How to Write a Will in Alaska (2026 Guide)

This is general legal information for Alaska, not legal advice. Will laws change, and specific situations can have exceptions. For any complex case, consult a licensed attorney in Alaska.

Why Having a Will Matters

A will is the simplest, clearest way to say what happens to your property, your minor children, and your affairs after you die. Without one, you die "intestate" and Alaska’s default inheritance rules (called intestate succession) take over. Those rules are rigid and generic — they do not know your relationships, your intentions, or the people you care about most. They follow a fixed formula.

The cost of skipping a will is not hypothetical. It plays out the same way in Alaska as everywhere else: unmarried partners locked out, stepchildren with nothing, pets in shelters, court-appointed administrators, family disputes over items and money, and a probate process that is slower, messier, and more expensive than it needed to be. Whatever you own — even if you think it’s "not much" — someone will have to deal with it after you’re gone. A will decides whether that someone is you or a judge.

A simple Alaska will takes about ten minutes to draft using a free tool and costs nothing. You can start drafting yours now. The rest of this guide walks you through what makes a will legally valid in Alaska and how to avoid the technical mistakes that most commonly cause wills to be thrown out.

Alaska Will Requirements at a Glance

• Minimum age: 18 years old (Emancipated minors may make a will under Alaska's UPC framework)
• Written form: Must be in writing. Can be typed, printed, or handwritten. Alaska SB 90 introduced electronic will provisions allowing wills in electronic form
• Witnesses required: 2
• Notarization: Not required for a standard signed will
• Self-proving affidavit: Yes — recommended, it speeds up probate later
• Holographic (handwritten) wills: Yes
• Electronic wills: Yes

Testamentary Capacity

The testator must be of sound mind, meaning they understand the nature and extent of their property, know the natural objects of their bounty, and understand the disposition they are making

Signature Requirements in Alaska

You must personally sign the will. Alaska does allow proxy signing in specific cases: Another individual may sign in the testator's conscious presence and by the testator's direction

Witness Requirements in Alaska

Alaska requires 2 witnesses. Must be competent; generally any person who can observe and attest to the signing

Presence rules: Each witness must sign within a reasonable time after witnessing either the signing of the will or the testator's acknowledgment of the signature or the will

Interested witnesses: An interested witness does not invalidate the will. Alaska follows the UPC approach

The safest approach in every state, including Alaska, is to use witnesses who are adults, not beneficiaries under the will, and not the person you’ve named as executor. This avoids any question about whether a witness’s inheritance could be "purged" for being an interested party.

Notarization and Self-Proving Affidavits

Alaska does not require a will to be notarized to be valid. A signed and witnessed will is enough. Not required for validity but recommended for a self-proving affidavit

Alaska does allow a self-proving affidavit, which is a short notarized document attached to the will where you and your witnesses swear under oath that everything was signed properly. It is optional, but it is strongly recommended — a self-proving affidavit means the probate court can admit the will without having to contact your witnesses later. The testator and witnesses must sign an affidavit before an officer authorized to administer oaths. The will may be simultaneously executed, attested, and made self-proving (AS 13.12.504)

Holographic, Electronic, and Oral Wills in Alaska

Holographic (handwritten) wills: Recognized in Alaska. Valid whether or not witnessed if the signature and material portions of the document are in the testator's handwriting. The signature may appear anywhere on the document. Intent may be established by extrinsic evidence (AS 13.12.502(b))

Electronic wills: Recognized in Alaska under specific conditions. Alaska SB 90 (32nd Legislature) introduced provisions for electronic wills. An electronic will must be in an electronic record readable as text, signed electronically by the testator, and witnessed. Electronic presence of witnesses is permitted

Nuncupative (oral) wills: Not recognized in Alaska.

How to Revoke or Update a Alaska Will

If you already have a will and want to change it, Alaska recognizes these revocation methods: Executing a subsequent will that revokes the previous will expressly or by inconsistency, Performing a revocatory act on the will (burning, tearing, canceling, obliterating, deleting, or destroying), Another individual may perform the revocatory act in the testator's conscious physical or electronic presence and by the testator's direction. AS 13.12.507. Revocation of a will in its entirety revokes all codicils to that will

The cleanest approach is to draft a new will that starts with the sentence "I revoke all previous wills and codicils," then sign it with the proper witnesses. Destroy old copies when you do. Small updates can technically be done by codicil (a formal amendment), but a fresh will is usually easier to read and harder to contest.

Special Provisions in Alaska

Alaska is a separate property state but adopted an opt-in community property system via the Alaska Community Property Act (AS 34.77). Surviving spouse has an elective share right of up to one-third of the augmented estate under AS 13.12.202. Alaska also has a unique self-settled spendthrift trust (Alaska Trust Act)

Step-by-Step: Writing a Valid Alaska Will

1. Take inventory. Bank accounts, vehicles, property, valuables, digital assets, pets.
2. Decide who gets what. Be specific for items that matter (names, addresses, account identifiers). Use a residuary clause ("everything else goes to...") to catch anything you forget.
3. Name an executor. The person who handles your estate. Pick someone trustworthy, organized, and likely to outlive you. Name a backup too.
4. Name a guardian for minor children if you have kids under 18. This is the single most important reason for a will if you’re a parent.
5. Draft the document. Our free drafting tool generates a Alaska-specific will in about 10 minutes, with all the correct clauses in the correct order.
6. Print the will. Don’t rely on a digital copy for signing.
7. Sign in front of 2 adult witnesses who are not named as beneficiaries. You all need to be in the same room at the same time. You sign first, they sign while watching.
8. Sign the self-proving affidavit in front of a notary. This is optional but speeds up probate later.
9. Store it somewhere findable. A fireproof home safe is the standard choice. Tell your executor where it is.
10. Review every few years and after major life events (marriage, divorce, new child, moving out of Alaska, major asset changes).

Common Alaska Will Mistakes to Avoid

• Wrong number of witnesses. Alaska requires 2. More is fine; fewer invalidates the will.
• Using a beneficiary as a witness. Can cause the beneficiary’s share to be "purged" (forfeited).
• Not signing in the witnesses’ presence. The signing has to happen as a ceremony, with everyone in the same room.
• Forgetting a residuary clause. Without it, anything you didn’t specifically mention falls into intestate succession.
• Storing the will where nobody can find it. An unfindable will is the same as no will.
• Not updating after major life events. An ex-spouse named in an old will can still inherit in some situations.

Need to Check Details?

You can also read the full Alaska will requirements and the Alaska estate planning guide for background on intestate succession, probate, and related topics.

Start Your Alaska Will Now

The easiest way to get a valid Alaska will done today is our free drafting tool. It walks you through the questions, generates a Alaska-specific document with the correct clauses, and gives you signing instructions tailored to Alaska’s requirements. No account, no cost, nothing stored on our servers. You’ll have a draft ready in about ten minutes.

Whatever you decide, decide. A simple will is one of the most meaningful things you can leave the people you love — and it’s one of the easiest things to put off until it’s too late.