End-of-life planning checklist

Updated 2026-10-16 · Expert review in progress

The short answer

An end-of-life planning checklist has five parts. Sign the core documents (a will, durable financial and medical powers of attorney, a health care directive), name people and backups for each role, write down your wishes, gather your important papers in one place, and talk with your doctor and the people you named. Review it every year.

An end of life planning checklist sounds like a heavy thing to make. In practice, it's a list of small jobs, most of which take an afternoon or less. Once they're done, you get to stop carrying them around in your head.

This post puts everything in one place: the documents, the people, the wishes, the papers and the conversations. It's part of our guide to what happens if you can't speak for yourself. Washington State is the worked example where state law matters.

What's on an end-of-life planning checklist?

The National Institute on Aging's version boils down to a handful of steps: plan your estate and finances, and plan your future health care. Put your important papers in one place and tell someone you trust where they are. Talk with your doctor and loved ones, and review it all regularly (NIA).

We've arranged those into five parts below. You don't have to do them in order, and you don't have to do them all this month.

Part 1: The legal documents

These are the papers that give people authority and tell the law what you want. Each one has signing rules set by your state.

Document	What it does	Washington rule to know
Will	Says who inherits and names your executor	Two witnesses (RCW 11.12.020)
Revocable living trust (optional)	Holds assets so a trustee can manage them, often without probate	Must say expressly that it's revocable (RCW 11.103.030)
Durable financial power of attorney	Names someone to handle money if you can't	Notary or two qualified witnesses; must contain durability wording (RCW 11.125.040)
Medical power of attorney	Names someone to make health care decisions if you can't	Same rules as above
Health care directive (living will)	Records your wishes about life-sustaining treatment	Notary or two qualified witnesses (RCW 70.122.030)
POLST (only if seriously ill)	A medical order signed with your clinician	Completed with your doctor, PA or nurse practitioner

The durability wording matters more than it looks. In Washington, a power of attorney ends when you become incapacitated unless it says it should keep working (RCW 11.125.040).

Other states have different rules for each document. Our guide to estate planning documents explains each one in more depth, and POLST vs advance directive explains who needs a POLST.

Part 2: The people

Documents only work if the right people are named in them, and if those people know. There are four roles to fill:

Medical power of attorney: decides about your health care if you can't.
Financial power of attorney: pays bills and manages money while you're alive.
Executor: settles your estate after death.
Trustee: manages any trust, during incapacity and after.

For each role, name a first choice and a backup. A backup matters because people move, get sick or simply can't be reached. Our guide to the four roles helps you choose who fills each.

It's worth knowing what happens if you leave the medical role empty. Washington law gives doctors a list that runs from a guardian through spouse, adult children, parents and siblings. A close friend comes last, and only by sworn declaration (RCW 7.70.065). Naming someone puts your choice second, right after a guardian.

Part 3: Your wishes

Legal forms give authority. Your wishes tell the people holding it what to do. Write these down in plain words:

Treatment. What matters most if you're seriously ill, and what you'd find unacceptable. Our post on end-of-life wishes shows how to write this so doctors can act on it.
Where you'd want to be. Home, a hospital, a hospice, near a particular person.
Organ and tissue donation. The NIA notes you can register when you renew your driver's license or state ID, or online (NIA).
Funeral and remains. Burial or cremation, a service or none. In Washington, a written document stating your wishes, signed in front of a witness, is enough legal authorization (RCW 68.50.160).
Pets. Who takes each animal, their routines and the vet's number.
Belongings with stories. The quilt, the recipe box, the good silver, and who should have each.

Our post on hospice and your wishes covers how these travel with you if hospice is ever part of the picture.

Part 4: Papers in one place

The NIA suggests a file, a drawer or a notebook listing where papers are kept. If originals are in a safe deposit box, keep copies at home (NIA). Its list covers three groups, summarized here.

Group	What to gather
Personal	Legal name, date and place of birth, Social Security information, birth, marriage and divorce certificates, military records, and contacts for friends, doctors, lawyers and advisors
Financial	Income sources, retirement accounts, bank and investment accounts, insurance details, your latest tax return, the deed, the car title, debts and when they're due, the safe deposit box and key
Health	Current prescriptions, your living will, your medical power of attorney, any DNR or POLST, and health insurance information

Keep passwords out of the binder itself. Note where they're kept instead, and see our post on digital estate planning.

Part 5: The conversations

This is the part most lists leave for last, and it's the one that makes the rest work. The NIA calls talking with loved ones the most important part of advance care planning (NIA).

Your doctor. The NIA says Medicare covers advance care planning as part of your annual wellness visit. Bring your questions and, if you like, your health care agent.
The people you named. Tell each one what role they hold, where the documents are, and what you'd want.
Permission in advance. The NIA suggests letting your doctor or lawyer talk with the person helping you; you may need to sign a form.
Where it all is. Tell someone you trust, or a lawyer, where to find your papers. The NIA notes you don't need to discuss your personal affairs, just the location.

The whole checklist on one page

Done?	Item
	Will signed and witnessed
	Living trust, if it suits you, with assets moved into it
	Durable financial power of attorney, with a backup
	Medical power of attorney, with a backup
	Health care directive
	POLST, if you're seriously ill
	People told which role they hold
	Treatment wishes written in plain words
	Organ donation decision recorded
	Funeral wishes written and signed before a witness
	Pet plan, with a named person for each animal
	Papers gathered in one place, copies at home
	Wallet card and phone emergency information set up
	Advance care planning talk with your doctor
	Yearly review on the calendar

The NIA suggests reviewing your plans at least once a year, and after a divorce, a move or a major change in health (NIA).

Who carries it out

A checklist gets the plan written. Someone still has to act on it, sometimes at 2 a.m., sometimes for years. That's why the people in Part 2 matter most.

If the people you'd name live far away, you can name a professional fiduciary. That means someone legally required to act in your interest and follow what you wrote. A Kinly membership includes the four documents, a care plan kept on file, and a trust company that can serve in any role. How it works has the detail.

Common questions

What should be on an end-of-life planning checklist?

Start with the core legal documents: a will, durable financial and medical powers of attorney, and a health care directive. Then name people and backups for each role and write down your wishes. Gather your papers in one place, and talk with your doctor and the people you named.

What documents do I need for end-of-life planning?

Most people need a will, a durable financial power of attorney, a medical power of attorney and a health care directive. Some also use a revocable living trust. A POLST is added only for people who are seriously ill, with their clinician.

Do I need a lawyer for end-of-life planning?

Not for every part. The NIA says you don't need a lawyer to create advance directives, and most states provide the forms for free. A lawyer can help with a will, a trust or a power of attorney, especially if your situation is complicated.

How often should I update my end-of-life plan?

At least once a year, according to the NIA. Review it again after a divorce, a move or a big change in your health. Give updated copies to the people you named.

Where should I keep my end-of-life documents?

Together, somewhere the people you named can reach quickly. If originals are in a safe deposit box, keep copies at home. Give copies of medical documents to your doctor and your health care agent.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws vary by state.

Keep reading

Incapacity and careEnd-of-life wishes: how to write them so they're followedHow to write end of life wishes that doctors can act on: the right documents, clear words instead of vague ones, a named agent, and copies where they count.Incapacity and careHospice and your wishes: who speaks for you at the endHow the Medicare hospice benefit works and who makes decisions in hospice if the patient can't speak: your agent, your written wishes, and state law.Incapacity and careIf you can't speak for yourself: incapacity, explainedWhat happens if you become incapacitated without a power of attorney, who decides for you, and how guardianship, care plans and wishes fit together.