Wisconsin Will Signing Day Kit: Wisconsin's Witness and Notary Rules, Signing-Day Checklist, Witness Sheet and Original-Will Record

Who it is for

Anyone signing a will in Wisconsin, and the family member, friend or office helping set up the signing. Who can make a will, per the official page: 18 or older, of sound mind.

Not the right fit if

The person signing isn't in Wisconsin, you still need the will written (that's a lawyer's job), or someone may contest it. Not a will form or a legal service.

Why it is different

• Built only from our Wisconsin will signing data file, checked November 2026 against Wis. Stat. Chapter 853, Wills (Wisconsin Legislature); Wis. Stat. 853.03, Execution of wills (Wisconsin Legislature); Wis. Stat. 853.04 and 853.07, Self-proved will; Witnesses (Wisconsin Legislature); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Wisconsin (Nolo).
• All 7 Wisconsin facts are confirmed: on an official page, or where none could be read, on a vetted secondary source marked as such.
• Also from the file: Wisconsin law has a section on depositing a will with the circuit court during the testator's lifetime (853.09).
• For the estate side in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Executor and Estate Kit: Property subject to administration in the state with a gross value of $50,000 or less. Real property can be transferred, with notice to the heirs at least 30 days before the affidavit is recorded.

What is inside

• Start here. The 7 confirmed Wisconsin facts at a glance.
• Wisconsin signing-day checklist. Bring 2 witnesses. The rule: Two witnesses, each signing within a reasonable time after the signing or acknowledgment. Pick witnesses who get nothing under the will and aren't married to someone who does. If a beneficiary would have to witness, stop and call the lawyer first: The will stays valid, but gifts to an interested witness or the witness's spouse are invalid beyond an intestate share unless an exception applies. Have a notary or another officer who can administer oaths there for the self-proving affidavit. The statute names that officer rather than notaries by name. Allowed at signing or any time later, before an officer authorized to administer oaths, under official seal. If no notary is available on the day, the affidavit can be added later, while the witnesses can still be reached.
• Witness information sheet. One block per Wisconsin witness (2 required, plus a spare).
• Original-will storage and location record. Where the original is and who has copies. Handwritten wills in Wisconsin: Not recognized unless witnessed: every will must be in writing and signed with two witnesses to be validly executed (Wis. Stat. 853.03). A separate written list can leave certain tangible personal property (853.32).
• Wisconsin will signing tracker (Excel). Steps, ID, copies and review dates. Remote witnessing in Wisconsin: Witnesses can be present by live audio-visual technology only when an attorney supervises the remote signing (Nolo, citing Wis. Stat. 853.03). Electronic wills: Not authorized; a will can't be a digital file (Nolo, citing Wis. Stat. 853.03).