New Jersey Estate Planning
Get your own affairs in order in New Jersey, for yourself or an aging parent. Compare the documents most adults need (a will, a power of attorney, and a healthcare directive), decide whether you need a trust, and see how to keep your estate out of probate.
Which document do I need?
The core documents at a glance. Each row links to its New Jersey guide.
- Will
- New Jersey will requirements: age 18 and sound mind, a signed writing, two witnesses, plus handwritten wills, self-proved wills, and how a will is revoked. Read the guide
- Living trust
- How a New Jersey revocable living trust works under the Uniform Trust Code: creating it, funding it, and the pour-over will that catches what you miss. Read the guide
- Power of attorney
- New Jersey power of attorney rules: the durability words your document needs, notarizing with no witnesses, why gifts take express authority, and how it ends. Read the guide
- Healthcare directive
- New Jersey advance directive rules: name a health care representative, add an instruction directive, and sign before two witnesses or a notary. Read the guide
Planning to prepare the will with an online service? See what New Jersey requires from an online will before you sign anything.
New Jersey estate planning guides
New Jersey Estate Planning Basics
New Jersey estate planning basics: the will, power of attorney, advance directive, and trust, plus the inheritance tax that reaches siblings and friends.
New Jersey Will Requirements
New Jersey will requirements: age 18 and sound mind, a signed writing, two witnesses, plus handwritten wills, self-proved wills, and how a will is revoked.
New Jersey Power of Attorney
New Jersey power of attorney rules: the durability words your document needs, notarizing with no witnesses, why gifts take express authority, and how it ends.
New Jersey Advance Directive
New Jersey advance directive rules: name a health care representative, add an instruction directive, and sign before two witnesses or a notary.
New Jersey Guardianship Planning
New Jersey guardianship runs on two tracks: the county Surrogate appoints a guardian for a minor, the Superior Court decides adult incapacity under Rule 4:86.
New Jersey Revocable Living Trust
How a New Jersey revocable living trust works under the Uniform Trust Code: creating it, funding it, and the pour-over will that catches what you miss.
New Jersey Trust Administration
New Jersey trust administration under the Uniform Trust Code, N.J.S.A. 3B:31: no notice deadline, an optional report, and an inheritance tax no trust avoids.
New Jersey Pet Trusts
New Jersey pet trusts run on N.J.S.A. 3B:31-24. Name a caregiver, a trustee, and an enforcer who holds qualified-beneficiary rights over the animal's fund.
New Jersey Digital Assets Planning
New Jersey's Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, N.J.S.A. 3B:14-61.1 et seq., sets who reaches a deceased user's online accounts.
Not sure what you need in New Jersey?
Answer a few questions and we'll tell you which estate planning documents to set up first.
Information current as of 2026-06-18
Settled Estate is not a law firm, and this content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Probate laws and procedures in your state can change. Consult with a qualified attorney for advice specific to your situation. Full disclaimer.
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