Codicils to Wills

Upon reviewing your Will, you may be largely happy with it but decide that one or more simple changes are needed. Common reasons for this are:

• you wish to change or add an executor or guardian;
• you have changed your mind as to who should receive a particular gift;
• a gift is no longer available;
• an intended beneficiary has died;
• you wish to add a new beneficiary, perhaps a new grandchild;
• you decide to be more or less generous to an existing beneficiary or remove them altogether.

Codicil meaning

That’s where codicils to Wills can be helpful. A codicil is typically a short document that amends a Will in a particular way but does not replace it. Instead, the Will and its codicil are read in conjunction with one other.

Codicil template

As every codicil is different, creating a satisfactory codicil template is difficult. However, important points to note include:

• The requirements for signing and witnessing a codicil are precisely the same as for a Will, although you do not need to use the same two people to witness the codicil as you did for the Will.
• To avoid any possible confusion, a codicil should mention the date of the Will it’s amending.
• Although it’s perfectly permissible to make several codicils, there may come the point where having multiple documents to be read in conjunction with each other becomes unwieldy and possibly confusing. For that reason, if you have already made a couple of codicils and further changes are needed, it’s worth considering making a fresh Will.
• A codicil should always be kept with the original of the Will it’s amending.