Documents to Gather Before Writing Your Will — A Canadian Checklist

Last updated July 3, 2026 · 4 min read
Quick answer
Before writing your Canadian will, gather — your government ID and SIN, list of all your assets with current values, mortgage and loan documentation, beneficiary designations on registered plans and life insurance, the full legal names and addresses of your spouse/partner, children, executor, backup executor, guardian, alternate guardian, beneficiaries, and any specific gift recipients, the contact info of your accountant and lawyer if any, any pre-existing wills or estate documents, and any documentation of special circumstances (blended family details, disabled dependants, business interests, foreign property). Having these in hand turns will-writing from a 4-week process into a 4-hour process.

The single biggest reason Canadians abandon will-writing mid-process is missing information. They sit down ready to finish the will, then need to look up an account number, find a beneficiary's middle name, recall whether they updated their RRSP designation last year. The session ends; the will doesn't get finished; the next attempt is months away. This checklist solves that — gather everything below before you start, and the will-writing itself becomes a 2-4 hour focused session.

When to use this checklist

For Canadians who:

  • Are planning to write their first will
  • Are updating an existing will after a major life event
  • Are working with a lawyer to draft a will (saves billable hours)
  • Are using a will-writing service like It's Simple Will and want to complete the process in one sitting

The checklist

Personal identification

  • Your full legal name (as it appears on ID)
  • Your date of birth
  • Your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
  • Your current address
  • Your province of residence (and how long you've been there — relevant for some provincial rules)
  • Marital status (single, married, common-law, separated, divorced — with relevant dates)
  • Citizenship and any foreign residency

Family information

For each spouse/partner, child, grandchild, parent, sibling you might include:

  • Full legal name
  • Date of birth (especially for minor children)
  • Current address
  • Relationship to you
  • Any special circumstances (disabled dependant, estranged, predeceased, half/step relationships)

Executor and backup

  • Full legal name of your chosen executor
  • Their current address and contact information
  • Confirmation they have agreed to serve
  • Same for your backup executor (always name a backup)

Guardianship (if you have minor children)

  • Full legal name of the chosen guardian
  • Their address and contact information
  • Confirmation they have agreed
  • Same for the backup guardian
  • Any specific wishes about how children should be raised

Asset inventory

For each major asset:

  • Bank accounts — institution, account type, approximate balance
  • Investment accounts (non-registered) — institution, account type, approximate value
  • RRSPs — institution, current beneficiary designation
  • RRIFs — institution, current beneficiary designation
  • TFSAs — institution, current beneficiary or successor holder designation
  • Pension plans (employer pensions) — administrator, survivor benefit details
  • Real estate — addresses, approximate values, joint or sole ownership
  • Vehicles — make, model, year, approximate value, sole or joint ownership
  • Business interests — name, structure, your ownership percentage, valuation if known
  • Foreign assets — country, type, approximate value
  • Personal property of significant value (jewellery, art, collections, family heirlooms)

Liability inventory

  • Mortgage — lender, balance, term
  • Lines of credit — lender, balance
  • Personal loans — lender, balance
  • Credit card balances (typical)
  • Outstanding taxes

Insurance

  • Life insurance policies — insurer, policy number, beneficiary, face amount
  • Mortgage life insurance — lender, coverage
  • Other insurance (disability, critical illness)

Specific bequests

If you want to leave specific items to specific people:

  • Item description (sufficient to identify uniquely)
  • Recipient full legal name
  • Recipient address
  • Any conditions on the gift

Charitable bequests

  • Charity full legal name (call to confirm)
  • Charity registration number (from CRA charities listing)
  • Amount or percentage of estate to be donated
  • Any specific use restriction (e.g., "for cancer research")

Professional contacts (helpful for executor later)

  • Your accountant — name, firm, phone
  • Your lawyer (if any) — name, firm, phone
  • Your financial advisor — name, firm, phone
  • Your insurance broker — name, firm, phone

Existing estate documents

  • Any prior wills (typically revoked by the new will's revocation clause)
  • Existing Powers of Attorney (for property and personal care)
  • Marriage contracts or cohabitation agreements
  • Trust documents
  • Funeral pre-arrangement contracts

Download a print-ready PDF

Download the Documents to Gather checklist PDF →

Want a checklist customized for your situation?

This is the standard version. It's Simple Will customers see a dynamic version that adapts to your situation — sections about minor children only appear if you have children, sections about business interests only appear if you've indicated one, sections about foreign assets only appear if relevant. The personalized version becomes a focused list of exactly what you need to gather, with no generic clutter.

Learn more about It's Simple Will →

Citations & sources

  1. [1]Canada.ca — What to do when someone dies: Estates and wills — Government of Canada
  2. [2]Canadian Bar Association — Wills, Estates and Trusts Section — Canadian Bar Association

Frequently asked questions

Why does gathering documents matter?

Because will-writing tools (and lawyers) ask specific questions that require specific answers. Without the documents in hand, the process stalls repeatedly — 'what's the full legal name of my executor?', 'what's the registered charity number?', 'what's the legal description of my property?' Each unknown requires a separate research trip and breaks the flow. Pre-gathering everything makes the will-writing session one focused sitting.

Do I need property appraisals?

Not formal appraisals. Approximate current market values are sufficient for the will-writing stage. Banks and government registries handle valuation at the time of probate. The numbers in your will questionnaire are for planning context, not legal record.

What if I don't have all this paperwork organized?

Use the checklist as a project. Spend an evening or weekend gathering what you can; flag what's missing. Many Canadians discover they don't know their own mortgage balance or the exact names of their RRSP and TFSA institutions. The discovery is itself useful — once organized, the will-writing is faster and your annual estate review becomes possible.

What about US property and foreign accounts?

Yes, gather the documentation. Cross-border assets add complexity to estate planning (US estate tax considerations for US property, foreign tax credit issues, asset tracing for the executor). Note these specifically in your will-planning materials.

Do I need to identify specific bequests in advance?

It helps. Specific bequests (a particular item to a particular person) require precise identification. If you want to leave your grandfather's watch to your nephew, the will needs enough detail to make the bequest clear. Pre-thinking these gifts is easier when you have the time and aren't in the middle of a will-writing session.

What about funeral wishes?

Some Canadians include funeral wishes in their will; others handle them separately in a Funeral Pre-Planner or letter to family. If you want to include them in the will, draft your wishes (burial vs. cremation, location, religious or cultural elements, music, readings) before the will-writing session.

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