By MoneyBees
Legal document directing how non-CPF, non-insurance-nominated assets are distributed on death. CPF and nominated insurance pass outside the will.
A will is a legal document specifying how your non-CPF, non-insurance-nominated assets are to be distributed after your death. It also appoints an executor to administer the estate.
Without a will, your estate is distributed according to Singapore's Intestate Succession Act: fixed legal formulas that may not match your wishes, especially in blended families or with unmarried partners.
Covers: cash, investments, property (under your sole name or as tenant-in-common), personal possessions, business interests.
Doesn't cover: CPF balances (use CPF Nomination), nominated insurance proceeds (use beneficiary nomination), property held as joint-tenant (passes automatically to surviving owner), assets in trusts.
These exclusions matter. CPF and insurance bypass the will. Even if your will says 'everything to X', the CPF goes to your CPF nominees and insurance goes to its nominated beneficiaries.
Spouse + children: spouse gets 50%, children share remaining 50% equally.
Spouse, no children, surviving parents: spouse gets 50%, parents share remaining 50%.
Spouse only: spouse gets 100%.
Children only (no spouse): children share equally.
Parents only: parents share equally.
No spouse / children / parents: siblings, then grandparents, then uncles / aunts. If no one qualifies: estate goes to the government.
Unmarried partners receive NOTHING under intestacy. This is a major reason for cohabiting couples to make wills.
DIY: online templates from organisations like the Public Trustee or paid platforms (Rockwills, MyLegacy). S$50 to S$200.
Lawyer-drafted: S$300 to S$1,500+ depending on complexity. Worth it for blended families, business owners, or large estates.
Requirements for validity: in writing, signed by you in the presence of 2 witnesses (who can't be beneficiaries), made when you have testamentary capacity.
Storage: keep the original in a secure location and tell the executor where it is. Singapore has a national Wills Registry where you can register the existence and location (not contents) of your will.
Review every 5 to 10 years and after major life events (marriage, divorce, children, property sale).
A legal document specifying how your non-CPF, non-insurance-nominated assets are distributed after death, and appointing an executor to administer the estate. Without a will, intestacy laws apply, distributing assets per fixed legal formulas that may not match your wishes.
Covers: cash, investments, property (sole or tenant-in-common), personal possessions, business interests. Does NOT cover: CPF balances (use CPF Nomination), nominated insurance proceeds (use beneficiary nomination), joint-tenant property (passes automatically), assets in trusts.
No. Singapore intestacy gives priority to spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles, in that order. Unmarried partners get nothing. A major reason cohabiting couples should make wills explicitly naming their partners.
DIY templates (S$50 to S$200 via Public Trustee, Rockwills, MyLegacy) for simple estates. Lawyer-drafted (S$300 to S$1,500+) for blended families, business owners, or complex assets. Requirements: written, signed by you with 2 witnesses (not beneficiaries), made when you have testamentary capacity.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).