A report found that less than 15% of South Africans have wills. Dying without a valid will in South Africa can cause hardship for your loved ones.
Safeguard their interests by preparing your will in 20 minutes using LegalWills, or through its counterpart, LegalWills.co.za.
In this LegalWills South Africa review, we will look at its packages, pricing, pros and cons, and requirements of a valid will.
Key Takeaways
- LegalWills.co.za is a lawyer-approved online will-writing service that drafts wills in 20 minutes and comes with features like the Digital Vault and Life Locker.
- The prices of will-drafting services in LegalWills South Africa start at R399 for a Standard Last Will and Testament and up to R1,999 for a Premium Estate Plan.
- The platform offers a full 30-day money-back guarantee and one year of free updates.
What is LegalWills.co.za?
Drafting a will is crucial for everyone’s peace of mind, but many see it as an expensive task that causes them to procrastinate. This is where LegalWills South Africa can help.
LegalWills.co.za is a lawyer-approved online will-writing service that offers comprehensive services for people who need their wills ready in minutes but without the high legal costs.
The platform has provided online will-writing and other estate planning document services for over 20 years, assuring customers of completeness and affordability.
Through the LegalWills.co.za website, a testator (or the person making the Will) can create or prepare a fully legal will acceptable in probate courts in South Africa.
Requirements of a Valid Will in South Africa
It is crucial for a family to feel secure following the death of a loved one, so a legal will in South Africa should be one of your priorities if you have assets.
For a will to be valid upon the passing of a testator, it must meet the following conditions:
- It must be in writing, whether written by hand, typed or printed.
- The testator must have their signature on all pages of the will.
- There must be at least two competent witnesses who are not executors/beneficiaries, family members, or anyone who benefits from the will.
- The testator and the witnesses must sign every page of the will in the presence of each other and write the date of signing.
LegalWills Packages and Pricing
LegalWills South Africa has four packages with differing features and price options that cater to individuals and couples. We enumerate below the packages and what each service includes.
The products are such that anyone who created their will via LegalWills.co.za will have a legally binding document that details their wishes and how to carry them out. All plan prices include taxes.
Last Will and Testament
Use the promo code SAVVY20 to get a 20% discount off the regular cost of the Will packages detailed below.
The Standard Last Will and Testament from LegalWills.co.za is designed for use in South Africa. For an individual, the document costs R399, and R599 for a couple.
The Standard Last Will and Testament is a document that details various circumstances, including:
- Deciding on the distribution of your estate
- Naming an Executor, joint Executors, alternates, and replacements
- Appointing guardians for children
- Setting up trusts for minor beneficiaries
- Establishing trusts and creating provisions for pets and their care
- Specifying charitable requests
Premium Last Will and Testament
The Premium Last Will and Testament is an advanced service that costs R699 for an individual and R999 for a couple.
This service includes all the benefits of the Standard Last Will and Testament, Funeral Wishes, Final Messages, and Keyholders, or individuals who can access your information during the appropriate time.
Complete Estate Plan
The most popular service on the LegalWills South Africa platform, the Complete Estate Plan costs R799 for an individual and R1,299 for a couple.
This service includes everything on the Standard Last Will and Testament and the Premium Last Will and Testament plans. It also comes with Funeral Wishes, Final Messages, Keyholders, and Living Will.
Premium Estate Plan
This is the best value plan among all the products LegalWills South Africa offers. For an individual, the cost is R1,299, while for a couple, the price is R1,999.
The plan includes everything all the other packages have in addition to Funeral Wishes, Final Messages, Keyholders, Living Will, Life Locker, and Digital Vault.
All LegalWills.co.za products come with the following:
- Unlimited updates to all documents for one year
- Option to add additional years of unlimited updates
- Unlimited customer support by live chat, email, or their toll-free phone number
LegalWills Features
Below are some of the features that LegalWills South Africa offers to reinforce its online will-writing product lineup.
Living Will
A Living Will lets you specify your healthcare requests should you become unable to communicate. It costs R199.
The service enables clients to create a Power of Attorney that will remain valid if the owner of the will can no longer perform his duties.
It also allows clients to pick three people who will act on their behalf and lets them select more than one alternate or replacement.
Life Locker
Keeping track of belongings, digital assets, and vital contacts is simple with Life Locker, which stores personal information crucial to your family and Executor. This feature costs R299.
This innovative feature organizes information about your family, significant assets, your money, digital assets, important people to contact, charities, instructions for Executors, etc.
When the information is secured, you can assign individuals who can access your Life Locker. They will receive a Keyholder ID that allows them to access your Life Locker if you become incapacitated.
Digital Vault
The Digital Vault is a feature that lets you upload personal files in a secure repository and set up to provide access to trusted individuals.
The files can be a collection of your accounts with user IDs and passwords or personal mementos like photographs or notes.
If you were to pass on or become debilitated, your family and loved ones could use the information they need to handle your assets the way you prefer.
How to Create a Will With LegalWills.co.za
Create a will at LegalWills by following these steps:
- Go to the LegalWills home page and click on “Start Your Will.”
- Go through the series of sections and answer the questions the platform asks. LegalWills.co.za will assist you throughout the process.
- Make sure it accurately describes what you want and covers everything you want to be included in your will.
- Print the document and sign it in the presence of two witnesses who are not beneficiaries or Executors in the will. The witnesses must also sign the document.
Once it is signed and witnessed, it becomes a legitimate will. Create an account to enable you to update your will whenever there are changes in your circumstances.
Pros and Cons of LegalWills.co.za
Pros:
- Full 30-day money-back guarantee
- One year of free updates
- No automated subscriptions
- Does not charge your credit card automatically
- Does not store payment details
- No need to cancel anything
Cons:
- Not appropriate for those with complicated assets
- Not suitable for individuals in special circumstances
- Updates after 12 months require renewal of membership
Is LegalWills.co.za Legit?
LegalWills.co.za is a legit entity, having been in the business of online will-writing for over 23 years. Proud of its advanced online technology, it offers customers a 100% full money-back guarantee.
The platform offers added features that enhance its online will-writing services and assures users that its offerings are always up to date. It ensures consistency and completeness in its legal documents by having one of its estate planning lawyers check your final Last Will and Testament.
LegalWills also states that it uses 256-bit “SSL encryption” or sophisticated digital encryption and security technologies to protect your privacy and security. Its database likewise uses RSA, a streaming-encryption algorithm that encrypts all your information before storing it online.
LegalWills Alternatives in South Africa
Besides LegalWills, other online will-writing options in South Africa help you craft legally binding and valid wills.
Momentum
Momentum Trust, a part of financial services and registered credit provider Momentum Metropolitan Life Limited in South Africa, offers an online will generator that creates a Last Will and Testament template for free.
The free online will-drafting service involves asking the user a series of questions about their estate and their final wishes. Upon completion, the document can be downloaded, printed, and reviewed.
The will is then signed by two witnesses to make it legally binding. The whole process generally takes 20 minutes to finish. Aside from online will drafting, Momentum offers document storage services that keep wills in safe custody.
QuickWill
QuickWill is another alternative to LegalWills.co.za that offers to help users draft wills online in a few steps. For a minimal, once-off fee, QuickWill will provide a basic will that you can complete in minutes.
Like most online will generators, QuickWill has a simplified process for drafting wills that involve answering questions, downloading and printing the document, and having two witnesses sign it to ensure it is legally binding.
In addition to providing basic will drafting services, QuickWill offers a subscription to the service wherein you pay a once-off fee and an annual charge. The service includes the safekeeping of your signed will and unlimited updates.
FAQs
For a will to be legal in South Africa, it must be in writing and signed by the person who made the will, or the testator, in the presence of two witnesses who are not Executors or beneficiaries. An independent Executor, who is not a beneficiary, must also be named in the will.
The cost of a will in South Africa varies from one lawyer to another and depends on the complexity and length of time involved in drafting the will. An online will like what LegalWills South Africa offers costs R400. In comparison, a will drafted by an attorney can cost anywhere from R1000 to R2500, according to Johannesburg-based life insurance provider MiWayLife.
A will becomes invalid in South Africa if it is not in writing, does not have the testator’s signature, if there is fraud, or if it is not signed and witnessed by valid witnesses. A will is also invalid if it is not executed in compliance with the Wills Act of 1953.
Wills never expire in South Africa (or anywhere else) because they are permanent. Once a will is signed by the testator, witnessed by at least two valid witnesses and executed in accordance with the law, the document will never expire.
