Do you need a lawyer to write a will in Singapore?
The honest answer is no, but there are situations where a lawyer genuinely earns the fee. Here's how to tell which one you're in.
Leong Jun Jie, Founder & Estate Planner · View credentials
Published 6 July 2026, last updated 6 July 2026· 5 min read
No, you don't need a lawyer to write a legally valid will in Singapore. The government's own guidance says it plainly: it's not necessary for a lawyer to prepare your will. What the law does demand is that you follow the formal requirements of the Wills Act 1838 (formerly Cap. 352) exactly, and that part is unforgiving.
Key takeaways
- A lawyer is not required for a valid Singapore will, that's official MyLegacy@LifeSG guidance, not a loophole.
- The formalities are strict: hardcopy, signed in wet ink before two witnesses present at the same time, and witnesses must be 21 or older, and not beneficiaries or their spouses.
- A lawyer genuinely earns the fee when there are overseas assets, a business, a trust, or a family situation likely to end up challenged.
What makes a will legally valid in Singapore?
Under the Wills Act 1838 and MyLegacy's guidance, for your will to be valid you must:
- be 21 or older, of sound mind, and making it voluntarily
- have it in hardcopy, printed out or handwritten on paper
- sign it at the end, in wet ink, in the presence of two witnesses who are there at the same time
- have those two witnesses sign in your presence
- use witnesses who are 21 or older and not beneficiaries of the will (or spouses of beneficiaries)
Notice what's not on the list: a lawyer. A will you write at your kitchen table is exactly as valid as one from a Raffles Place firm, if you get every formality right. Most DIY wills that fail, fail on the formalities.
When does a lawyer genuinely matter?
There are situations where bespoke legal advice is worth every dollar:
- You have assets overseas, different countries have different succession rules, and the wills need to work together.
- You own a business, shares, partnerships, and succession need careful drafting.
- You want a trust, for example, to hold a young child's inheritance until a certain age.
- Your family situation makes a challenge likely, a blended family, an expected exclusion, or doubts someone might raise about capacity.
In those cases the cost of a full law-firm will is small against the cost of a will that fails or gets fought over.
What's the middle ground?
Between pure DIY and a full law-firm engagement sits the lawyer-endorsed hybrid: a consultant helps you think through and draft the will, and a lawyer reviews and endorses it before you sign.
| DIY or online template | Lawyer-endorsed service | Law firm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who drafts it | You | A consultant drafts with you; a lawyer reviews before signing | A lawyer |
| Legal advice included | None, you're on your own | Planning help, plus a legal check of the finished will | Full bespoke advice |
| Typical cost | Lowest | Mid-market | Highest, worth it for complex estates |
Raintree sits in that middle lane: we draft with you, and our partner law firm, Balkenende, Chew & Chia, endorses the will and witnesses the signing, S$388 for the Simple Will + LPA. Here's the process. And if your situation is one of the lawyer-matters cases above, we'll tell you before you pay us anything.
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A clear, legally sound will in 1-2 meetings. No cost to talk.