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How often should I update my will?

Review it after any birth, death, marriage, divorce, property purchase or move between provinces — and otherwise every three to five years.

This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.

Review it after any birth, death, marriage, divorce, property purchase or move between provinces — and otherwise every three to five years.

The Canadian position

Provincial rules on revocation by marriage have changed recently and not uniformly, so older wills need checking.

Faraid shares change as the family changes.

The Islamic position

The fixed shares apply to the net estate after funeral expenses, debts and any bequest capped at one third.

Where a Canadian mechanism has no classical counterpart, treat it as a contemporary question for a scholar rather than assuming an answer.

Across the madhahib

The four Sunni schools are not recorded as differing materially on this point in the sources reviewed. Where your own case turns on it, put it to a scholar of your school.

Note

This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.

Citations & sources

Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the references below. Legislation and dollar thresholds change — verify against the primary source before relying on any figure.

Scholarly & institutional references
  1. Research Papers — Cambridge Muslim College
  2. Research — Cambridge Muslim College
  3. Academics — Islamic law and theology curriculum — Zaytuna College
  4. Encyclopaedia of Islam — Brill
Canadian legislation & government
  1. Succession Law Reform Act, RSO 1990, c S.26 — Government of Ontario
  2. Administering estates — Government of Ontario
Canadian legal commentary
  1. How many executors should you name ontario will — Treadstone Law
  2. Cra revoke charity status late t3010 filing — Treadstone Law
  3. Updating powers of attorney alongside will ontario — Treadstone Law
  4. Rectifying a will drafting error ontario — Treadstone Law
  5. Leaving money for pet care ontario will — Treadstone Law
  6. Discontinuing a will challenge ontario — Treadstone Law
  7. Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law