{"id":1377,"date":"2025-07-03T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/?p=1377"},"modified":"2026-04-02T14:22:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:22:06","slug":"holographic-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/holographic-will\/","title":{"rendered":"The holographic Will"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"Article\",\n  \"headline\": \"The Holographic Will: What It Is, Which States Accept It, and Why You Should Avoid It\",\n  \"datePublished\": \"2014-09-24\",\n  \"dateModified\": \"2025-06-16\",\n  \"author\": {\"@type\": \"Person\", \"name\": \"Tim Hewson\", \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\"},\n  \"publisher\": {\"@type\": \"Organization\", \"name\": \"USLegalWills.com\", \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\"},\n  \"description\": \"A holographic Will is a handwritten Will that may not require witnesses. Only 27 U.S. states recognize holographic Wills, and acceptance rules vary significantly.\",\n  \"speakable\": {\"@type\": \"SpeakableSpecification\", \"cssSelector\": [\".tldr-box\", \"article h2\"]}\n}<\/script>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What is a holographic Will?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"A holographic Will is a Will that is written entirely in the testator's own handwriting. In some U.S. states, a holographic Will does not need to be witnessed to be legally valid, though requirements vary significantly by state.\"}\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Which states accept holographic Wills?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"About 27 states accept holographic Wills in some form. Six states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia) require the entire Will to be handwritten. Thirteen states require only the material portions to be handwritten. Some states accept them only under special circumstances.\"}\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Is a holographic Will a good idea?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"No. Holographic Wills are risky because they often lack required legal clauses, are more likely to be contested, may not look authentic, and are not accepted in all states. A properly drafted Will using an online service or attorney is far more reliable.\"}\n    }\n  ]\n}<\/script>\n\n\n\n<article>\n<section>\n<p style=\"font-size: 14px; color: #666; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><em>Originally published: September 24, 2014 | Last updated: June 16, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background-color: #f0f7fb; border-left: 4px solid #2980b9; padding: 20px; margin-bottom: 30px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<strong>TL;DR:<\/strong> A holographic Will is a handwritten Will that may not require witnesses in some states. Only about 27 U.S. states recognize holographic Wills, and the rules vary widely. Six states require the entire Will to be handwritten, 13 require only the &#8220;material portions,&#8221; and 19 states do not accept them at all. Holographic Wills are risky, frequently contested, and almost always inferior to a properly drafted Will created through an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/mywill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online Will service<\/a> or attorney.\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section>\n<blockquote style=\"border-left: 4px solid #ccc; padding: 15px 20px; margin: 20px 0; background: #f9f9f9; font-style: italic;\">\n&#8220;I heard that if I write my own Will out in my own handwriting, I do not need to have it witnessed. Is this true?&#8221;\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<p>States allow holographic Wills to become valid documents when the writer has personally handwritten every word in the Will.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"686\" data-attachment-id=\"1998\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/holographic-will\/handwritten-will\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/handwritten-will.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,686\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"handwritten will\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/handwritten-will.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/handwritten-will.jpg\" alt=\"holographic will\" class=\"wp-image-1998\" style=\"width:800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/handwritten-will.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/handwritten-will-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/handwritten-will-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/handwritten-will-770x550.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section>\n<h2>Which States Require the Entire Will to Be Handwritten?<\/h2>\n<p>The following 6 states require the entire Will to be handwritten in order for it to be a valid holographic Will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Arkansas<\/li>\n<li>Louisiana<\/li>\n<li>Nevada<\/li>\n<li>North Carolina<\/li>\n<li>Virginia<\/li>\n<li>West Virginia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Which States Require Only the &#8220;Material Portions&#8221; to Be Handwritten?<\/h2>\n<p>These 13 states accept holographic Wills where only the material portions (the key terms and provisions) are in the testator\u2019s handwriting:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Which States Accept Holographic Wills Written in Another Jurisdiction?<\/h2>\n<p>These 4 states will accept a holographic Will if it was written in a state or jurisdiction that permits them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Connecticut, Hawaii, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Which States Accept Holographic Wills Only Under Special Circumstances?<\/h2>\n<p>Several states have unique rules for accepting holographic Wills:<\/p>\n\n<table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 20px 0;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background-color: #2980b9; color: white;\">\n<th style=\"padding: 12px; text-align: left;\">State<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding: 12px; text-align: left;\">Conditions for Acceptance<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\"><strong>Arkansas<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\">Three witnesses must testify under oath that the Will is in the testator&#8217;s handwriting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; background-color: #f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\"><strong>Texas &#038; Tennessee<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\">Two witnesses must testify to the handwriting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\"><strong>California<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\">Only accepted if the holographic Will is dated<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: #f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\"><strong>New York &#038; Maryland<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px;\">Only accepted for members of the Armed Forces, and only for 1 year from the date they are made<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<h2>Which States Do Not Accept Holographic Wills?<\/h2>\n<p>The following 19 states do not accept holographic Wills under any circumstances:<\/p>\n<p>Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, and Rhode Island.<\/p>\n<p>The probate court will probably reject your handwritten Will because you reside in any of these states.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Why Should You Avoid a Holographic Will?<\/h2>\n<p>The different state laws which exist throughout America should prevent any person from attempting to create their Will by writing it down.<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You will find it challenging to create a properly drafted Will because a blank piece of paper lacks all the necessary legal clauses.<\/li>\n<li>The appearance of a holographic Will fails to meet authentic document standards.<\/li>\n<li>The process of contesting a Will becomes more straightforward when someone creates the Will by hand without any official structure.<\/li>\n<li>The document becomes useless when you relocate to a state which refuses to accept holographic Wills.<\/li>\n<li>A Will drafted through USLegalWills.com usually spans 6-8 pages while including more than 20 clauses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>How Can I Create a Proper Will Instead?<\/h2>\n<p>You should avoid making holographic Wills because you need to create a professional Will right now.<\/p>\n<p>Related reading:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/the-online-will\/\">The Online Will<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/how-to-write-a-will\/\">How to Write a Will: Your 10-Step Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/cost-of-a-will\/\">How Much Does a Will Cost?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/six-common-errors-diy-will\/\">The Six Most Common Errors in a DIY Will<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally published: September 24, 2014 | Last updated: June 16, 2025 TL;DR: A holographic Will is a handwritten Will that may not require witnesses in some states. Only about 27 U.S. states recognize holographic Wills, and the rules vary widely. Six states require the entire Will to be handwritten, 13 require only the &#8220;material portions,&#8221; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[178],"tags":[75,114,201],"class_list":["post-1377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wills","tag-holographic-will-2","tag-write-your-will","tag-writing-a-will"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>The holographic Will<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A holographic Will is written entirely in one&#039;s own handwriting. 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He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets, and has contributed to articles in The New York Times, NY Metro Parents, U.S. News &amp; World Report, and other leading publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books. Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/timhewson","https:\/\/x.com\/tim_hewson"]}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8JYy0-md","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1551,"url":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/do-it-yourself-will\/","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":0},"title":"The six most common errors in a do it yourself Will.","author":"Tim Hewson","date":"September 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Originally published: October 8, 2015 | Last updated: August 18, 2025 TL;DR: The six most common DIY Will errors are: (1) listing all your assets instead of using a residual clause, (2) including property you do not own outright, (3) failing to name a residual beneficiary, (4) not providing for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Writing your own Will","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/signature-962355_960_720.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/signature-962355_960_720.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/signature-962355_960_720.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/signature-962355_960_720.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1385,"url":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/online-will\/","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":1},"title":"The Online Will","author":"Tim Hewson","date":"July 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Originally published: October 1, 2014 | Last updated: June 23, 2025 TL;DR: An \"online Will\" is a Will prepared using an online service \u2014 not a Will that exists only in digital form. 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Every US state allows you to prepare your own. Online services like USLegalWills.com ($49.95) produce a document word-for-word identical to a lawyer-prepared Will ($500\u2013$1,000+). The 10 key advantages: it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Wills&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Wills","link":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/category\/wills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Write your own Will","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/111067558_m.jpg?fit=646%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/111067558_m.jpg?fit=646%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/111067558_m.jpg?fit=646%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/111067558_m.jpg?fit=646%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/111067558_m.jpg?fit=646%2C431&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/111067558_m.jpg?fit=646%2C431&ssl=1&resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1975,"url":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/contest-a-will\/","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":3},"title":"Want to contest a Will? How can a Will be challenged?","author":"Tim Hewson","date":"January 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Originally published: November 23, 2017 | Last updated: January 1, 2026 TL;DR: The legal process of contesting a Will involves four primary grounds which include testamentary incapacity because the testator lacked mental capacity and undue influence because someone forced the testator and improper Will execution and the discovery of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Executors &amp; Probate&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Executors &amp; Probate","link":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/category\/executors-probate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1795,"url":"https:\/\/www.uslegalwills.com\/blog\/free-last-will-and-testament\/","url_meta":{"origin":1377,"position":4},"title":"The Free Last Will and Testament service &#8211; not all it seems","author":"Tim Hewson","date":"November 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Originally published: October 14, 2016 | Last updated: October 27, 2025 TL;DR: Free Last Will and Testament services are not what they seem. 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