How can we help with wills and estates?
- Drafting and updating wills
- Powers of attorney for property and for personal care
- Advice to estate trustees (executors) and estate administration
- Applications for a certificate of appointment (probate)
- Will challenges and estate disputes
- Long-term advice to estate trustees and beneficiaries
Does getting married cancel my will in Ontario?
Not any more. For marriages on or after January 1, 2022, marriage no longer revokes an existing will in Ontario. Since the same date, a separated spouse — in defined circumstances — is treated as if they had died before you, as a divorced spouse would be. Life changes such as marriage, separation or a new child are still the right moment to review your will.
Source: Succession Law Reform Act, as amended by the Accelerating Access to Justice Act, 2021. Verified October 2026.
What is probate, and is there a tax?
Probate is the court process that confirms an estate trustee’s authority to deal with the deceased’s assets. Ontario charges an estate administration tax on the value of the estate: nothing on the first $50,000, and $15 for every $1,000 (or part) above that. Some assets — such as jointly held property and accounts with named beneficiaries — usually pass outside the estate.
What happens if someone dies without a will?
Their estate is distributed under the intestacy rules in Part II of the Succession Law Reform Act, which set out a fixed order — spouse, children, then other relatives. Common-law partners do not inherit under these rules, and someone usually has to apply to the court to be appointed to administer the estate.
Last reviewed: October 3, 2026General information about Ontario law — not legal advice for your situation.