Pennsylvania · Estate & Probate
The Pennsylvania Wills, Trusts & Estates Guide
Understanding Pennsylvania's unique will requirements, trust laws, inheritance tax system, and the key documents for your estate plan.
2026-2027 Edition · Cited to Pennsylvania law · Plain language
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Eleven editable forms that go with this guide, including a will, financial and medical powers of attorney and a living will, with a signing guide. Instant download; Word and PDF.
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Cited to the statute · Legal information, not legal advice
Pennsylvania wills, trusts, and estates, explained step by step
Will requirements, witnesses at probate, intestate succession, revocable trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, and the inheritance tax, explained for planners and fiduciaries.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Planning ahead in Pennsylvania means working with rules that differ from most states. No witnesses at signing? A handwritten will? A notice of trust?
The Pennsylvania Wills, Trusts & Estates Guide explains the Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code (Title 20) for people making a plan and for the people who carry it out. It covers what makes a will valid, including the requirement that it be signed at the end, why witnesses are not required at signing but two witnesses generally prove the signature at probate, how a self-proving will works, codicils, and how handwritten wills are treated. It explains intestate succession, including the surviving spouse's $30,000 plus one-half share in some families, the one-third elective share, and the $3,500 family exemption.
The guide also explains revocable trusts and funding them, trustee duties and the 30-day notice of trust under the Uniform Trust Act, nonjudicial settlement agreements, trust modification, durable financial and health care powers of attorney, living wills, the Slayer Act, and the inheritance tax rates and nine-month return.
Inside:
• Step-by-step procedures for the person making a plan and for executors, trustees, and beneficiaries
• Real-world questions and answers from both perspectives
• Checklists, comparison tables, a glossary, and questions to ask an attorney
For Pennsylvania residents planning ahead and the fiduciaries who follow. Legal information, not legal advice.
WHAT’S INSIDE
- The Foundation: Pennsylvania's Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code
- Wills: Your Written Instructions for the Future
- Intestate Succession: Dying Without a Will
- Trusts: A Flexible Tool for Managing Assets
- Exceptions, Defenses, and Special Circumstances
- Rights of an Executor, Trustee, or Beneficiary
- Step-by-step procedures from each side, with deadlines at a glance
- 26 real-world questions and answers
- Statute index, key court decisions and official forms
- Toolkit: checklists, comparison tables, glossary and common mistakes to avoid
WHY READERS TRUST THIS GUIDE
Plain language. Cited to the statute. Dated so you know it is current.
Every rule is cited to Pennsylvania law so you can verify it.
Cited, so you can check it
Every rule names the section of Pennsylvania law it comes from, so you can read the source yourself.
Plain language, no filler
Written to be read start to finish by someone with no legal training, with worked examples.
Dated and updated
Each guide carries a law-current date and new editions ship when the law changes.
Bonus toolkit
Register your book for this topic’s checklists, worksheets and starter template, as soon as they are ready.
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY
Pennsylvania will requirements: what to know before you order.
Straight answers about what the guide is, what it covers and how it reaches you.
Does a will need witnesses in Pennsylvania?
Witnesses are not required when the testator signs, as long as the will is in writing and signed at the end (20 Pa.C.S. § 2502). At probate, two witnesses generally prove the signature, unless the will is self-proved with notarized affidavits (20 Pa.C.S. § 3132.1).
Who inherits if someone dies without a will in Pennsylvania?
Intestate succession under 20 Pa.C.S. §§ 2102 and 2103 sets the order. A surviving spouse with no surviving parents or issue takes the whole estate. With surviving parents, or with children who are all the spouse's, the spouse takes the first $30,000 plus one-half. The guide covers the other cases.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is legal information in plain language, cited to the law, so you understand your options and know what to ask. Reading it creates no attorney-client relationship.
Is it written for Pennsylvania?
Yes. This guide is written for Pennsylvania law and cites the Pennsylvania statutes and rules it relies on. If your case is in another state, choose that state's edition.
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PLEASE READ
Legal information, not legal advice. STACKED LEGAL® is a publisher, not a law firm. Buying or reading this book creates no attorney-client relationship and promises no outcome. Laws change; verify current law and talk to a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania about your situation.
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