What is a Letter of Instruction

woman writes in notebook

by our partners at Freewill

Your last will and testament is an essential legal document that contains a lot of information. It uses complex language to outline who should manage your affairs when you pass away, what should happen to your property, and who should look after your children.

What your will doesn’t contain are simple explanations about why you made certain decisions, details on where to find certain people or accounts, or messages to your loved ones.

To share this information, you need a letter of instruction.

A letter of instruction is a document in which you share your final wishes in plain terms. A letter of instruction isn’t legally binding, like your will. Instead, you use it to explain the choices you made in your will, share your funeral wishes, and offer final messages of comfort to the people who mean the most to you.

You can use a letter of instruction to:

  • Explain your final wishes. In your letter of instruction, you can explain the decisions made in your will, like why you left certain assets to certain people and why you chose a specific person to care for your minor children or pets. This can help clear confusion and prevent arguments between loved ones when you’re gone.
  • Leave a message for loved ones. A letter of instruction is a meaningful way to leave words of comfort or wisdom for your loved ones. This could be a final personal message to individual people, or a note to a charitable organization about what their mission means to you. If you have minor children, you can include information or advice you’d like to share with them when they’re older.
  • Provide important information. This could include contact information for an estate attorney or financial advisor, the location of important documents, and private details about personal or financial accounts.
  • Share your funeral wishes. Your letter of instruction can include directions for your funeral, including where you want it held, what flowers or music you want, and whether you want to be buried or cremated. If you don’t want a funeral or memorial service, you can share that in your letter.

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