Last updated: 20 August 2026
Terms of Use
1. About Willzee
Willzee NZ Limited (“Willzee”, “we”, “our”, “us”) provides an online platform that helps individuals document their testamentary wishes and related estate information. Willzee is not a law firm and to this end, does not provide direct personalised legal advice. Our service simplifies document preparation and supports our partnerships with accredited estate lawyers to finalise, verify, and administer Wills.
Willzee offers three service levels: Willzee Free, Willzee Smart Start, and Willzee Smart Managed. These are described in Willzee's Fees & Services.
2. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using the Willzee platform, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, you must not use our services.
3. Use of Services
You agree to use Willzee only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You are responsible for ensuring that the information you provide is accurate and complete. Willzee may suspend or restrict access if your use is unlawful or disruptive.
4. Legal Status of Documents
Documents created through Willzee record your testamentary intentions from the moment they are created. They are stored with version control and timestamps as evidence of those intentions.
A Will becomes legally valid under section 11 of the Wills Act 2007 once it is signed and witnessed in accordance with that Act. Willzee provides the tools and guidance to complete this step and strongly recommends you do so.
If you die before your Will is signed and witnessed, the High Court may declare the document valid under section 14 of the Wills Act 2007 where it is satisfied the document expresses your testamentary intentions. Validation under section 14 is at the Court's discretion and cannot be guaranteed.
Willzee's records, version control, and timestamps are designed to support an application under section 14 where a Will has not been signed and witnessed at the date of death. By using Willzee you acknowledge that validation under section 14 remains at the Court's discretion and cannot be guaranteed, and that completing the recommended signing steps gives your Will the strongest legal standing.
If you use Willzee Free, the responsibility for ensuring your Will is compliant and validly executed rests with you. If you are unsure, you should seek independent legal advice, or advice through Willzee and Willzee's legal partner via Willzee Smart Start.
5. Executors and Beneficiaries
Where you nominate executors, beneficiaries, or other individuals, you confirm that you have consent to provide their personal information. Willzee may contact those individuals only for purposes directly related to your Will and in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
6. Fees
Creating and updating your Foundation Will yourself through Willzee Free is free of charge.
Willzee Smart Start is an optional one-off paid service. Willzee Smart Managed is an optional annual subscription available to customers who have completed a Willzee Smart Start. The fees and inclusions for both are set out in Willzee's Fees & Services.
Where Willzee provides estate readiness, estate administration or related services, fees apply in accordance with Willzee's Fees & Services, which are published on the Willzee website and apply separately.
All fees are stated inclusive of GST unless expressly stated otherwise.
7. Changes to Services
Willzee may update its platform features, functionality, and these Terms of Use from time to time.
Changes to estate administration services or fees are governed by Willzee’s Fees & Services.
8. Limitation of Liability
To the extent permitted by law, Willzee is not liable for loss arising from use of the platform, except where caused by Willzee’s proven negligence or breach of contract.
Willzee provides tools and guidance to assist with the preparation and management of documents, but you remain responsible for reviewing, executing, and storing your Will in accordance with New Zealand law.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Willzee's total liability to you or your estate, arising from or in connection with the platform or services, will not exceed the total fees paid to Willzee for the relevant services.
9. Intellectual Property
All content, design, and software within Willzee are the property of Willzee NZ Ltd. You retain ownership of your Will and any personal content you provide.
10. Suspension or Termination
Willzee may suspend or terminate access to the platform where there is a breach of these Terms, misuse of the platform, or where Willzee elects to discontinue the platform or a specific service.
You may request termination of your account or deletion of your data at any time by contacting support@willzee.com
The effects of suspension, termination, or account deletion on documents created through Willzee are governed by Willzee’s Fees & Services.
11. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand.
Fees & Services
1. Purpose of These Fees & Services
This section explains the services Willzee provides and the fees that may apply if Willzee supports the administration of an estate. It also sets out the fees for the optional Willzee Smart Start service and Willzee Smart Managed subscription.
Willzee offers three service levels:
Willzee Free: a no-cost, do-it-yourself Will service.
Willzee Smart Start: a one-off paid service providing bespoke support and access to legal advice.
Willzee Smart Managed: an annual subscription available to customers who have completed a Willzee Smart Start.
These Fees & Services apply only where Willzee provides paid services or supports estate readiness, administration, or related services. They apply separately from your Foundation Will and Willzee's general Terms of Use.
2. Estate Readiness Services (During Your Lifetime)
Willzee provides ongoing services to help prepare your estate for efficient administration. These services may include:
Creation and maintenance of your Foundation Will and Schedules
Secure digital storage of Wills and Schedules
Version control and timestamping
Evidentiary record-keeping
Identity verification
Readiness support for probate and estate administration
These services are provided while your account remains active and form part of Willzee’s estate-readiness system.
Willzee Free
Willzee Free is a genuine no-cost option during your lifetime. There is no charge whatsoever to Willzee Free customers for the do-it-yourself drafting and updating of their Will, Schedules, or the compiled Will & Wishes package. Willzee will use best endeavours to keep this service free of charge during your lifetime, but this cannot be guaranteed indefinitely.
Willzee Free operates on a done now, paid later basis. The fees for the lifetime service, secure storage, and estate readiness provided at no charge during your lifetime are payable alongside estate administration, from the estate after death, in accordance with these Fees & Services. This includes the estate administration fee where Willzee is engaged, or the release fee where another provider administers the estate.
Willzee Free is a self-service product. The risk and onus of producing a compliant, validly executed Will rest with you. Willzee provides tools, guidance, and structure, but does not review your circumstances or provide advice under Willzee Free. If your situation is complex or you are unsure, you should seek independent legal advice, or advice through Willzee and Willzee's legal partner via Willzee Smart Start.
Willzee Smart Start
Willzee Smart Start is a one-off service. Fee: NZ$245, payable in advance.
Willzee Smart Start includes up to one hour of Willzee's service, covering review of your material, liaison with you, preparation of your file, and handover to Willzee's legal partner.
By purchasing Willzee Smart Start, you authorise Willzee to provide the information collected in your file to Willzee's legal partner for the purpose of legal review and advice.
The legal partner's review of your prepared file, including up to 15 minutes of reading of the prepared notes and the provision of an estimate to you, is included in the Willzee Smart Start fee. From that point, the legal partner operates a direct relationship with you. The legal partner will seek your approval before commencing any additional chargeable work. Additional legal work is billed by the legal partner directly to you at the discounted rate of NZ$287.50 per hour.
Where the legal partner prepares an updated or customised Will for you, including any annexure where required, they may, with your consent, provide that document to Willzee for storage and ongoing management on the platform.
Enduring Power of Attorney, Advance Care, and Contracting Out documents become available when requested as part of a Willzee Smart Start. These are reviewed and customised as necessary by the legal partner, billed at the hourly rate as required.
Where Willzee's own services are required beyond the one hour included in Willzee Smart Start, those services are charged at NZ$287.50 per hour and will be agreed with you before any chargeable work commences.
Willzee Smart Managed
Willzee Smart Managed is an annual subscription. Fee: NZ$245 per annum, payable in advance.
Eligibility. Only customers who have completed a Willzee Smart Start may subscribe to Willzee Smart Managed. The first subscription period is billable immediately upon completion of the Willzee Smart Start service.
Benefits. While your subscription is current, you receive:
Up to one hour of Willzee's service per subscription year, covering an annual review with Willzee to discuss changes in your life circumstances that may impact your Will and wishes, and related liaison.
Continued access to legal advice from Willzee's legal partner at the preferred rate of NZ$287.50 per hour, billed by the legal partner directly to you.
Access to Enduring Power of Attorney, Advance Care, and Contracting Out documents on demand, reviewed and customised as necessary by the legal partner at the hourly rate as required.
Eligibility for a 50% reduction on the Willzee estate administration fee, subject to the qualifying condition below.
Estate fee reduction. The 50% reduction on the estate administration fee applies only where, at the date of death, your Willzee Smart Managed subscription is current and you have been a Willzee Smart Managed subscriber for a continuous period of more than 12 months. Where either condition is not met, the standard estate administration fee applies.
Renewal and cancellation. Willzee Smart Managed renews automatically each year unless explicitly cancelled with at least 30 days' notice before the renewal date. If your subscription is cancelled or lapses, all subscription benefits end. To rejoin, you must first complete a new Willzee Smart Start service, and the 12-month qualifying period for the estate fee reduction restarts from the date your new subscription commences. Willzee may, at its sole discretion, reinstate a lapsed subscription, but is under no obligation to do so.
Additional Willzee services. Where Willzee's own services are required beyond the one hour included in Willzee Smart Managed, those services are charged at NZ$287.50 per hour and will be agreed with you before any chargeable work commences.
6. Estate Administration Options
You may indicate a preferred estate administration option in your Foundation Will. This reflects your intention as recorded in your Foundation Will, whether or not it has yet been signed.
From the point you complete your Foundation Will form, and until you record a different preference, it is a condition of using Willzee that Willzee is your preferred estate administration partner. This applies whether or not your Will has been signed and witnessed at the date of death.
The executor of your estate retains full legal authority and discretion to decide how the estate is administered at the time of death, including whether to engage Willzee or another provider.
7. Fees Where Willzee Supports Estate Administration
Where Willzee is engaged to support the administration of an estate, the fee payable (in today's terms) is the greater of NZ$5,800 or 1.0% of the estate value, capped at NZ$30,000.
Where the Will maker qualifies for the Willzee Smart Managed estate fee reduction at the date of death, the fee payable is the greater of NZ$2,900 or 0.5% of the estate value, capped at NZ$15,000.
This fee is payable from the estate before distribution to beneficiaries.
The estate administration fee comprises a Willzee service fee and a legal partner service fee. These components are itemised separately on invoices to the executor. The legal partner's component is billed by the legal partner directly, as required under New Zealand law.
For this purpose, estate value includes all assets requiring administration, regardless of how they pass, including by Will, survivorship, nomination, or intestacy.
8. Fees Apply Regardless of Execution Status
The fees in these Fees & Services apply where Willzee's records are used or relied upon in the administration of an estate, whether the Will was signed and witnessed, digitally signed only, or remained in draft at the date of death. This includes where Willzee's records are used to support an application under section 14 of the Wills Act 2007, or to inform the administration of an estate where no formally executed Will exists.
Where a Will has not been signed and witnessed, additional legal work is usually required to obtain a grant, including an application to the High Court under section 14. That work falls outside standard estate administration and is charged separately under the Scope of Estate Administration Services clause.
9. Fees Where Another Provider Administers the Estate
Where an estate is administered by another provider (whether nominated by the testator or appointed by the executor), a NZ$5,800 release fee is payable to Willzee.
This release fee reflects the platform, administration, and lifetime services provided by Willzee in connection with the preparation, maintenance, secure storage, version control, and readiness of estate documents.
The release fee applies to all customers regardless of service level or subscription status, and regardless of whether the Will was signed and witnessed at the date of death.
10. Transfer and Handover Costs (Additional)
Where the administration of an estate is transferred to another provider, additional administrative costs may be incurred to prepare, verify, package, and securely hand over estate administration materials.
These costs are separate from the Willzee release fee and reflect the administrative effort required to support an orderly and compliant transfer. Any such costs will be calculated based on the work required and charged at NZ$287.50 per hour, or as otherwise agreed with the executor.
Once transfer and handover are complete, Willzee has no further responsibility for the administration of the estate.
11. Scope of Estate Administration Services
Where Willzee supports estate administration, the standard administration fee covers routine and non-complex probate and estate administration steps reasonably required to obtain probate or letters of administration and to administer a straightforward estate.
This generally includes standard court filings, executor support, communication with the High Court, identification and collection of straightforward New Zealand–based assets, closure of financial accounts, and preparation of an administration summary.
Some matters are more complex and fall outside standard estate administration. These may include, for example, overseas assets or executors, disputes or contested estates, trust-related work, business or corporate assets, cross-border issues, insolvent estates, applications to validate a document under section 14 of the Wills Act 2007, or any matter requiring material legal analysis or bespoke legal drafting.
Where a matter is complex or falls outside standard estate administration, additional services may be required and will be charged separately, typically on an hourly basis, through Willzee or its legal partners. Any such work will be discussed with and approved by the executor before it is undertaken.
12. Additional Services and Legal Rates
Where additional estate administration or legal services are required and approved by the executor, these are provided by Willzee's legal partner and billed by the legal partner directly at NZ$287.50 per hour.
During your lifetime, legal advice at this rate is available through Willzee Smart Start and to Willzee Smart Managed subscribers. After death, the same rate applies to all estates supported by Willzee, regardless of the Will maker's service level.
Where Willzee's own additional services are required beyond the inclusions of Willzee Smart Start or Willzee Smart Managed, those services are charged at NZ$287.50 per hour and agreed before any chargeable work commences.
Willzee is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Legal services are provided and billed by the legal partner directly to the client, as required under New Zealand law.
13. Payment & Collection of Fees
Where Willzee is engaged to support the administration of an estate, applicable fees will be paid from the estate prior to distribution to beneficiaries.
Where Willzee is not administering the estate, including where another provider is appointed or where services relate to the preparation, maintenance, release, or transfer of estate documents, Willzee may issue invoices for applicable fees.
Invoices may be issued to the testator (during their lifetime), the executor, or another estate administration provider, depending on the nature of the services provided and who has requested or benefited from those services.
Willzee may require payment of invoiced fees before releasing documents, transferring materials, or completing requested services, to the extent permitted by law. All invoices are payable within a reasonable period specified on the invoice.
14. Fee Reviews and Changes to Fees & Services
Fees and hourly rates are reviewed annually as at 31 January and may be adjusted to reflect changes in the Consumers Price Index (All Groups, NZ) or such other factors as Willzee considers appropriate, including changes in the cost of legal services delivery. If the CPI is discontinued or materially altered, Willzee may adopt a comparable index or benchmark.
Willzee may also update these Fees & Services from time to time. Where changes would materially affect the fees or services applicable to an existing Will, Willzee will provide at least 30 days' notice before updated terms or pricing take effect.
Changes apply prospectively only and will not apply retrospectively unless required by law or expressly agreed. The latest version will always be available at https://www.willzee.com/legals#fees-services
15. Insolvent or Underfunded Estates
If an estate is insolvent or does not have sufficient liquid assets to meet administration costs, Willzee may:
Request information to assess solvency
Pause services until funding arrangements are confirmed
Decline to commence or continue services
Where estate funds are insufficient, the person instructing Willzee (including an executor) may become personally responsible for unrecoverable fees.
16. Tax
All fees in these Fees & Services are stated inclusive of New Zealand Goods and Services Tax (GST) at the prevailing rate.
17. Governing Law
These Fees & Services are governed by the laws of New Zealand.
Privacy Policy
1. Our Commitment
Willzee respects your privacy and protects your personal information in line with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and recognised international best practice.
2. What We Collect
We collect information that you provide when using Willzee — such as your name, contact details, nominated executor(s), beneficiaries, and the content of your Will or related schedules. We also collect limited technical data (e.g., device type, IP address) to improve security and performance.
3. How We Use Your Information
To create and store your Will and related documents
To communicate with you about your account or services
To verify identity where required
To notify executors, beneficiaries, or witnesses when you have authorised us to do so
To improve our services and comply with legal obligations.
4. Storage and Security
We store your information using secure, trusted cloud service providers that meet recognised international security standards and comply with New Zealand privacy law. Depending on the services used, data may be processed or stored in different regions.
All data is encrypted when it is sent and when it is stored, and access is restricted to authorised systems and people only.
We regularly review and update our security measures to ensure your information remains protected as our service evolves.
5. Sharing Your Information
We only share your information where it is necessary to provide the services you have requested. This may include sharing with:
Our accredited legal partners, who assist with carrying out your wishes and administering your estate
Our legal partner, where you have purchased a Willzee Smart Start and authorised Willzee to provide the information collected in your file to them for legal review and advice
Technology providers who host or support our platform, under strict confidentiality and security obligations
Executors, beneficiaries, or other parties you choose to nominate for sharing or verification purpose
We never sell personal information
We may use de-identified, aggregated data that cannot reasonably be traced back to you, for purposes of improving our service, supporting public education, or share general insights about estate planning trends.
6. Retention and Deletion
We retain your personal information for as long as your account or estate record remains active, or for as long as required to meet legal or regulatory obligations.
You may request deletion of your information where it is no longer required, subject to any legal retention requirements.
7. Your Rights
You may request access to or correction of your personal information at any time by contacting privacy@willzee.com
8. Data Breach Notification
In the unlikely event of a breach, we will notify affected users and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required by law.
9. Updates
This policy may be updated from time to time. The latest version will always be available at https://www.willzee.com/legals#privacy
10. Governing Law
This Policy is governed by the laws of New Zealand.
Copyright & Intellectual Property Notice
All content, software, text, graphics, documents and materials within Willzee are copyright © to Willzee NZ (Company No. 9384480). You may use Willzee content only for personal, non-commercial purposes related to creating and managing your own Will. No part of the site or materials may be reproduced, adapted, or distributed without written permission.
User Documents
You retain ownership of your personal Will and any other documents created using our platform. By uploading or submitting information to Willzee, you grant us a licence to securely store, process, and transmit it solely for the purpose of providing our services.
Trademarks
“Willzee” and associated marks are trademarks of Willzee NZ Limited (Company No. 9384480). All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.
