Need a will fast? Before surgery or a trip, here is what you can get done in a day

If something is coming fast, a surgery date, a deployment, a trip abroad, you can have a valid will, health care directive and power of attorney in place within a day or two. The documents take less than an hour online. The real bottleneck is the signing: two witnesses and, ideally, a notary, at the same time.

This page is the compressed version: what to make, which services are fastest, how to get the signing done, and what to leave for later. Service details come from each company’s own pages, read on the date in the facts table. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to make, in order of urgency

1. Health care directive. Before surgery, this matters most: it says what treatment you want and who decides if you cannot.
2. Financial power of attorney. Lets someone pay your bills and manage accounts if you are out of action for weeks.
3. Will. Names your executor, your beneficiaries and, if you have young children, their guardian.

Leave a living trust for later. A trust only works after you move assets into it, which takes time; making one in a rush and leaving it unfunded achieves little.

The fastest services

Service	What you get	Price	Speed
FreeWill	Will, health care directive, financial power of attorney	Free	Print and sign the same day; no card needed
Quicken WillMaker & Trust Plus	Same, for you and your immediate family	$149	Download version or online, print immediately
Trust & Will will plan	Will, health care directive, power of attorney, HIPAA authorization	$199	Digital download; mobile notary partner can come to you
GoodTrust	Will, trust, directives	$149	Its home page puts an average plan at about 20 minutes
Ethos (with a policy)	Will and other documents	Included with eligible policies	Under 20 minutes for the will, by Ethos's account

For speed, FreeWill is hard to beat for one person with simple wishes. If you want one purchase covering your spouse too, WillMaker Plus. If you want someone to come to you for the signing, Trust & Will.

Avoid anything that needs a trial to be cancelled later. When you are rushed, that is the reminder you will forget.

The bottleneck: witnesses and a notary

A typed will needs two adult witnesses who watch you sign and then sign themselves, in your presence and each other’s. They should not be beneficiaries or your spouse. A notary is needed for the optional self-proving affidavit, which saves your executor time later, and for the power of attorney.

Fast ways to get them together:

• A mobile notary who brings witnesses. Trust & Will’s partner charges $170 to $210 depending on the plan. Independent mobile notaries in most areas also bring witnesses for a fee.
• Your bank. Many banks have a notary on staff for customers; bring two friends or colleagues as witnesses.
• Remote online notarisation, where your state allows it for wills. FreeWill users can use Proof, which charges its own fee.

In hospital: many hospitals do not let staff witness wills. Bring your own witnesses or a mobile notary.

The emergency fallback: a handwritten will

Some states accept a will written entirely in your own handwriting, signed and dated, with no witnesses. California’s courts say so explicitly. Others do not: New York accepts them only from service members in wartime and mariners at sea. If you are in a state that accepts them and truly cannot get witnesses in time, a handwritten will is better than nothing. Then replace it with a properly witnessed will as soon as you can.

A one-day plan

Morning:

1. Choose your executor, guardian (if you have children), health care agent and financial agent. Call them.
2. Make the three documents online. Allow an hour.
3. Book a mobile notary with witnesses, or line up two friends and a bank notary.

Afternoon or evening:

4. Print everything single-sided.
5. Sign the will with both witnesses watching, then the self-proving affidavit before the notary.
6. Sign the power of attorney before the notary, and the health care directive as your state requires.

Before you leave:

7. Give the health care directive to your surgeon or hospital and your health care agent.
8. Tell your executor and agent where the originals are.
9. Check your beneficiary forms on life insurance and retirement accounts.

Our signing guide has the full checklist.

Afterwards

When things settle, review what you made in a hurry. Consider whether a living trust makes sense, especially if you own a home; our will or trust page has a quick test. And if you used a service with a revision period, use it to fix anything you rushed.