What Is A Codicil?

You are free to change the terms of your will including the beneficiaries named in it whenever you like. Of course, you do need to be careful when dealing with spouses and children due to their legal rights. Fortunately, amending your will is relatively straightforward. To amend a will, you can either make a new will in its entirety or you can make a codicil which will amend a specific portion of your existing will.

A codicil is simply a testamentary document that amends rather than replaces an existing will. It requires exactly the same formalities as to execution as does a will. You can use different witnesses, but it’s better (if they can be easily found) to use the same people who witnessed the original will. Once the codicil has been executed, it should be placed with the original will for safe keeping.

Similar to the position with wills, a witness to a codicil should not be a beneficiary under the codicil, as this will preclude them from inheriting under the codicil.

Click here to view information about our Codicil Kit.