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A will, also called a "last will and testament," can help you protect your family and your property.
You can use a will to:
If you die without a will in Nevada, your property will be distributed according to state "intestacy" laws. Nevada's intestacy law gives your property to your closest relatives, beginning with your spouse and children. If you have neither a spouse nor children, your grandchildren or parents will get your property. This list continues with increasingly distant relatives, including siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. If the court exhausts this list to find that you have no living relatives by blood or marriage, the state will take your property.
No. You can make your own will in Nevada, using Nolo's Quicken WillMaker. However, you might want to consult a lawyer in some situations. For example, if you think that your will might be contested or you have especially complicated goals, you should talk with an attorney. See Do I Need an Attorney to Make My Estate Plan?
To make a will in Nevada, you must be:
You generally must make your will on hard copy. However, Nevada does recognize electronic wills in digital formats (See "Can I Make a Digital or Electronic Will?" below). (Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 133.040, 133.085 (2024).)
Nevada law specifically prohibits oral wills. Nevada does recognize handwritten wills (also called "holographic wills"), but they are usually not a good idea. (Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 133.090, 133.100 (2024).)
Use witnesses who won't inherit anything through your will. Gifts you leave to someone who acts as the witness to your will are void unless you use two additional witnesses. (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 133.060 (2024).)
To make a valid holographic will, you must include all material provisions, the date, and the signature in your handwriting. These wills don't need to be witnessed. (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 133.090 (2024).)
No, in Nevada, you don't need to notarize your will to make it legal.
However, Nevada allows you to make your will "self-proving," and you might need a notary for that. A self-proving will speeds up probate because the court can accept the will without contacting the witnesses who signed it.
In Nevada, there are two ways to make your will self-proving. You can have your witnesses 1) sign your will under penalty of perjury or 2) sign and have a separate affidavit notarized. Either way, your witnesses must swear that:
If you use an affidavit, in the affidavit, the witnesses must swear to these statements and their signatures must be notarized. If you use a declaration, the statements can be written "under penalty of perjury" in the witnessing clause of the will.
Yes. In Nevada, you can use your will to name an executor who will ensure that the provisions in your will are carried out after your death. Nolo's Quicken WillMaker produces a letter to your executor that generally explains what the job requires. If you don't name an executor, the probate court will appoint someone to take on the job of winding up your estate.
In Nevada, you may revoke or change your will at any time. You can revoke your will by:
If you marry someone after you make your will, your will might be automatically revoked unless:
If your will is revoked because of your marriage, your spouse receives whatever he or she would have received if you died without a will. Any remaining provisions in your will that aren't affected by this change stay in effect, including who you named as your executor. (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 133.110 (2024).)
If you and your spouse divorce (or if a court determines that your marriage isn't legal), Nevada law revokes any language in your will that leaves property to your spouse or names your spouse to be your executor. This rule applies unless the divorce court orders otherwise or has approved a property or separation agreement between you and your spouse that states otherwise. (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 133.115 (2024).)
If you need to make changes to your will, it's best to revoke it and make a new one. However, if you have only very simple changes to make, you could add an amendment to your existing will—this is called a codicil. In either case, you will need to finalize your changes with the same formalities you used to make your original will (see above).
Nevada is one of a handful of states that technically allows electronic wills (e-wills). The requirements for making a valid e-will in Nevada can be quite elaborate, and as a result, e-wills are still not commonplace. (Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 133.085, 133.086, 133.087 (2024).)
For more details on Nevada's specific approach to e-wills, see What Is an Electronic Will?