Get the whole picture in order, in one sitting
Most people arrive here after a funeral. An older relative dies, somebody spends nine months untangling the estate, and once the shock wears off the thought arrives: I should get my own papers sorted.
I’m Wahab. I run A.W. Law LLC in Chinatown. Estate planning is the part of our work where an hour now genuinely saves your family a year later, and it’s usually cheaper than people expect.
This page is the hub. If you already know you want just one piece of it, the will, LPA and probate pages go deeper on each. The first 10 minutes are free, and nothing commits you.
What estate planning in Singapore actually involves
Estate planning is a short list of documents that decide what happens to what you own, both if you lose capacity and after you die. Most of it is not complicated. The mistake is doing one piece and assuming it covers the rest.
The two ends of the process, first.
The will side is what you do while you’re alive. You write a document that says who gets your assets after you die and who you want to carry out your wishes. In Singapore, wills are governed by the Wills Act. A valid will must be in writing, signed by you (aged 21 or older and of sound mind), and witnessed by two people who aren’t also beneficiaries.
The probate side is what happens after you die. Your named executor takes the will to the Family Justice Courts and applies for a grant of probate: the court’s formal approval of the will and the executor’s authority to act. Probate is governed by the Probate and Administration Act. If there is no will, the next-of-kin applies for letters of administration instead, and the estate is split under the Intestate Succession Act. Muslims follow Syariah inheritance rules (faraid).
A will is only one of the pieces, and on its own it leaves gaps. A full estate plan usually covers:
- A will. Who gets what, and who administers it.
- A CPF nomination. CPF money does not pass through a will at all. It goes directly to whoever you named in your nomination, and an out-of-date one naming an ex-spouse quietly overrides everything else you planned.
- A Lasting Power of Attorney. This is the one people skip. It lets someone you trust make health and money decisions if you lose mental capacity, after a stroke or with dementia. Without it, your family has to apply for a court-appointed deputyship, which takes months and costs several thousand dollars.
- Beneficiary checks on insurance. Policies with a named beneficiary pay out directly, outside the will.
- A testamentary trust, if you have young children and want money held for them until a set age.
Doing these together is the point. The lawyer drafting your will knows what probate will actually look like for your family, so clauses get simpler, assets get grouped cleanly, and your executor gets briefed while you’re still around to explain your reasoning.
When estate planning is worth doing now
- You’ve just been through a family death and want your own papers sorted before you forget how messy intestate succession was.
- You’re a parent with young children and want a will, LPA, guardian nomination, and CPF nomination checked together. See our guide on estate planning for parents in Singapore.
- You own a flat with someone, or hold assets overseas, or have a blended family, so the default rules would produce a result nobody wants.
- You’ve just been diagnosed with something. Capacity is the one thing you cannot get back, and the LPA has to be made before it goes.
If you only need one piece right now, that’s fine and we’ll say so. A simple will today costs less than the full package, and you can come back for the rest. Muslim estates follow different rules: see Muslim inheritance and faraid.
If a family member is threatening to challenge the will, the matter becomes contested and we handle it that way. See our guide on how to contest a will in Singapore.
What to expect
How long it takes.
A simple will, from first meeting to signed document: 1 to 2 weeks. Adding an LPA, a trust, or overseas clauses: 2 to 4 weeks.
A probate application at the Family Justice Courts: 3 to 6 months from filing to grant for a clean, uncontested estate. Contested probate can run 1 year or more.
If you engage us for both sides, the will work usually finishes in weeks. The probate work may sit in the file for years, until it’s needed.
How much it costs.
At A.W. Law:
- A simple will: S$300 to S$800 flat fee.
- An LPA alongside: additional S$150 to S$350.
- A simple probate application later: S$2,500 to S$6,000, depending on how many assets and beneficiaries.
- Combined package (will plus standing retainer for future probate): flat fee in writing, usually a small discount on the probate fee for continuing clients.
Complex matters (overseas assets, business interests, blended families, contested probate) cost more and we price them in stages. The 10-min Discovery Session is always free. We give you a written quote before any paid work starts.
What’s hard.
The will side is emotionally easier than clients expect. Most people feel lighter after signing.
The probate side is harder when it arrives, because it arrives alongside grief. Having the will already drafted by us years earlier makes the probate application faster and less painful, because we already know the family and the estate.
Family conversations are the other friction point. Sometimes a will surprises a sibling, or a CPF nomination quietly overrides what people assumed. We can help frame those conversations, or handle them entirely in writing, so you don’t have to.
How we handle estate planning at A.W. Law
A few things we do differently:
- One firm, long view. You can engage us once and come back in 20 years. We keep a sealed copy of the will and the executor’s contact.
- Flat fees, in writing, before any drafting or filing. You should never get a surprise bill.
- Plain-English everything. Every clause in the will is explained in the draft. Every probate letter is written in words your family can read.
- Witness and signing at our office. Two staff witness the will, so there are no worries about invalid witnesses.
- Wills Registry lodgement at the Singapore Academy of Law, if you want it. So your family can find the will when the time comes.
- WhatsApp until 10pm on weekdays. For when you suddenly remember a bank account at 9pm.
- Languages. English, Malay, or Tamil.
If a surviving spouse is also dealing with a divorce that wasn’t finalised before their partner’s death, or needs to update beneficiary designations on policies naming an ex-spouse, our divorce page will be relevant too.
We’re at 133 New Bridge Road, #20-03 Chinatown Point. Two minutes’ walk from Chinatown MRT, Exit E.
What happens next
Whether you’re planning ahead, handling a recent death, or both, the next step is simple. Book a free 10-min Wills and Probate Discovery Session using the form on this page, or message us on WhatsApp from the button on the screen.
Nothing commits you. Most sessions end with a clear view of what you actually need (just a will, just probate, or the full estate plan), a short list of things to gather, and a flat-fee quote.
