Free Living Will Template

A living will is a legal document that tells doctors what care you do or do not want if you can’t make medical decisions. It often covers emergency or end-of-life treatment, such as CPR, breathing support, or feeding tubes.

This type of advance care planning can also reduce stress for loved ones, because they’re not guessing what you would want. The National Institute on Aging’s living will overview explains how living wills help guide treatment when you can’t communicate.

A living will is usually part of a broader “advance directive.” Many people pair it with a medical power of attorney form, which names someone to speak with doctors and help carry out your wishes.

What a Living Will Can Cover

• Life-prolonging treatment. For example, whether you want CPR, mechanical ventilation, or tube feeding in certain situations.
• Pain relief and comfort care. Many people request comfort-focused care even if they decline aggressive treatment.
• Organ donation preferences. You can note whether you want to donate specific organs or your body for study.
• Personal instructions. For example, pregnancy-related preferences, spiritual practices, preferred care setting, or who you want contacted.

You don’t need to write a living will from scratch. Document Genius guides you step by step, so you can answer questions and generate a clean form that’s easy to share with doctors and loved ones.

Step 1 – Add Your Information

Enter your full legal name and contact details. This makes it clear who the living will belongs to.

Step 2 – Choose Your Life-Prolonging Treatment Preferences

Decide how you want care handled during a serious medical event. Many living wills let you make different choices depending on the situation, such as:

• A terminal condition. Cornell Law School provides a terminal condition definition used in federal law.
• A persistent vegetative state. Long-term unresponsiveness with no meaningful awareness.
• An end-stage condition. An advanced illness that will continue to worsen over time.

Even if you choose not to extend life through every medical measure, you can still request comfort care and pain management.

Step 3 – Add Organ Donation Preferences

This step is optional. If you want, you can include:

• Which organs you want to donate.
• Whether donation can be used for transplant, research, or education.
• Any limits or special instructions.

Step 4 – Name a Health Care Surrogate (If Your State Allows)

Some living will forms let you name a person to help communicate your wishes. Even then, many people still use a separate medical power of attorney to clearly authorize someone to make decisions and work with doctors.

Step 5 – Add Any Additional Instructions

Use this space to write anything that matters to you, including religious preferences, preferred facility, or other care priorities.

Step 6 – Sign Using Your State’s Rules

Signing rules vary by state. Depending on where you live, you may need witnesses, a notary, or both.

If you spend significant time in more than one state, it may help to review each state’s advance directive rules.

Step 7 – Share Copies With the Right People

A living will only helps if it’s available when needed. Consider sharing copies with:

• Your primary care doctor.
• Your preferred hospital or health system.
• Your health care agent (if you named one in an MPOA).
• Close family members or trusted friends.

A living will covers medical care while you are alive. A last will covers property and family matters after death, such as who inherits assets or who should care for minor children. Since they solve different problems, many people have both.

Most states recognize living wills in some form. However, a few states treat them differently.

• Massachusetts: The state explains that a living will is not legally binding, but it can still guide care decisions.
• Michigan: Michigan notes that a living will is not legally binding, but it can help communicate preferences to loved ones and care teams.