This part of the questionnaire collects your name, contact details, and relationship status. Your attorney uses it to identify you correctly in your documents and to stay in touch while your plan is prepared.
You do not need any legal knowledge to answer. If something changes later, your attorney can update it.
Why these questions matter
Estate planning documents must identify you clearly. Your relationship status also matters, because marriage and partnership can change how the law treats your property and your family.
Your relationship status
The first question reads: Please choose from below the option that best represents your current relationship status:
- Single: You are not married.
- Married: You are legally married, including a same-sex marriage.
- Not married, but in a committed relationship: You share your life with a partner but are not married.
- Widowed: Your spouse has died and you have not remarried.
If you are not sure which fits, choose the closest match. Your attorney can adjust it later.
If you are in a registered domestic partnership, tell your attorney. In Washington and Oregon, a registered partnership is treated much like a marriage.
If you are married
The page shows two columns, Spouse 1 and Spouse 2, and asks for both of you. Use each person’s full legal name as it appears on official records.
If you are in a committed relationship
You are asked: Is your partner creating an estate plan with you?
- Choose Yes if you and your partner are both planning with this firm. The questionnaire then asks about both of you.
- Choose No if the plan is for you alone. You can still name your partner as a beneficiary or decision-maker later.
For planning as unmarried partners, see this article.
If you are widowed
You are asked whether you want to include any of your late spouse’s information. Choose Yes if their children should be named as beneficiaries, or if any assets or debts are still in their name.
If you are not sure whether to include your partner or your late spouse, choose what feels right for now. Your attorney can talk it through with you and change it later.
Your name and personal details
- First, Middle, and Last Name: Your full legal name, as it appears on official records.
- Preferred Name or Nickname: What you like to be called. Your legal name is still used where the law requires it.
- Preferred pronouns: He/him, she/her, they/them, or prefer not to answer. They help your attorney refer to you respectfully and do not affect whether your documents are valid.
- Date of Birth: Helps identify you and confirm legal requirements, such as age.
- Occupation: Your current work, or your former profession if you are retired. It may appear in some documents to help identify you. It does not affect your taxes or benefits.
- Citizenship: Choose from the list or type your own. Citizenship can affect some tax rules, especially for married couples.
Contact details and drafts
- Email: Required. Your attorney may use it to send drafts and updates, so choose an address you check often.
- Cell phone: Optional. Your attorney may use it if they need to reach you directly.
You are also asked: How would you like to receive your estate planning drafts? The choices are Mail, Email, or Both. Many people choose email for convenience. You can tell your attorney if your preference changes.
Addresses
Your Home Address is where you live and consider your permanent home. It is usually the address used in your documents. It often matches the state you consider your legal home, such as where you vote or file taxes.
If you get mail somewhere else, check CHECK HERE if you’d like to use a mailing address that’s different from your home address and enter it. Some people use a P.O. box, a seasonal address, or the address of a trusted friend or relative.
Choose a place where you reliably receive mail, or where someone will accept and forward it to you. Keep the address up to date with your legal and financial records.
Couples who live apart can check CHECK HERE if you do not share a home address to enter a second address. If you live together, you only enter it once.
Want to read more?
These articles are optional.
- Community property: How it affects your estate plan. See this article.