New York Electronic Wills

Status: Enacted, not yet effective.

Enactment

On December 12, 2025, Governor Hochul signed the New York Electronic Wills Act (S.7416-A / A.7856-A), enacted as Chapter 637 of the Laws of 2025.

On February 13, 2026, Governor Hochul signed amendments to the New York electronic wills law (S.8887/ A.9497), enacted as Chapter 89 of the Laws of 2026.

Effective Date: December 12, 2027

As originally enacted, the Act was to take effect on the five hundred forty-fifth day after it became law, which was June 10, 2027.

2026 N.Y. Laws, ch. 89 amended the effective clause to provide that the Act takes effect two years after it became law. Because the Act became law on December 12, 2025, it takes effect on December 12, 2027.

What This Hub Is For

This page is the hub for a series that breaks down New York’s electronic wills law piece by piece. It is under construction and subject to change, with links and additional detail forthcoming.

This series is meant to do three things:

1. Record the procedural history and enactment details (including the chapter amendment context).
2. Quote and explain the Legislature’s stated purpose.
3. Walk slowly through the statute’s provisions, noting criticisms where they are visible (including criticism from the New York City Bar).

Purpose (Legislative Intent)

The sponsor memo describes the bill’s purpose as permitting the electronic execution of wills, with the stated goal of modernizing estate planning and improving accessibility.

A dedicated (forthcoming) post in this series will quote and discuss the bill’s legislative intent language and justification.

Related

• For a multi-state enactment-status list, see: States That Have Enacted Electronic Wills.

Sources

1. New York State Senate, S.7416-A, 2025–2026 Leg., Reg. Sess. (N.Y.) (bill page & actions).
2. New York State Assembly, S.7416-A, 2025–2026 Leg., Reg. Sess. (N.Y.) (bill summary, actions, and text).
3. New York City Bar Association, Governor Hochul Signs Electronic Wills Act (Dec. 16, 2025).
4. Nicholas G. Moneta, New York Electronic Wills Act Enacted, Not Yet Effective, Rivkin Radler LLP, Jan. 26, 2026.