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Cheap and free wills
Low-cost ways to write your will
Die without having made a will and you could be leaving behind significant financial problems for your loved ones. Yet worryingly, we've found that more than half of adults don't have a will, or have one that's out of date. Fortunately, there are low-cost will-writing options out there. Read our full guide to find out exactly what's available.
With thanks to Emily Deane from STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) for checking this guide.
Important. The will-writing products listed in this guide are mainly for people with straightforward affairs. If you have more complicated circumstances – such as having a second family or owning property abroad – make sure you see a solicitor face to face (or via video) about how best to draft your will.
Do you need a will?
Making a will is one of those things that many people put off. In fact, 55% of those who voted in our latest wills poll either don't have one or do but it's out of date.
That's a concerning figure, given that more than £5 trillion is expected to pass between generations over the next 30 years. But where there's a will in place, it can be an important way to protect your family and loved ones: saving on inheritance tax, and hopefully heading off family disputes about how your possessions should be divided.
That's because a will is a legally binding document which tells everyone what should happen to your money, possessions and property – collectively called your 'estate' – after you die.
Crucially, no will = no say over what happens to your money and property when you die.
As well as naming your 'beneficiaries' (the people who benefit from your will), a will appoints 'executors' – the people who look after the financial process after your death (who 'execute' your will).
Importantly, if you don't leave a will, your estate is shared out in a standard way defined by law (the 'law of intestacy') – which might not be in line with what you would have wanted.
Reasons for writing a will
There are many reasons for writing a will, including:
- You have dependent children. As well as financially providing for children after your death, if they're under 18 you should consider who'd look after them by nominating a legal guardian or guardians in your will. If you die without a will, and there's no other person with parental responsibility, the courts will decide who takes care of your children. This may not chime with your wishes, so it's essential to record them in a will.
- You aren't married to your partner. If you aren't married or in a civil partnership, then don't expect anything to go to your partner if you don't make a will. At worst, this might mean them not being able to stay in the home you shared. Where your partner is financially dependent on you, they might have to go through the legal system to secure financial provision from your estate if you don't have a will in place at the time your death. See cohabiting and wills.
- You're worried about inheritance tax. If your estate is worth more than £325,000, it could be hit with an inheritance tax (IHT) bill when you die. A will can help you avoid IHT, for example, by leaving everything above the £325,000 threshold to your spouse (there is no IHT on money and assets left to a spouse).
- Your personal circumstances change. Write or update your will when you marry, divorce or have kids to ensure the right people stand to benefit. Note that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not Scotland) an existing will is automatically cancelled – 'revoked' – when you get married.
- You have specific funeral wishes. If you know what you want your funeral to be like, you can leave instructions so that your family doesn't have to make the decisions.
- You own property with someone else or overseas. If you own your home on a 'joint tenants' basis, when you die your ownership automatically passes to the other owner under 'survivorship' rules. But if you own your property on a 'tenants in common' basis, the intestacy rules will apply unless you have a will. If you own property overseas, inheritance laws may be different from the UK's – so bear that in mind when writing a will and seek advice from a solicitor where in doubt.
- Somebody named in your will as a beneficiary has died. Where you've already got a will in place but a beneficiary to your estate – particularly one of the primary beneficiaries – has died, you should consider updating your will (unless your will already specifies what should happen in this event). Updating your will means you can state who you'd like to inherit instead, otherwise the gift might be redistributed to somebody you don't wish to benefit.
Be careful: Not all wills are regulated
Here we want to start with a serious warning: unlike many areas of financial services, will-writing is not a regulated market.
This means not only are there a number of different ways to get a will, but the protections you have if something goes wrong vary hugely depending on who writes it.
For example, while the will-writing sector is unregulated, solicitors are regulated professionals, meaning if you use a solicitor to write your will you are covered by a range of potentially valuable protections. But with other, non-solicitor, will-writing services, you don't have the same safeguards, while with a DIY will you're essentially on your own.
As there are hundreds of firms and services that can help write your will, the choice can feel overwhelming. But we want to stress:
Think carefully about how you plan to write your will. Not only do protections vary hugely, but problems may not come to light until after your death (which could be years later)
In this guide we go through the different options available to you: solicitor wills, will-writing services and the DIY route...
WARNING! Whether you get your will from a solicitor or a will-writing service, don't assume you also have to appoint them as executors (the people who'll sort out your finances after your death). While some people do choose banks or solicitors, they often charge hefty fees – it can be £1,000s or more (normally paid by your estate after your death).
They may push to be made executors of your will by exaggerating how stressful executorship can be – or just add themselves without asking you – so make sure you only agree to it if this is what you want. Consider instead choosing trusted friends or relatives (especially people who are your beneficiaries, as they are interested parties to your will).
When getting your will written, towards the end of the process make sure to check the beginning of your draft will – which is where you'll find the details of the executors – to ensure the names are correct.
Be mindful you'll need to update your will if you later decide to change executor, something that might mean shelling out administrative or cancellation fees (for example, if you previously appointed a solicitor or will-writer as executor). Changing an executor after death can be particularly difficult and would likely involve a court application.
For more information about the process of sorting out a person's estate after their death – such as executing their will – see our Guide to 'probate'.
Option 1: Free & low-cost wills from solicitors
As mentioned above, using a solicitor means you have more protection if something goes wrong – which may not become apparent until decades later, and after you're dead. So if you want to be on the safe side, this is likely your best option.
Using a solicitor can be expensive, but there are ways you can cut the cost, ranging from charity-based schemes (discussed directly below), individual charity schemes, trade union services, online options and local solicitors.
Do remember though: it is a charity paying for your will, and it may be shelling out £100s, so please seriously consider leaving a bequest.
There are a few charity events throughout the year that let you get solicitor-drafted wills for free, or at least at a cheap rate:
TABLE_CELL_STYLE | ||
Who can get it? | Over-18s | 60+ (or stroke survivors 18+) |
Who writes it? | Solicitor or will-writing provider | Solicitor |
Cost | Free or donation in will | Free or donation in will |
How to apply | Cancer Research UK website or call 0300 123 7733 |
The Stroke Association website or call 0300 3300 740 |
How does the scheme work? | Full info | Full info |
Other charities
If you'd like to leave a gift to a particular charity, check whether it runs a scheme of its own. More than 150 charities are signed up to the National Free Wills Network, offering free simple wills – usually for charity members and over-55s.
The charity will usually check you have donated in the past, or are a member, to be eligible for the free will. Each charity's offering is different, so ensure you read up.
Among the charities signed up and offering free simple wills prepared by a solicitor are: Alzheimer's Research UK, Amnesty International, British Academy, Children with Cancer, Dignity in Dying, Guide Dogs, Liberty, Macmillan Cancer Support, Oxfam, RNLI Shelter, the Soil Association and Unicef.
For a full list of the 150+ charities taking part, see the National Free Wills Network.
A number of trade unions, including the Public and Commercial Services' Union, the NASUWT teachers' union, the Fire Brigades' Union, Union and Unison offer free wills to their members (and 'mirror wills' for partners) via BBH Legal Services, part of Thompsons Solicitors, which is regulated by the Solicitors' Regulation Authority. So if you're a union member, they're worth checking.
Some employers may also offer a will-writing service as part of their legal assistance to staff. Check how it works, though. If it's just filling in a template, you may well be better off with a solicitor-based service.
Free online solicitor-checked wills
There's one completely free, online option where every will is checked by a solicitor. It's called Free Wills, and it's even free if you need to make changes to your will at a later date.
If you opt to use it, you'll be protected in two ways:
- Your will is checked by a regulated solicitor (meaning you could complain about the solicitor to the Solicitors Regulation Authority).
- Free Wills is a member of the Society of Will Writers (where you could take a complaint about the service provided by Free Wills).
If leaving something behind to charity is important to you then this can be arranged via Free Wills. To date, it's helped raise more than £100 million for charity through gifts left in wills.
It's important to note that if you do use Free Wills, it'll recommend you appoint Kings Court Trust as the estate administrator of your will (meaning it'd be responsible for dealing with your estate when you die – a process known as 'probate'). But there's no obligation to do this. Kings Court Trust charges £1,000s in fees for this, so unless you've got a complex will, we'd suggest picking a family member or friend as executor instead.
See how to keep probate costs down in our Probate guide.
If none of the free or low-cost options detailed above suits, you can also find a local solicitor on the Law Society's database or that of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Or if you need one that provides specialist legal advice for older and vulnerable people, their families and carers, try The Association of Lifetime Lawyers.
Phoning round for quotes could be worthwhile, with potential savings of £100+ between firms.
Option 2: Low-cost will-writing services
Will-writing services can offer savings against standard solicitor fees, with prices starting under £100. These services may be online-based – using digital tools to draft your will – operate by post, or will involve someone coming to visit you at home. This could be more convenient than going to see a solicitor.
Low-cost will-writing services normally fall into one of these three categories:
- Services that are regulated by the Solicitors' Regulation Authority (SRA), meaning you'll get the same level of protection you would if you'd seen a solicitor.
- Services where it's pot luck whether your will is reviewed by a solicitor or not.
- Services offered as part of an insurance package.
If you're considering a will-writing service that's not SRA-regulated, and that isn't featured in this guide, check whether it's a member of a trade body such as the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Institute of Professional Willwriters or the Society of Will Writers.
Be aware will-writing services tend to charge an annual fee or subscription if you want the option to make changes to your will in future, but you shouldn't be automatically opted in to this.
Will-writing services that offer the same protection as a solicitor would
Some low-cost will-writing services are actually regulated by the SRA, such as Co-op Legal Services.
Although Make A Will Online is not regulated by the SRA, all of its wills are checked by an SRA-regulated solicitor – meaning it has a very similar level of protection to that of an SRA-regulated service (further information in the table below).
TABLE_CELL_STYLE | Co-op Legal Services* | Make A Will Online |
Who can get it? | Everyone | Everyone |
Available where? | England & Wales | England & Wales |
Who writes/checks it? | Fill in online template which is checked by will writer or solicitor | Fill in online template which is checked by will writer or solicitor |
Cost | £99 single / £185 joint via our links | £60 single / £90 joint |
How to apply | Co-op Legal Services* website | |
How does the scheme work? | Full info | Full info |
Will-writing services that MIGHT offer the same protection as a solicitor would
As mentioned above, many low-cost will-writing services aren't regulated by the SRA.
However, some of these services have panels of experts to review wills, which can include solicitors. If something were to go wrong with your will, while you couldn't complain about the firm to the SRA, if your will happened to be reviewed by a solicitor, then that solicitor would be regulated by the SRA – meaning greater protection for you.
As many will-writing review panels are comprised not just of solicitors, but also will-writing professionals and paralegals, there is a lottery element as to what level of protection you might get. If you can, ask the firm whether your will could be specifically reviewed by a solicitor (there's no guarantee it'll say yes, as it'll likely be based on availability).
Where your will won't be reviewed by a solicitor, check if the will-writing firm is part of a will-writing body instead (such as the Society of Will Writers or Institute of Professional Willwriters).
TABLE_CELL_STYLE | Farewill* | |
Who can get it? | No restriction | Over-18s (simple wills only) |
Available where? | UK-wide | England & Wales |
Who writes/checks it? | Fill in online template which is checked by will writer or solicitor | Fill in online template which is checked by will writer or solicitor |
Cost | Review: £75 single / £117 joint
(Via our links) |
£70 single / £112 joint (2)
(Via our links and you must quote msesave30 at the checkout) |
How to apply | Which?* website | |
How does the scheme work? | Full info | Full info |
Wills included in home insurance legal cover
If you opted to include legal cover with your home insurance policy, check whether it includes a will service. For example, More Than's home insurance legal service add-on gives access to wills and other legal template documents.
You complete your details and the will is checked by a legal team, who send it back to you for signing. It's only suitable for simple wills, but worth seeing if your insurer offers it. See our Cheap home insurance guide for more info.
Option 3: DIY wills
For people with simple circumstances, writing your own will using a template available from stationery shops or online can be a cheap option.
WARNING! Only write your own will if your wishes are very simple
For example, if you're married and want to leave everything to your spouse, and – should they die before you – you then want to leave everything to your children. Anything more complicated than that – for example, if you have stepchildren or you aren't married to your partner – you should almost certainly use a solicitor or a will-writing service.
Where you do have complicated circumstances but opt to write your own DIY will, there is a much greater chance of the will failing to clearly convey your wishes – something which could lead to the will being contested.
One DIY option is Lawpack*, which has a will template at £24.99. Another is the legal advice site Compact Law, which has some free-to-download templates.
Yet be mindful that with both Lawpack and Compact Law, you are effectively on your own – neither accepts any liability in the event something goes wrong with the will, nor are they members of any will-writing body.
What do I need to know to do a DIY will?
There are some basic legal requirements needed to make a will, and DIYing will mean these rest on your shoulders.
For example, you must be 18+ and have the mental capacity to make a will. The will also needs to be dated and witnessed correctly and must state that it replaces all previous versions (and if there are any, these should be destroyed). The witnesses must be 18+ and can't be named as a beneficiaries in the will nor can a witness be your spouse / civil partner.
It's common for people to make mistakes, such as names of people or charities being misspelled or information about assets being too vague, so be careful and be as specific as possible.
Where should you store your will?
It's important your will is stored safely and you tell your executors where they'll be able to find it after your death.
If a solicitor helps you write your will, they'll usually store it for you – generally for free – while you also get a copy.
If you use a will-writing service, it'll also often store your will, though there may be an extra charge. And you may be less protected than with a solicitor – for example, if the will writer went out of business and closed its office. In this event, it should either let you collect your will or tell you where it's being sent, though there's no guarantee (unlike with a solicitor). So make sure you keep a copy yourself as well.
Alternatively, you could just keep the original copy of your will at home, though there is the risk it might be accidentally thrown away or damaged. If you do this, remember to tell your executors where they'll be able to find the will after your death.
Another option is to store it with HM Courts & Tribunals Service in England and Wales. There's a £22 fee to do this, but withdrawing it is free. In Northern Ireland, you can deposit a will with the Probate Office for a £39 fee. You can find out more about the various options for storing your will in Scotland on the Citizens Advice Scotland website.
Either way, it's worth establishing how easy it is to access your will from storage, whether there's a cost to do this (for example, in the event you need to update your will) and what would happen to your will if the storage facility closes down.
Quick question
FAQs: Wills and inheritance
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