What Can You Include in a Will? 10 Options Most Online Wills Skip

Most people picture a Will as a short list: who’s in charge, and who gets what. That’s the foundation — but it’s only the start of what a Will can actually do. Many of the wishes people care about most — “hold my kids’ share until they’re older,” “let my partner stay in the house,” “make sure my dog is looked after” — are perfectly possible to put in writing. They’re just options that cheap templates and most online Wills quietly leave out.

Will Hero was built to close that gap: a simple Will when that’s all you need, and the more advanced options when life is a little more complicated — without the lawyer’s price tag. Here are 10 things you can include in your Will that most online Wills skip.

1. Hold a child’s inheritance until they’re older

Yes — you can direct that a child’s gift is held in trust until an age you choose, such as 21, 25 or 30, instead of the default age of 18.

Across Australia, a beneficiary is normally entitled to their gift outright once they turn 18. For a large sum — the proceeds of a house or a life-insurance payout — many parents would rather their child be older and steadier first. Will Hero lets you add a hold-in-trust condition to any gift, and your executor holds the funds as trustee until the beneficiary reaches the age you set.

Will Hero gives you two ways to do this, and the difference matters:

• Hold until a certain age — nothing is paid out until the beneficiary reaches the age you choose, then they receive the whole gift in one go. Best when the child is already provided for and you simply want them older before a lump sum lands.
• Hold and benefit until a certain age — the trustee can use the funds for the beneficiary’s benefit in the meantime (school fees, health, day-to-day living costs), and the beneficiary receives whatever remains at the chosen age. Best for younger children who may need support before they get there.

It’s the kind of control most people assume needs a solicitor.

See exactly how each hold-in-trust option works →

2. Give a partner the right to live in your home for life

Yes — you can let someone live in your home for the rest of their life before it passes to the beneficiaries you choose.

This is called a life interest (or “life use”). It’s especially common in blended families: you might let your current partner stay in the family home for their lifetime, with the home ultimately passing to your children. It balances looking after the person you live with now against providing for the next generation — and Will Hero includes it as a built-in option rather than something you’d normally pay a lawyer to draft.

3. Appoint a guardian for your pets

Yes — you can name someone to care for your pets, and leave them money to help cover the costs.

Pets can’t legally inherit, so the way it works is simple: you appoint a pet guardian and, if you wish, leave that person a gift toward food, vet bills and care. It’s one of the most-loved features in a Will and one most online platforms don’t offer at all.

5 things to consider when choosing a pet guardian →

4. Explicitly exclude someone

Yes — you can include a clause that clearly excludes a specific person from your Will.

Being explicit is far safer than simply leaving someone out and hoping it’s understood. A clear exclusion clause — ideally with your reasons recorded — puts your estate in a stronger position. One honest caveat: in Australia, excluding someone doesn’t automatically remove their right to make a family provision claim, but a deliberate, well-documented exclusion is exactly what helps if that ever happens.

How to exclude someone from your Will (the right way) →

5. Put conditions on a gift

Yes — you can attach conditions to a gift, based on age, education, behaviour or a relationship.

Rather than handing everything over unconditionally, you can shape when and how a gift lands — for example releasing a grandchild’s gift when they finish study. Will Hero gives you a set of built-in conditions you can add to a beneficiary in a few taps, so you get lawyer-style control without lawyer-style fees.

Explore the full provisions library →

6. Add unlimited backup beneficiaries

Yes — you can add layer after layer of backups, so if your first choice can’t inherit, your second takes over, then your third.

Life rarely goes exactly to plan, and “what if they die before me?” is one of the most important questions a good Will answers. Where many DIY Wills stop at a single name, Will Hero lets you stack unlimited contingency layers, so there’s always a clear next-in-line.

Why you need backup beneficiaries →

What if my direct family has passed away before me? That’s exactly what a contingency layer is for — a final safety net. A contingency layer only takes effect once everyone in the layer above it — your chosen beneficiary and all of their backups — has passed away before you. For example, a gift might go to your children first, then their children, and finally to your siblings or a charity if that entire branch is gone. It means your estate always has somewhere to go, rather than falling into intestacy, where the law decides who inherits for you.

7. Discourage challenges with a no-contest clause

Yes — you can add a no-contest clause stating that anyone who challenges your Will forfeits their inheritance.

It’s a deterrent against opportunistic challenges. Here’s the honest limit, though: in Australia a no-contest clause can’t override someone’s legal right to make a family provision claim — a court can still hear an eligible person’s claim regardless. So treat it as a discouragement, not a lock. Used well, alongside a clear plan, it can make challenging your wishes far less attractive.

8. Forgive a debt someone owes you

Yes — you can forgive a loan or debt owed to you, so a beneficiary starts with a clean slate.

If you’ve lent money to a child or a friend, you can wipe that debt in your Will rather than leaving your executor to chase it — or, worse, leaving your family to argue about whether it should be deducted from that person’s share. It’s a small clause that can prevent a lot of awkwardness.

9. Leave instructions to sell specific assets

Yes — you can direct your executor to sell specific assets and distribute the proceeds.

Sometimes the fairest outcome is cash, not the thing itself. Clear instructions to sell — a property, a car, a parcel of shares — and split the proceeds prevent disputes over who keeps what, and save your executor from having to guess your intentions.

10. See and test your whole Will before you sign

This is the big one — with Will Hero you can see your Will as a visual diagram, test “what if” scenarios, and get a free AI review before you pay.

Most online Wills are a wall of text you have to take on faith. Will Hero instead shows your estate as a clear visual map, lets you test scenarios — like what happens if a beneficiary passes away before you — and runs a free AI review plus a plain-English summary, so you understand exactly what your Will does before you sign. It’s the difference between hoping you got it right and seeing that you did.

An honest word on the limits

Will Hero is built for simple and moderately complex Wills, and the ten options above are all included — no per-clause fees. But some things genuinely still need a lawyer, and it’s only fair to say so: full testamentary trusts, business succession plans, and bespoke custom clauses written from scratch are outside Will Hero’s scope. If your estate is large or complicated, get personalised legal advice. For the wishes most families actually have, though, you can set every one of these up yourself.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

More than just a simple Will

A Will can hold far more of your real wishes than the bare “who’s in charge and who gets what.” Holding a gift until your kids are older, keeping a roof over your partner’s head, looking after your pets, being clear about who’s left out — these are the things that make a Will yours, and they’re the kind of control most people assume takes a solicitor. With Will Hero, each one is a few taps on your visual Will.