Wills

FAQs About Wills

Is A Fill-In-The-Blank Will Valid in Texas?

by Rania Combs

John was just about to go on vacation. He wanted to have a Will in place in case a tragic accident occurred. So, he did what many Americans do: he searched for a Will form online.

He really didn’t have time to read up on what makes a Will valid in Texas. He had less than an hour before heading to the airport.  So he printed out a fill-in-the-blank form he found online. He quickly filled in the relevant blanks in his own handwriting:

I give my     car    to    my best friend, Joe.   

I give the rest and remainder of my estate to    my girlfriend, Brenda.   

Even though John had living family members, he didn’t include them as beneficiaries. He had been estranged from them for years because of a disagreement. He wanted to make sure neither of his parents inherited any part of his property.

After he filled in the blanks, he hurriedly signed it. He placed it on the counter near the phone and rushed to the airport. His plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico. Brenda found the fill-in-the-blank Will. Would John’s wishes be carried out?

What are the Requirements of a Valid Will in Texas?

Since the fill-in-the-blank Will was signed only by John, it would not meet the requirements of a valid Will in Texas.

To be valid a valid attested Will, the testator (or another person at the testator’s direction and in his presence), must sign the will in the presence of at least two credible witnesses, who must also sign it.

Holographic Wills are also valid in Texas. Case law holds that if a testator intends for a document to be his Will, it may be valid even though parts of it aren’t in the testator’s handwriting as long the pre-printed words “are not necessary to complete the instrument in holographic form, and do not affect its meaning.” This is known as the “surplusage rule.”

In other words, it would be necessary to ignore all the pre-printed words on the fill-in-the-blank Will, considering only the handwritten parts of it. Unfortunately, because the pre-printed words are typically important to the context of the handwritten words, this may cause the handwritten words to make little sense taken on their own.

In the case of John’s fill-in-the-blank Will, only the following words could be considered:

car my best friend, Joe my girlfriend, Brenda.

Will the Will Hold Up in Court in Texas?

Because the words that John wrote do not clearly express how he wants his assets distributed standing on their own, John’s wishes will likely not be carried out. Without a valid Will in place, the Texas intestacy statutes would control .

Who Inherits When There Is No Will in Texas?

In Texas, if you are single, have no children, and die without a will, your full estate will pass to your parents in equal shares if both survive you. Because John died without a valid Will, his parents, the people he wanted to disinherit, will inherit all his property.

In this case, it would have been much better for John to forego printed internet form and simply write a holographic Will. Better yet, he could have contacted a lawyer before his trip to ensure that his wishes were legally documented.

This article was initially published on January 9, 2019, and updated on February 9, 2021.

About Rania

Rania graduated magna cum laude from South Texas College of Law Houston and is the founder of Rania Combs Law, PLLC. She has been licensed to practice law since 1994 and enjoys helping clients in Texas and North Carolina create estate plans that give them peace of mind.

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Comments

  1. Eddie Garza

    November 16, 2019 at 3:40pm

    Hi, I am a Texas Notary. I wanted a up to date so called The Secretary of State office in Austin and this is what I was told:

    My 2 questions were on a Last Will and Testament, if we had to have Witnesses present or if just my notarizing their signing of the document’s was sufficient.

    The answer they gave me was that as long as they signed in my presence and I Notarized that was Legal and No witnesses needed to sign. Is this correct?

    1. Rania Combs

      November 18, 2019 at 2:03pm

      Thanks for your question. The Texas statutes specify that in order to be valid, an attested will must be signed by the testator or another person at his/her direction and in his/her presence, and attested in the testator’s presence by at least two credible witnesses over the age of 14. Simply having an attested Will notarized with no witnesses is insufficient.

  2. Adolph

    February 22, 2020 at 12:40am

    My mother has a typed will through an attorney. She wants to remove a granddaughter from the will. She has written a amendment and sighed it. It was witnesses and signed by two individuals. Will her original will and handwritten change be valid?

    Thank you

    1. Rania Combs

      February 24, 2020 at 6:47pm

      It is advisable to consult with a lawyer before changing any portion of a Will so as to prevent a situation the Will as a whole is inadvertently revoked.