How old do I have to be to make a will in Singapore?

At least 21. Under section 4 of the Wills Act 1838, the testator must be 21 or older, not 18, and must have testamentary capacity (a sound understanding of what they are doing). This is general information, not legal advice.

How many witnesses do I need, and can my children witness it?

You need at least two witnesses, and they must be present at the same time when you sign. Do not use a beneficiary or a beneficiary's spouse as a witness: under section 10 of the Wills Act, any gift to an attesting witness or their spouse is void, so they would lose their inheritance. Use independent adults instead.

Does my will cover my CPF savings?

No. This is a critical Singapore point. CPF savings do not form part of your estate and do not pass under your will. They are distributed through a separate CPF nomination made with the CPF Board. If you make no nomination, your CPF goes to the Public Trustee's Office and is distributed under intestacy rules. Make a CPF nomination in addition to your will.

What happens to my will if I get married?

Under section 13 of the Wills Act, marriage automatically revokes an earlier will, unless the will was expressly made in contemplation of that marriage. Always review and, if needed, rewrite your will after marriage, divorce or other major life events.

I am Muslim. Do the same will rules apply to me?

Not entirely. Muslims domiciled in Singapore are generally governed by Muslim inheritance law (faraid) under the Administration of Muslim Law Act, administered through the Syariah Court. A Muslim will (wasiat) can broadly give away only up to one-third of the estate to non-heirs. Please seek guidance from MUIS and a lawyer experienced in faraid. This is a simplified summary, not legal advice.

Will my HDB flat automatically go to whoever I name in my will?

It depends on the manner of holding. If the flat is held in joint tenancy, the surviving co-owner inherits automatically by right of survivorship, regardless of the will. If it is held as tenancy-in-common, your share passes under your will (or under intestacy if there is none). Check how your flat is held with HDB.

How to make a will in Singapore

A clear, well-sourced walkthrough of the Wills Act rules, witnesses, CPF nominations, HDB flats and Muslim inheritance. General information only, not legal advice, so please consult a lawyer for your own estate.

Reviewed: 29 June 2026 · General information, not legal advice

A will is one of the most considerate documents you will ever sign. It tells the people you love who should receive what, who should wind up your affairs, and who should care for anyone who depends on you. Yet most Singapore residents never get around to writing one. This guide explains, in plain English, how to make a valid will in Singapore, the local rules that surprise people, and the things a will quietly does not cover. It is general information only, not legal advice. Singapore estates can be technical, so please consult a qualified lawyer before you act on anything here.

Why so many people put it off

The gap is real and well documented. A survey by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) of around 495 people in Singapore reported that more than half did not have a will and only about one in four had a completed one. Separate figures circulated by banks and wealth managers, including coverage of OCBC's research into older Singaporeans, point the same way: large numbers of working adults have made no formal plan at all. These percentages move around between surveys, so treat them as broad signals rather than exact constants, but the direction is consistent.

The stakes are rising because Singapore is ageing fast. Drawing on Census 2020 data, residents aged 65 and above made up 15.2 per cent of the resident population in 2020, up from 9 per cent in 2010, and official projections widely reported in The Straits Times suggest roughly one in four residents will be over 65 by 2030. More people, holding more property, CPF and insurance, means more estates that need clear instructions. A will is how you give them.

What the Wills Act requires

Wills in Singapore are governed by the Wills Act 1838 (2020 Revised Edition), available in full on Singapore Statutes Online. The formalities are strict, and getting them wrong can invalidate the whole document. A valid will generally needs the following.

You must be at least 21

Under section 4 of the Wills Act, the person making the will (the testator) must be at least 21 years old. This is a genuine Singapore difference: it is 21, not 18. You must also have testamentary capacity, meaning you understand that you are making a will, the general extent of your property, and the people who might reasonably expect to benefit.

It must be in writing and signed

A Singapore will must be in writing. Oral or video wills are not recognised. Under the execution rules in section 6, the testator must sign the will (or acknowledge an existing signature), and the signature should appear at the foot or end of the document.

Two witnesses, present at the same time

The signature must be made or acknowledged in the presence of two or more witnesses present at the same time. Those witnesses must then sign the will in the presence of the testator. One witness signing today and another next week does not satisfy the Act. Both must watch the testator sign together, then attest.

Witnesses must not be beneficiaries

This is the trap that quietly destroys gifts. Under section 10, a gift to an attesting witness, or to the spouse of an attesting witness, is void. The will itself can still stand, but that person loses their inheritance under it. So never ask a beneficiary, or a beneficiary's husband or wife, to witness your will. Use neutral, independent adults instead.

Choosing an executor

Your will should name one or more executors: the people you trust to carry out its terms, gather your assets, settle debts and taxes, and distribute the rest. After your death the executor applies to the Family Justice Courts for a Grant of Probate, which gives them legal authority to act. Pick someone organised, willing, and ideally younger than you, and consider naming a backup. You can appoint a professional, but that usually carries a fee.

When a will is revoked

A will can be revoked deliberately (by destroying it or making a new one), but Singapore has a rule that catches people off guard. Under section 13 of the Wills Act, marriage automatically revokes an earlier will, unless that will was made *in contemplation of that marriage* and says so. If you wrote a will, then married, and never updated it, the law may treat you as having died without a will. The fix is simple: review your will after any major life event, and if you are engaged, ask your lawyer to include a contemplation-of-marriage clause.

The big Singapore catch: CPF is not in your will

This is the single most misunderstood point in Singapore estate planning, so read it twice. Your CPF savings do not pass under your will. Money in your CPF accounts does not form part of your estate. Instead it is distributed through a separate CPF nomination made with the CPF Board. As the CPF Board and MoneySense (the national financial education programme by MAS and partners) both explain, if you make a CPF nomination your savings go straight to your nominees; if you do not, your CPF is paid to the Public Trustee's Office and distributed under the intestacy rules, which can take time and incur a fee.

The practical message: writing a will is not enough on its own. You should make a CPF nomination separately. Many insurance policies work the same way through their own nomination of beneficiaries, sitting outside the will. Treat your will, your CPF nomination and your insurance nominations as three documents that must agree with one another.

HDB flats follow the manner of holding

For most families, the HDB flat is the largest asset, and how it passes depends on the manner of holding, not just the will.

Joint tenancy: the right of survivorship applies. When one owner dies, their share passes automatically to the surviving co-owner(s), regardless of what the will says.
Tenancy-in-common: each owner holds a distinct share (which can be unequal). That share does pass under the deceased owner's will, or under intestacy if there is no will.

Before assuming your will controls your flat, check with HDB how the flat is held, and remember that HDB eligibility rules still apply to whoever inherits.

Muslims: faraid, wasiat and the Syariah Court

Singapore runs a dual system. For Muslims domiciled in Singapore, the estate is generally governed by Muslim inheritance law (faraid) under the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA), administered through the Syariah Court rather than purely by the Wills Act. Faraid prescribes fixed shares for specified heirs such as the spouse, parents and children.

A Muslim will (wasiat) is therefore more limited than a civil will. Broadly, a Muslim may give away by wasiat up to one-third of the estate to non-heirs (people who do not already inherit under faraid), with the remainder distributed according to fixed shares. Families typically apply to the Syariah Court for an Inheritance Certificate identifying the heirs and their shares. This is a simplified summary: the rules are detailed and personal circumstances vary, so Muslim families should seek guidance from the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) and a lawyer experienced in faraid.

Storing and registering your will

Keep the signed original somewhere safe and tell your executor where it is. The Singapore Academy of Law maintains a Wills Registry, a confidential register where you (or your solicitor) can record that a will exists and where it is kept. The Registry does not store the will's contents or guarantee its validity; it simply helps your family locate it later. Registration is voluntary but sensible.

A practical checklist

Confirm you are at least 21 and of sound mind.
List your assets and debts, and decide who gets what.
Choose your executor (and a backup) and, if needed, a guardian for young children.
Draft the will in writing, ideally with a lawyer.
Sign it before two independent witnesses, all present together; keep beneficiaries and their spouses out of the witnessing.
Make a separate CPF nomination and review your insurance nominations.
Check how your HDB flat is held (joint tenancy vs tenancy-in-common).
Consider registering with the SAL Wills Registry and tell your executor where the original is.
Review the will after marriage, divorce, a birth, or buying property.

Frequently asked questions

See the FAQ section below for quick answers on cost, DIY wills, foreigners, and what happens with no will.

How Afterlife AI™ fits alongside your will

A will decides who receives your assets. It says nothing about who you *were*. That is the gap Afterlife AI™ is built for. While you are alive, you record your memories, your stories and your voice, all on a consent-based basis, and they become a living legacy your family can return to. Your wishes about what is preserved are sealed under Executor Lock™ and honoured exactly as you set them.

To be completely clear: Afterlife AI™ does not make wills and does not give legal advice. It is not a substitute for a lawyer, a CPF nomination, or a Syariah Court process. It complements your estate plan by preserving the human side, the warmth and the words, that legal documents were never meant to carry.

You can start free: 60 memories and 100 conversations to build your Persona, no card required, and your free build never expires. Afterlife AI™ is an Australian company and Australian-hosted, and your information is treated as sensitive personal data. When you are ready to do more, paid plans (Legacy at $14.99/mo and Eternal at $29.99/mo) unlock a deeper experience.

A final word

Making a will in Singapore is more achievable than most people fear, but the local details, the age-21 rule, the two-witness requirement, the witness-beneficiary trap, the automatic revocation on marriage, and above all the fact that CPF sits outside your will, are exactly where do-it-yourself attempts go wrong. This article is general information, not legal advice. Please consult a qualified Singapore lawyer (and, for Muslim estates, MUIS and a faraid-experienced practitioner) to make sure your wishes are valid and complete.

Sources

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