Types of wills. Simple, Normal or Complex — Which Will Suits You?
Not all wills are the same. As life gets more complicated, your will usually needs to move up a level.
📝 Simple Will
Only suitable if your situation and wishes are genuinely basic. Leaves everything to your partner, then equally to children or other loved ones.
Includes: executors, partner/children equally, child share to their children, burial/cremation, standard trustee powers.
Does not include: bequests, guardianship, pets, trusts, unequal division, marriage contemplation.
$300 / $600 couple
📋 Normal Will
Most PopularSuits most people who have children, want specific gifts, or need more flexibility. The right starting point for most families.
Everything in Simple, plus: guardianship, bequests/gifts, pets, leave estate to one trust, marriage contemplation, detailed trustee powers, beneficiary protection.
$500 / $800 couple
⚖️ Complex Will
For situations where a standard approach is not enough — blended families, businesses, overseas assets, or detailed trust structures.
Everything in Normal, plus: blended families, life interests, unequal division, business/farm provisions, overseas assets, Māori land, 2+ trusts.
From $900 / From $1,440 couple
Will Provisions — Full Comparison
| Provision | Simple | Normal | Complex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose your Executors/Trustees | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Choose Subsequent Executors/Trustees | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Leave estate to partner/others equally | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Leave estate to children/others equally | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Child share goes to their children | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Burial or cremation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple trustee powers | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Detailed trustee powers | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Guardians for children under 18 | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bequests (gifts) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Leave part/all estate to one Trust | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Provisions for pets | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Contemplation of marriage/civil union | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beneficiary protection clauses | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Secondary beneficiaries if all others die | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Special signature provisions | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unequal division of assets | — | — | ✓ |
| Exclude/include overseas assets | — | — | ✓ |
| Provisions for farms/businesses | — | — | ✓ |
| Exclude/include NZ Māori land | — | — | ✓ |
| Life/defined interest in home/assets | — | — | ✓ |
| Excluded beneficiaries clause | — | — | ✓ |
| Provisions for blended families | — | — | ✓ |
| Leave estate to 2 or more Trusts | — | — | ✓ |
Ready to get your will-based estate plan started?
Request a free, no-obligation quote — we'll confirm which type of will suits you and what it will cost.