Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 633.276 (2026)

Separate identification of bequest

✓ current as of July 2026
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A will may refer to a written statement, letter, or list to dispose of items of tangible personal property not otherwise specifically disposed of by the will, except tangible personal property used in trade or business. Tangible personal property, for purposes of this section, includes household goods, furnishings, furniture, personal effects, clothing, jewelry, books, works of art, ornaments, and automobiles. If the writing is dated and is either in the handwriting of the testator or is signed by testator, and if it describes the items and distributees with reasonable certainty, the personal representative shall distribute the described items of tangible personal

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Tue Dec 09 21:59:21 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 633 (154, 4) §633.276, PROBATE CODE 62\n\nproperty to the distributees entitled to them. The writing may be referred to as one to be in existence at the time of the testator’s death. The writing may be prepared before or after the execution of the will. The writing may be altered, added to, or changed in any respect by the testator after its preparation, and it may be a writing which has no significance apart from its effect upon the dispositions made by the will. Property passing by the writing shall be considered as property passing as a specific bequest under will. [81 Acts, ch 195, §2] Referred to in §450.4

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1997–2026 · leading case: In the Matter of the Est. of Dorothy L. Bastian (Iowa Ct. App. 2026).
In the Matter of the Est. of Dorothy L. Bastian (Iowa Ct. App. 2026). · cites it 40× “” Iowa Code § 633.276 . It then defines “tangible personal property” as including “household goods, furnishings, furniture, personal effects, clothing, jewelry, books, works of art, ornaments, and automobiles.”
Smith v. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co., 566 N.W.2d 863 (Iowa 1997). · cites it 26× “The issue in this appeal is whether the district court erred in determining that Iowa Code section 633.276 (1995) precludes the bequest of a bank savings account by means of incorporating extrinsic documents into a will.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.