Free Ohio Last Will and Testament

In Ohio, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and no self-proving affidavit is available.

Progress0%

Your Information

This information identifies you as the person making this will. It also determines your state's specific execution requirements.

First Name*

Middle Name

Last Name*

Date of Birth(MM/DD/YYYY)*

Email Address*

Phone Number*

Street Address*

City*

State*

ZIP Code*

FREE & PRIVATE: This form is free—no account or credit card required. Your document contents and generated PDF never leave your browser—SimplyTrust does not transmit or store them. Contact details you provide (name, email, phone, state) are transmitted only to send the updates you agree to receive at download. You are responsible for saving your completed document.

SELF-HELP SERVICE: SimplyTrust provides a self-help document preparation service. We are not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice, select forms for you, or tell you how to complete forms. Our role is limited to providing a platform where you input your own information into document templates.

NOT LEGAL ADVICE: This document was created entirely based on your selections. SimplyTrust does not review, analyze, or verify your entries, nor do we verify your identity, capacity, or authority to act. You are solely responsible for determining whether this document meets your needs and for completing all required execution formalities (signatures, witnesses, notarization, or recording) in accordance with your state's laws. For any legal questions, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Ohio requires 2 witnesses present when the testator signs. A gift to a witness who is also a beneficiary can be voided or reduced in Ohio, so the usual practice is disinterested witnesses.

No. Ohio does not require notarization for a will to be valid. Ohio provides no self-proving affidavit, so the witnesses may need to testify when the will enters probate.

No. Ohio does not recognize holographic (handwritten) wills. A will must be typed or printed and signed with the formalities Ohio requires; an Ohio probate court will not accept an unwitnessed handwritten document.

A will directs who inherits, but the estate still passes through Ohio probate, where the court validates the will and oversees the distribution. A simple estate typically takes 6 months to 9 months, with attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.8% of the estate. In Ohio, estates valued at $35,000 or less qualify for the Release from Administration, a court procedure short of full probate. Assets held in a revocable living trust pass outside probate.

Ohio has authorized remote online notarization for many documents, but wills are excluded, so the will's notarization happens in person.

Why Create a Will in Ohio?

Without a will, Ohio intestacy laws decide who inherits your property. This often means assets go to relatives you may not have chosen, while close friends, partners, or charities receive nothing. Who inherits under Ohio intestacy law shows how the state would divide your estate.

A will specifies who inherits, can name guardians for children, and appoints an executor to manage the process.

In Ohio, your will needs 2 witnesses to be valid; notarization is not required for validity. Ohio does not provide a self-proving affidavit, so witnesses may need to testify during probate.

Ohio offers simplified probate for estates under $35,000. A will still names guardians and appoints an executor, and directs who inherits what the simplified procedure collects.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 19, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Ohio statutes and official state code. How we research.

Is this your situation?

Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.

New Baby or Adoption

Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.

Learn more

Marriage

What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.

Learn more

Divorce

What divorce does and does not undo: beneficiary designations, your will, powers of attorney, and the one account your ex stays on until you change it.

Learn more

New Home

How to put your house in a revocable trust: the deed you record, what it does to your mortgage and property taxes, and when a TOD deed is simpler.

Learn more

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Ohio

Free forms for planning your estate in Ohio: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.

Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Ohio allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2 witnesses or a notary.

Get Started

Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Ohio treats a power of attorney as durable by default, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirement.

Get Started

Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In Ohio, a transfer on death designation affidavit is signed before a notary, then recorded with the county before the owner's death.

Get Started

Free

Vehicle Transfer on Death

Name a beneficiary to inherit your vehicle at death without probate. Available in 26 states and the District of Columbia.

Get Started

Free

Living Will

In Ohio, the living will is the Living Will Declaration, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.

Get Started

All Ohio forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Ohio

Free tools for planning your estate in Ohio: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.

How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Ohio runs $942 to $1,884, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $26,234.

Compare Costs

How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Ohio, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18.

Check Your State

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Ohio, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8% to 2.8% of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

Compare Options

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Ohio runs $2,940 to $4,410 and a simple will $942 to $1,884, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Compare Costs

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Ohio, four years at a public university cost about $97,692 and the cost of living is 7% below the U.S. average; no state estate or inheritance tax applies.

Use Calculator

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Ohio automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

Check Now

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

Find witness, notary, and remote signing requirements for all 50 states.

Check Requirements

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

Check if estate planning documents signed in one state are valid in another.

Check Portability

All Ohio tools

Ohio Estate Planning Resources

In-depth guides covering Ohio probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.

Free Ohio Last Will and Testament

In Ohio, a will is signed before 2 witnesses, and no self-proving affidavit is available.

Progress0%

Why Create a Will in Ohio?

A will specifies who inherits, can name guardians for children, and appoints an executor to manage the process.

In Ohio, your will needs 2 witnesses to be valid; notarization is not required for validity. Ohio does not provide a self-proving affidavit, so witnesses may need to testify during probate.

Ohio offers simplified probate for estates under $35,000. A will still names guardians and appoints an executor, and directs who inherits what the simplified procedure collects.

Free Ohio Last Will and Testament

Your Information

Is this your situation?

New Baby or Adoption

Marriage

Divorce

New Home

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Ohio

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Financial Power of Attorney

Transfer on Death Deed

Vehicle Transfer on Death

Living Will

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Ohio

How Much Does a Will Cost?

How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

You'll be back. Every time life changes.

Ohio Estate Planning Resources

Free Ohio Last Will and Testament

Your Information