Planning Ahead
Record your wishes and key information so your family knows what you want.
Not a legal document
Never store passwords or PINs
Make it easier for the people you leave behind
Most of the difficulty after a death is searching — for the Will, the account, the policy, the contract, the person who knows. An hour spent now recording what exists and where it is kept can save your family weeks of letters, phone calls and delay, and sometimes money as well.
Nothing here is a legal document, and you can do it over time. Wills, powers of attorney and advance care documents are state and territory law, so where it matters ELUMMA says so and points you to the official source.
What Planning Ahead covers
- Will & executorA valid Will, who your executor is, and where the original is kept.
- Powers of attorney & decision-makingWho can decide for you if you cannot — state and territory law.
- Super & beneficiariesNominations, fund details, and why super may not simply follow your Will.
- Insurance & benefitsLife cover, and employer, union or member benefits.
- Important documentsID, certificates, property, vehicle, bank, shares, super, insurance, tax, contracts.
- Accounts & digital lifeBills, direct debits, subscriptions, phone, email and online accounts.
- Funeral & personal wishesPreferences, people to contact, and cultural or religious wishes.
- Pets & dependantsWho would care for them, and how that care would be funded.
- Property & retirement villageOwnership, mortgage, strata, and village contract and exit terms.
- What my family needs to knowKey contacts, advisers, and where everything is kept.
For each item, mark whether it exists, note where it is stored, and record when you last checked it. This is the list your family or executor reaches for first — you are recording locations, not contents.
Do not enter passwords, PINs, one-time codes, full card numbers or security answers. Record only where those things are kept.
Wills, powers of attorney and advance care documents are state and territory law — the names and rules differ where you live. Recording where they are kept does not create or change a legal document.
The original matters — a copy is often not enough for a bank, a land titles office or a court.
Who can make financial and personal decisions for you if you cannot. This stops having effect when you die — the executor takes over then.
Your advance care directive or plan, and who you want involved in decisions about your care.
Never enter passwords, PINs, one-time codes, full card numbers or security answers. Record where secure access is kept, not what it is.
The last twelve months of bank and card statements show every recurring charge, including the small ones.
Record how access would work, never the credentials themselves. A password manager with an emergency-access or legacy-contact feature, or a sealed written list held by your solicitor, are the common arrangements.
Review summary
0 of 26 recorded · 0 marked needs attention · 0 marked not applicable · 26 not recorded yet.
Your pack is included when you print or save your plan, so you can hand a clean copy to your family or executor.
Your Planning Ahead information is saved on this device. Create a free account to save it to your ELUMMA account and access it when you sign in.
Planning Ahead Progress
A record of what you have written down so far, across the ten areas Planning Ahead covers. It is a checklist, not a mark — there is no score, and no area has to be finished.
0 done · 0 need attention · 0 not applicable · 10 not yet recorded.
You can complete this over time — there is no rush, and your plan is useful at any stage.
- Will & executorA valid Will, who your executor is, and where the original is kept — state and territory law.Not yet recorded
- Powers of attorney & advance careWho can decide for you if you cannot, and where those documents are kept — state and territory law.Not yet recorded
- Super & beneficiariesFunds, the beneficiary nomination, and why super may not simply follow your Will.Not yet recorded
- Insurance & benefitsLife cover, cover inside super, and employer, union or member benefits.Not yet recorded
- Important documentsIdentity, certificates, tax records, and share or investment paperwork — where each one is kept.Not yet recorded
- Accounts, direct debits & digital lifeBills, recurring charges, phone, email and online accounts — and where secure access is kept.Not yet recorded
- Funeral & personal wishesPreferences, cultural or religious wishes, prepaid arrangements and messages.Not yet recorded
- Pets & dependantsWho would care for them, and how that care would be funded.Not yet recorded
- Property & retirement villageOwnership, mortgage, strata, vehicles, and the village contract and exit terms.Not yet recorded
- Family & executor informationKey contacts, advisers, keys, and where everything is kept.Not yet recorded
Worth reviewing, not just writing once
Circumstances change, and so does the law. Come back to this after a marriage, a separation or divorce, a death in the family, a new child or dependant, moving house, retiring, or a significant change in your health or finances — and at least once a year. Each item in the pack has a last checked date, so you can see what has gone stale.
Your saved plan
Your plan is saved to your account and this device. Print or save a clean copy showing only the sections you’ve filled in — sections marked ‘not applicable’ are left out.
Planning Ahead helps you gather your wishes and key information. It does not create legal documents and is not a substitute for a valid Will, an advance care directive, or professional advice where required.
Free official planning tools
Direct links to free, official advance care planning forms and support. State and territory documents differ — use the official finder for your location.
Find your advance care planning forms
FREE FORMChoose your state or territory to find the recognised forms and instructions.
Source: Advance Care Planning Australia
Find my formsFree advance care planning starter pack
FREE TOOLFree starter pack and support to help you begin advance care planning.
Source: Advance Care Planning Australia
Get the starter packFree help to plan ahead
Record your wishes, then connect with free national services for advance care planning, Will information and carer support. Free options appear first.
ELUMMA puts useful free and low-cost help first. Paid partnerships do not determine this order.
Carer Gateway
FREEFree Australian Government support for unpaid carers, including counselling, planned and emergency respite, skills courses and tailored support packages.
Eligibility: For people providing unpaid care to a family member or friend with disability, a medical condition, mental illness, or who is frail aged. Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm; emergency respite is available at any time.
Advance Care Planning Australia
FREEFree national advisory line for advance care planning — making your future medical and care wishes known. Can talk through the process and post a free starter pack.
Eligibility: Available to anyone. Mon–Fri, 8am–4pm (AEST). Note: the advisory line is free, but registering or storing an advance care directive may involve a fee in some states and territories — check your local process.
Community Legal Centres Australia
FREEFind a local community legal centre. Most provide free legal advice and some casework, especially for people who cannot afford a private lawyer. Services vary by centre.
Eligibility: Eligibility and services vary by centre. Use the national finder to locate your nearest centre and check what they offer.
ASIC's MoneySmart — Wills & powers of attorney
FREEFree, plain-English government information about making a Will, what makes it valid, and powers of attorney. Information only — it is not a Will-drafting service and does not replace legal advice.
Eligibility: Available to everyone.
National Legal Aid
FREE IF ELIGIBLEFree legal information, and — subject to a means test — legal advice and representation. Start with your state or territory Legal Aid commission, which can direct you to the right help for Wills, estates and disputes.
Eligibility: Legal aid advice and representation depend on your legal matter, financial circumstances and state/territory. General legal information is free; ongoing help is means-tested.
Private solicitor (paid professional help)
FEE APPLIESFor complex Wills, estates, disputes, blended families, trusts, businesses, overseas assets or capacity concerns, a private solicitor provides tailored legal advice and document drafting. Free preliminary legal information does not include drafting a Will — drafting is a paid service.
Eligibility: Anyone; fees apply. Ask for an upfront, written estimate before proceeding. Use your state or territory Law Society to find a solicitor.
Free online Wills
Planning ahead usually includes a Will. These verified free and lower-cost options let you make one yourself — genuinely free options appear first, and payment never changes this order.
Online or DIY Wills suit straightforward circumstances. If your situation is complex — blended families, a business or trust, overseas assets, or someone who may lack capacity — a DIY Will may not be appropriate and legal advice may be worth getting. An online Will tool is self-help, not legal advice.
EveryWill — Free Online Will
FREECan help with: Online Will-writing service for Australians. Create a Will online, then print, sign and witness it. EveryWill states its online Wills are free and include unlimited free updates for life.
This link opens another website — you'll be leaving ELUMMA.
Prefer to ask in your own words?
Not sure what to record, who to tell, or how super, property or family arrangements affect your plan? Describe it in your own words and Ask ELUMMA will help you work out the next step.
Ask ELUMMA about planning ahead for your familyConsidering aged care or retirement living?
Plain-English guidance on aged-care assessments, fees, the family home and retirement villages.