What is the estate planning questionnaire form template?
Drafting a will or trust starts with the same questions every time — who's in the family, what the client owns and how, who should act as executor or guardian, and who should inherit. This template gathers those answers before the first meeting so the lawyer can arrive with a view on what's needed.
It follows the shape of the advice. The client says whether they have an existing will and when it was made, lists children and flags minors and vulnerable beneficiaries, and ticks what they own — with follow-ups for home ownership, overseas assets and business interests. Executors, guardians for minor children and people trusted with decisions under a power of attorney come next.
The last page is about wishes: which documents they're interested in, who should inherit and in what shares, specific gifts, anyone they intend to leave out, and funeral wishes. Each questionnaire is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault with any existing will or deeds uploaded.
- Best for
- Estate planning lawyers, will writers and financial planners
- Filled in by
- The client, before an estate planning meeting
- Time to complete
- About 15 minutes
- Includes
- Family and minor children, asset checklist with follow-ups, executors, guardians, attorneys, inheritance wishes and uploads
Who uses a estate planning questionnaire form?
- Sending a questionnaire before a will-writing appointment
- Couples preparing mirror wills, each completing their own
- Clients updating a will after marriage, divorce or a new child
- Financial planners gathering estate information alongside a financial plan
- Business owners starting succession planning
- Legal clinics running will-writing days for charities
Questions on this estate planning questionnaire form
34 questions over 5 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.
1 About you
- Your full legal name*
- Email*
- Phone
- Date of birth*
- Citizenship(s) and country of residence
- Home address*
- Marital status* Single · Married · Civil partnership · Living with partner · Separated · Divorced · Widowed
- Spouse or partner's full name asked only when it applies
- Do you have an existing will or trust?* No · Yes, and it's broadly up to date · Yes, but it needs updating
- Date of your current will asked only when it applies
2 Family
- Do you have children (including adopted or stepchildren)?*
- Children's full names and dates of birth* asked only when it applies
- Are any of them under 18? asked only when it applies
- Do you have grandchildren?
- Is any likely beneficiary disabled, receiving means-tested benefits, or vulnerable in another way?
- Please explain asked only when it applies
3 What you own
- Which of these do you own? Main home · Other property · Bank savings · Investments · Pensions or retirement accounts · Life insurance · Business interests · Assets abroad · Digital assets or crypto · Valuables — jewellery, art, collections
- How is your home owned? asked only when it applies In my name only · Jointly with my spouse or partner · Jointly with someone else · Not sure
- Which countries, and what assets? asked only when it applies
- Business name, your share and any shareholder agreement asked only when it applies
- Rough total value of everything you own
- Significant debts or guarantees
4 People you trust
- First choice of executor*
- Second or replacement executor
- Guardian for children under 18* asked only when it applies
- Replacement guardian asked only when it applies
- Who would you trust to make financial or health decisions if you couldn't?
5 Your wishes
- Which documents are you interested in?* Will · Living or revocable trust · Financial power of attorney · Healthcare directive or power of attorney · Guardianship nomination · Business succession plan · Not sure — advise me
- Who should inherit, and in what shares?*
- Specific gifts
- Anyone you intend to leave out, or treat differently?
- Funeral or burial wishes
- Existing will, trust or deeds (optional)
- Consent*
The estate planning questionnaire form, page by page
1 About you
Full legal name, contact details, date of birth, citizenship and residence, address and marital status, with the spouse or partner's name where relevant. The client says whether they have an existing will or trust and, if so, its date.
2 Family
Whether there are children — with names and dates of birth required on a yes — and whether any are under 18. Grandchildren, and whether any likely beneficiary is disabled, on means-tested benefits or vulnerable, with a box to explain.
3 What you own
A checklist of asset types; ticking the home asks how it's owned, overseas assets ask which countries, and business interests ask for the business, share and any shareholder agreement. A rough net estate value and significant debts or guarantees follow.
4 People you trust
First and replacement executors, a required guardian and a replacement when there are children under 18, and who would make financial or health decisions if the client couldn't.
5 Your wishes
Documents of interest, a required description of who should inherit and in what shares, specific gifts, anyone to be left out or treated differently, funeral wishes, an optional upload of an existing will or deeds, and a consent confirming this isn't a will and nothing takes effect until documents are properly signed.
Make the template yours
- Rename document types to match your jurisdiction, such as lasting power of attorney or advance directive
- Add questions on tax planning or charitable giving if you offer that advice
- Add a second-person section for couples who want to fill in one form
- Change the currency on the estate value
- Route questionnaires to a client folder
- Add paralegals as notification emails
Tips for a better estate planning questionnaire form
- Ask for full legal names of executors and beneficiaries, not nicknames
- Discuss excluded beneficiaries carefully; the rules on challenges vary by jurisdiction
- Check how the home is owned — it can change what the will controls
- Ask for the existing will so you can compare old and new wishes
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
The questionnaire is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with any uploaded will or deeds, and you're notified by email. With a respondent copy on, the client receives their own PDF.
Lawyers typically review the answers, note questions for the meeting and prepare a draft once instructions are confirmed. The Responses table lists every questionnaire and exports to CSV.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Estate planning questionnaire form: frequently asked questions
Is this estate planning questionnaire free?
Yes. It's included with FileIt's Forms app on every plan, including free.
Is the completed questionnaire a will?
No. The consent makes clear it isn't a will or legal document and that nothing takes effect until documents are properly signed.
Can couples use it?
Yes. Each partner can complete their own, or you can add a partner section in the designer.
Does it ask about guardians?
Yes. When there are children under 18, a guardian is required and a replacement can be named.
Can clients upload their current will?
Yes, up to five files — PDFs, Word documents or images.
Do clients need an account?
No, anyone with the link can fill it in.