Will Signing & Witnessing

• 01

  A Beneficiary Must Not Witness

  Under section 12 of the Succession Law Reform Act, a gift to a witness — or to that witness’s spouse — is void. The will still stands; the inheritance does not. This is the single most common do-it-yourself mistake.

• 02

  Do Not Sign in Advance

  Both witnesses have to watch you sign. A will signed before the appointment usually has to be signed again, so bring it printed and completely blank at the signature lines.

• 03

  Do the Affidavit on the Day

  The affidavit of execution costs nothing extra when taken at the signing. Years later it means locating a witness who may have moved, lost capacity, or died — the slowest step in many probate files.

• 04

  Book the Will and the POA Together

  Most people sign a will alongside a power of attorney for property and one for personal care. Signed at one appointment, the three are a single $240 bundle — and on a mobile visit, one travel fee covers the trip.

• 05

  We Do Not Draft or Advise

  We witness and commission. Choosing an executor, structuring gifts, or dealing with a blended family or a business is legal advice — that is a lawyer’s work, and it is worth paying for.

A will signing is priced by how many estate documents you sign at one appointment: $115 for one document, $200 for any two, and $240 for a will plus both powers of attorney, plus HST. Every document is covered in full — the witnessing and its own affidavit of execution taken at the same appointment. An additional charge applies for an additional witness. For a couple signing wills and powers of attorney together, there is a couple signing discount — please email us for a rate. A mobile visit adds the $60 travel fee once for the trip. The travel fee covers up to 30 km from our nearest office in Ottawa or Toronto; beyond that, an additional travel fee applies. An affidavit of execution sworn on its own — the usual probate case, where the will was signed years earlier — is charged as an affidavit at $24.95 per seal plus HST instead. We witness signatures and commission affidavits; we do not draft wills, review their contents, advise on beneficiaries or executors, assess testamentary capacity as a medical question, store your original will, or act as your estate lawyer. A will raising questions of capacity, a blended family, business assets, or a dependant's support claim should be prepared by a lawyer. The testator must attend in person, understand the document, and sign free of anyone else's pressure.