee to distribute assets who will be trustee to distribute assets after your death.
- Review financial and retirement accounts and place beneficiaries where applicable using a payable-on-death (POD) or transfer-on-death (TOD) designation to pass automatically to new owners.
- Makes it easier on your spouse or another owner by setting up joint ownership with right of survivorship.
- Remember that Connecticut's small estate process excludes real estate, so a home still needs a trust or joint ownership.
Want to learn more about trusts in Connecticut? See what’s required for a trust.
