To fill out a Florida codicil form, you identify yourself and reference your existing will by its exact execution date, write each amendment in its own numbered paragraph, add a clause confirming the rest of the will still stands, and sign the document in front of two witnesses using the same formalities Florida requires for a will. A codicil is a short amendment, not a replacement, and once signed it is read together with the original will as a single set of instructions.
Decide Whether a Codicil Is the Right Tool
A codicil works when the change is narrow and self-contained: swapping a personal representative, correcting a misspelled name, removing a single bequest, adding a gift to a new grandchild. Because the document has to reference the original will and specify exactly which provisions it modifies, small edits stay easy to follow.
Once the changes start stacking up, a full rewrite is safer. Restructuring how your estate is divided, adding or removing several beneficiaries, or creating a new trust provision through a codicil invites misinterpretation at probate. Multiple codicils compound the problem, because each has to be reconciled with the original and with every other codicil, and conflicting language between documents is a frequent trigger for probate disputes.
One boundary worth knowing before you start: Florida also recognizes a separate signed writing that distributes items of tangible personal property such as jewelry, furniture, or collectibles, without amending the will itself. If your will already references this type of memorandum and all you want to do is reassign a few personal items, updating that list may be simpler than drafting a codicil. The memorandum must be signed by you and describe the items and recipients clearly.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 732.515 – Separate Writing Identifying Devises of Tangible Property
Gather the Information You’ll Need
Pull out your original will before you start filling in blanks. You need the exact date the original was signed and executed, because the codicil’s opening paragraph must reference that date to legally link the two documents. If you have any prior codicils, gather those too.
Identify the specific article, section, or paragraph numbers you want to change. Vague references like “the part about my house” create the kind of ambiguity that leads to courtroom arguments. If you are adding a new beneficiary, write down their full legal name and relationship to you. For real estate, use the legal description from the deed rather than a street address. For financial accounts, include the institution name and account number. If you are naming a new personal representative or successor, have their full name and contact information ready.
What Goes in Each Section of the Form
Most codicil templates follow the same structure. Working through it in order:
The preamble takes your full legal name, your county of residence in Florida, and a statement that this document is a codicil to your last will and testament dated [exact date]. That reference is what ties the codicil to the will so a probate court reads them together.
The identification of changes gets a numbered paragraph for each modification. If you are revoking a provision, state which article or section of the original will is revoked and that it is now void. If you are adding new language, write it out in full and specify where it fits in the will’s structure. If you are substituting one name for another, identify both the old and the new. Direct, unambiguous phrasing works best: “I hereby revoke Article III, Section 2 of my will dated March 15, 2021, and replace it with the following…” leaves no room for guesswork.
A ratification clause confirms that all other provisions of the original will remain in full force. This is what prevents anyone from arguing later that the codicil was meant to replace the entire will.
The signature block gives you space for your signature, the date, and two witness lines. A self-proving affidavit is a separate sworn statement covered further down; adding it is optional but worthwhile.
Fill in every blank field on the template. A blank space can read as an oversight or, worse, as an invitation for someone else to fill it in later.
Signing the Codicil Correctly
Florida requires a codicil to be executed with the same formalities as a will.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 732.502 – Execution of Wills Three things have to happen, in the right order:
- You sign at the end of the codicil. If you are physically unable to sign, another person may sign your name for you, but only in your presence and at your direction.
- Your signing, or your acknowledgment that you already signed, must occur in the presence of at least two attesting witnesses.
- Both witnesses then sign the codicil in your presence and in each other’s presence.
Everyone needs to be in the same room at the same time. A witness who signs later, or who was not present when you signed, can invalidate the entire codicil. Florida courts are unforgiving about these formalities. If the signing ceremony is defective, the codicil is void and the probate court falls back on your original will as though the codicil never existed.
To make a valid will or codicil, you must be at least 18 years old (or an emancipated minor) and of sound mind at the time of signing.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 732.501 – Who May Make a Will Sound mind means you understand what property you own, who your natural beneficiaries are, and what the codicil does. If there is any concern about capacity, a physician’s letter dated the same day as the signing can head off a later challenge.
Who Can Serve as a Witness
Any person competent to be a witness may witness your codicil. Florida does not disqualify interested witnesses, so a beneficiary named in your will or codicil can legally serve as one of the two required witnesses without invalidating the document.4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 732.504 – Who May Witness Using disinterested witnesses is still the smarter move. A beneficiary who also witnessed the codicil is an easy target for an undue-influence claim, even where the law technically allows it.
Adding a Self-Proving Affidavit
A self-proving affidavit is a sworn statement, signed by you and both witnesses before a notary public, confirming that the codicil was properly executed.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 732.503 – Self-Proof of Will Without it, your witnesses may need to be tracked down and called into court after your death to confirm that the signing happened the way the document says it did. With it, the probate court can accept the codicil without that step.
The affidavit can be attached at the time you sign the codicil or added later. Florida allows it to be completed through either physical presence or online notarization. The notary verifies everyone’s identity using a government-issued photo ID or personal knowledge, then signs and seals the affidavit. Florida caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission; Unlawful Use; Notary Fee; Seal; Duties Online notarization services typically charge their own platform fee on top of that.
How the Codicil Interacts With Your Existing Will
Under Florida law, executing a codicil that refers to your previous will “republishes” that will as modified by the codicil.7Florida House of Representatives. 2025 Statutes Chapter 0732 Part V Republication means the probate court treats your will as though it were re-executed on the date you signed the codicil, incorporating the changes. Practical upside: if your original will had a minor technical defect, a properly executed codicil can effectively cure it by republishing the will with the codicil’s valid execution date.
The flip side is that a poorly drafted codicil can create new problems for an otherwise clean will. If the codicil’s language contradicts the original without clearly revoking the conflicting provision, the court has to decide which document controls. The safest approach is to explicitly revoke each provision you are changing before stating the replacement language.
Storing the Signed Codicil
Store the signed codicil in the same location as your original will. If the will is in a fireproof safe, the codicil goes in there too. If the will is in a bank safe deposit box, add the codicil to that box. The point is that whoever handles your estate finds both documents together. A codicil sitting in a desk drawer while the will is filed at a bank creates a real risk that the original will gets probated without the modification you intended.
After you pass away, whoever has custody of the codicil is required by law to deposit it with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where your estate will be administered. The deadline is 10 days after learning of your death. A custodian who refuses or neglects to turn over the document can be compelled by court order and held liable for costs, damages, and attorney fees.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 732.901 – Production of Wills Let your personal representative and at least one trusted family member know where the will and codicil are stored.
Avoiding Grounds for a Later Challenge
A codicil can be contested on the same grounds as a will. The most frequent challenges fall into a few categories:
- Lack of testamentary capacity. The argument that you did not understand what you were signing because of dementia, medication, intoxication, or another condition affecting your judgment at the time of execution.
- Undue influence. A claim that someone pressured, manipulated, or coerced you into making the changes. This challenge is especially common when a codicil benefits a caregiver or someone who controlled access to the testator.
- Defective execution. The codicil was not signed properly, lacked two witnesses, or the witnesses were not present at the right moments. Because Florida enforces execution requirements strictly, even a small procedural slip can void the document.
- Fraud or forgery. Someone tricked you into signing the codicil by misrepresenting its contents, or the signature is not yours at all.
A self-proving affidavit does not make a codicil immune to challenge, but it eliminates the easiest line of attack by providing notarized proof that the signing ceremony followed the rules. Choosing disinterested witnesses and keeping a contemporaneous record of your capacity, such as a brief note from your physician, further narrows the grounds available to anyone who wants to contest the document.