writing a uk will

Making a will

This advice applies to England. See advice for See advice for Northern Ireland , See advice for Scotland , See advice for Wales

Why it is important to make a will

It is important for you to make a will whether or not you consider you have many possessions or much money. It is important to make a will because:

if you die without a will, there are certain rules which dictate how the money, property or possessions should be allocated. This may not be the way that you would have wished your money and possessions to be distributed

unmarried partners and partners who have not registered a civil partnership cannot inherit from each other unless there is a will, so the death of one partner may create serious financial problems for the remaining partner

if you have children, you will need to make a will so that arrangements for the children can be made if either one or both parents die

it may be possible to reduce the amount of tax payable on the inheritance if advice is taken in advance and a will is made

if your circumstances have changed, it is important that you make a will to ensure that your money and possessions are distributed according to your wishes. For example, if you have separated and your ex-partner now lives with someone else, you may want to change your will. If you are married or enter into a registered civil partnership, this will make any previous will you have made invalid

If you are in any doubt as to whether or not you should make a will, you should consult a solicitor - find out how to get legal advice .

For more information about what happens if someone dies without making a will, see Who can inherit if there is no will – the rules of intestacy .

Whether you should use a solicitor

There is no need for a will to be drawn up or witnessed by a solicitor. If you wish to make a will yourself, you can do so. However, you should only consider doing this if the will is going to be straightforward.

It is generally advisable to use a solicitor or to have a solicitor check a will you have drawn up to make sure it will have the effect you want. This is because it is easy to make mistakes and, if there are errors in the will, this can cause problems after your death. Sorting out misunderstandings and disputes after your death may result in considerable legal costs, which will reduce the amount of money in the estate.

You should remember that a solicitor will charge for their services in drawing up or checking a will. They should give you the best possible information about the cost of their services. They should give you this at the beginning of their work with you.

Some common mistakes in making a will are:

not being aware of the formal requirements needed to make a will legally valid

failing to take account of all the money and property available

failing to take account of the possibility that a beneficiary may die before the person making the will

changing the will. If these alterations are not signed and witnessed, they are invalid

being unaware of the effect of marriage, a registered civil partnership, divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership on a will

being unaware of the rules which exist to enable dependants to claim from the estate if they believe they are not adequately provided for. These rules mean that the provisions in the will could be overturned

When it is particularly advisable to use a solicitor

There are some circumstances when it is particularly advisable to use a solicitor. These are where:

you share a property with someone who is not your husband, wife or civil partner

you wish to make provision for a dependant who is unable to care for themselves

there are several family members who may make a claim on the will, for example, a second wife or children from a first marriage

your permanent home is not in the United Kingdom

you are resident here but there is overseas property involved

there is a business involved

Other help with writing a will

If you are a member of a trade union, you may find that the union offers a free will writing service. A union will often use its own solicitors to undertake this work.

There are books which provide guidance on how to draw up a will. These can help you decide if you should draw up your own will and also help you decide if any of the pre-printed will forms available from stationers and charities are suitable. It is also possible to find help on the internet.

Will-writing services are available. However, will-writing firms are not regulated by the Law Society so there are few safeguards if things go wrong.

If you decide to use a will-writing firm, consider using one that belongs to The Institute of Professional Willwriters which has a code of practice approved by the Trading Standards Institute Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS).

Traders in this scheme display the TSI approved code logo.

When you see the logo, it means that the trader has agreed to provide good standards of service including clear information before a contract is signed, a clear complaints procedure and access to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme for settling out of court.

You can search for a will-writing firm belonging to The Institute of Professional Willwriters  on their website.

How much does a solicitor cost

The charges for drawing up a will vary between solicitors and also depend on the complexity of the will.

Before making a decision on who to use, it's always advisable to check with a few local solicitors to find out how much they charge.

You might have access to legal advice through an addition to an insurance policy that covers the costs of a solicitor preparing or checking a will. If you're a member of a trade union you might find that the union offers a free wills service to members.

The charity Will Aid has set up a partnership between certain solicitors and nine well-known charities.

Every November, participating solicitors will write a basic will free of charge in return for a donation to Will Aid.

You can find out about the suggested minimum donation amount, and details of solicitors who can help on the Will Aid website . 

It's also worth you giving some thought to what you want to say in the will before seeing a solicitor. This should help reduce the costs involved.

What should be included in a will

To save time and reduce costs when going to a solicitor, you should give some thought to the major points which you want included in your will. You should consider such things as:

how much money and what property and possessions you have, for example, property, savings, occupational and personal pensions, insurance policies, bank and building society accounts, shares

who you want to benefit from your will. You should make a list of all the people to whom you wish to leave money or possessions. These people are known as beneficiaries. You also need to consider whether you wish to leave any money to charity

who should look after any children under 18

who is going to sort out the estate and carry out your wishes as set out in the will. These people are known as the executors

Who are executors

Executors are the people who will be responsible for carrying out your wishes and for sorting out the estate.

They will have to collect together all the assets of the estate, deal with all the paperwork and pay all the debts, taxes, funeral and administration costs out of money in the estate.

They will need to pay out the gifts and transfer any property to beneficiaries.

Who to choose as executors

It is not necessary to appoint more than 1 executor although it is advisable to do so - for example, in case one of them dies.

It is common to appoint 2, but up to 4 executors can take on responsibility for administering the will after a death.

The people most commonly appointed as executors are:

relatives or friends

solicitors or accountants

the Public Trustee or in some cases the Official Solicitor if there is no one else willing and able to act

It is important to choose executors with considerable care since their job involves a great deal of work and responsibility.

You should always approach anyone you are thinking of appointing as an executor to see if they will agree to take on the responsibility. If someone is appointed who is not willing to be an executor, they have a right to refuse.

If an executor dies, any other surviving executor(s) can deal with the estate. If there are no surviving executors, legal advice should be sought.

For more information about what executors have to do, see Dealing with the financial affairs of someone who has died .

Requirements for a valid will

In order for a will to be valid, it must be:

made by a person who is 18 years old or over and

made voluntarily and without pressure from any other person and

made by a person who is of sound mind. This means the person must be fully aware of the nature of the document being written or signed and aware of the property and the identify of the people who may inherit and

in writing and

signed by the person making the will in the presence of two witnesses and

signed by the two witnesses, in the presence of the person making the will, after it has been signed.

A witness or the married partner of a witness cannot benefit from a will. If a witness is a beneficiary (or the married partner or civil partner of a beneficiary), the will is still valid but the beneficiary will not be able to inherit under the will.

Although it will be legally valid even if it is not dated, it is advisable to ensure that the will also includes the date on which it is signed.

As soon as the will is signed and witnessed, it is complete.

If someone makes a will but it is not legally valid, on their death their estate will be shared out under certain rules, not according to the wishes expressed in the will.

For more information about the rules if someone dies without leaving a valid will, see Who can inherit if there is no will – the rules of intestacy .

Wills of service personnel on active service

The requirements for a valid will are less stringent for service personnel on active service. Such wills are known as privileged wills.

If you need further help about privileged wills, you can contact your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau or seek legal advice.

Where to keep a will

Once a will has been made, it should be kept in a safe place and other documents should not be attached to it. There are a number of places where you can keep a will:-

with a solicitor or accountant

at the Principal Registry of the Family Division of the High Court, a District Registry or Probate Sub-Registry for safe keeping. If you wish to deposit a will in this way you should visit the District Registry or Probate Sub-Registry or write to:

Probate Department (England and Wales)

Principal Registry of the Family Division

First Avenue House

42-49 High Holborn

Tel: 020 7947 7022 (safe custody enquiries); 020 7947 6983 (how to obtain a will - recorded message); 020 7947 6043/6939 (personal application enquiries)

Probate Helpline: 0300 123 1072

Fax: 020 7947 6946

Looking for copies of a will after someone dies

Someone close to you may have died and you think they made a will but you can't find one in their home.

Check to see if you can find a certificate of deposit, which will have been sent to them if they arranged for the will to be kept by the Principal Registry of the Family Division.

Even if you can't find a certificate of deposit, you can still check with the Registry to see if they hold the will. If the person died in a care home or a hospital you could check to see if the will was left with them.

You should also contact the person's solicitor, accountant or bank to see if they hold the will.

The person who has died, or their solicitor, may have registered their will with a commercial organisation such as Certainty ( www.certainty.co.uk ) and, after the person's death, you can pay for a search of the wills registered on the company's database.

You can also ask the company to contact solicitors in the area where the person lived to ask if they hold a will.

If you can't find a will, you will usually have to deal with the estate of the person who has died as if they died without leaving a will.

For more information, see Who can inherit if there is no will – the rules of intestacy .

Getting a copy of the will when probate has been granted

When someone dies, the person who is dealing with their estate (for example, money and property) must usually get authorisation to do so from the Probate Service.

If there is a will, this authorisation is called a grant of probate.

When probate is granted, the will is kept by the Probate Service and any member of the public can get a copy.

If you want to search for the will of a person who died recently, you can apply to the Probate Service for a standing search to be made.

They will check their records to see if a grant of probate has been made in the twelve months before your application, and they will continue to check for six months afterwards.

If a grant has been made, they will send you a copy of the grant and a copy of the will, if any. A fee is payable.

You can renew your search at the end of 6 months for a further fee. It may  be advisable to wait 2 or 3 months after the death before you apply for a search.

You can find out how to apply for a standing search and how much it costs on GOV.UK.

If you want to do your own search, or if you want to search for the will of someone who died more than twelve months ago, you can do a general search.

A general search by the Probate Registry will cover a four year period and a fee is payable. If you go to the Probate Registry to do the search yourself, no charge is made, but you still have to pay to get a copy of the grant of probate and the will, if any.

You can find out how to apply for a general search and how much it costs on GOV.UK.

Personal application

You can make a personal search free of charge by going to the Principal Registry of the Family Division (see under heading Where to keep a will ). If you want to inspect or take a copy of the will, there is a fee of £5.

Local application

You can order a copy of a will or grant of probate at any district probate registry.

You will need to give the full name of the person who died, the date probate was granted and the name of the registry office where it was issued. The fee is £5.

To find a district probate registry, search on GOV.UK at  https://courttribunalfinder.service.gov.uk/search/postcode .

Change of circumstances

When a will has been made, it is important to keep it up to date to take account of changes in circumstances.

It is advisable for you to reconsider the contents of a will regularly to make sure that it still reflects your wishes. The most common changes of circumstances which affect a will are:

getting married, remarried or registering a civil partnership

getting divorced, dissolving a civil partnership or separating

the birth or adoption of children, if you wish to add these as beneficiaries in a will

How to change a will

You may want to change your will because there has been a change of circumstances.

You must not do this by amending the original will after it has been signed and witnessed.

Any obvious alterations on the face of the will are assumed to have been made at a later date and so do not form part of the original legally valid will.

The only way you can change a will is by making:

a codicil to the will or

A codicil is a supplement to a will which makes some alterations but leaves the rest of it intact. This might be done, for example, to increase a cash legacy, change an executor or guardian named in a will, or to add beneficiaries.

A codicil must be signed by the person who made the will and be witnessed in the same way. However, the witnesses do not have to be the same as for the original will.

There is no limit on how many codicils can be added to a will, but they are only suitable for very straightforward changes. If a complicated change is involved, it is usually advisable to make a new will.

If you wish to make major changes to a will, it is advisable to make a new one.

The new will should begin with a clause stating that it revokes all previous wills and codicils. The old will should be destroyed. Revoking a will means that the will is no longer legally valid.

Destroying a will

If you want to destroy a will, you must burn it, tear it up or otherwise destroy it with the clear intention that it is revoked.

There is a risk that if a copy subsequently reappears (or bits of the will are reassembled), it might be thought that the destruction was accidental.

You must destroy the will yourself or it must be destroyed in your presence.

A simple instruction alone to an executor to destroy a will has no effect. If the will is destroyed accidentally, it is not revoked and can still be declared valid.

Although a will can be revoked by destruction, it is always advisable that a new will should contain a clause revoking all previous wills and codicils.

Revoking a will means that the will is no longer legally valid.

If a person who made a will takes their own life

If a person who made a will takes their own life, the will is still valid.

Challenging a will

A person may want to challenge a will because:

they believe that the will is invalid or

they believe that they have not been adequately provided for in the will

There are strict time limits for challenging a will and if you want to challenge a will, you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

If you want to challenge the will because you believe you haven't been adequately provided for, the time limit is 6 months from the grant of probate. Your local Citizens Advice can give you lists of solicitors. You can  search for your nearest Citizens Advice .

If you are named in someone else's will as an executor, you may have to apply for probate so that you can deal with their estate.

For more information about probate, see  Dealing with the financial affairs of someone who has died .

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Making a will

Why you need a will.

It’s important to make sure that after you die, your assets and possessions (known as your estate) will go to the people and organisations (known as your beneficiaries) you choose, such as family members and charities you want to support.

Your estate includes your personal possessions, as well as assets such as:

• property (in the UK or overseas)
• savings and investments
• insurance funds
• pension funds

If you die without a valid will, it could be difficult for your family to sort out your affairs. Your estate will be shared out according to the rules of intestacy .

Under the intestacy rules, only married partners, civil partners and certain close relatives can inherit your estate.

If you and your partner are not married or in a civil partnership, your partner won't have the right to inherit – even if you’re living together .

It’s important to make a will if you:

• own property or a business
• have children
• have savings, investments or insurance policies

How to make a will

Start by making a list of the assets you want to include in your will. Then decide how you want them shared among your beneficiaries.

If you want to leave a donation to a charity, you must include the charity’s full name, address and its registered charity number.

You’ll also need to consider:

• what happens if any of your beneficiaries die before you
• who should carry out the wishes in your will (your executors)
• what arrangements to make if you have children – such as naming a legal guardian or providing a trust for them
• any other wishes you have – for example, the type of funeral you want

A solicitor can give you advice about any of these issues.

Using a solicitor

You can make your will yourself, but you should only consider this if your will is straightforward. If you do make your own will, you should still get a solicitor to check it over.

Making a will without using a solicitor can result in mistakes or something not being clear, especially if you have several beneficiaries or your finances are complicated.

Your executor will have to sort out any mistakes and might have to pay legal costs. This will reduce the amount of money in your estate.

Mistakes in your will could even make it invalid.

A solicitor will charge a fee for making a will, but they will explain the costs at the start.

It’s important to use a solicitor when:

• you share a property with someone who is not your wife, husband or civil partner
• you have a dependent, such as a child, who cannot care for themselves
• several family members may make a claim on the will
• you own property overseas or a business
• your permanent home is not in the UK

Finding a solicitor

Visit our Find a Solicitor website and use the quick search option "Wills and probate" to find your nearest solicitor.

Choosing a law firm that’s a member of our Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme  means your solicitor will meet our high standards for wills and probate services. You’ll be using a specialist legal professional who is regulated and insured, unlike most other will-writing services.

Information you’ll need to give your solicitor

To draw up your will, your solicitor will need to know:

• all the assets you want included in your will, such as property, vehicles, savings and investments
• details of who should have these assets after you die
• any other wishes – such as the type of funeral you want
• details of any children and family members, including children who are not biologically yours – such as step-children or adopted children

Executors are people named in your will who will carry out your wishes after you die. They can be family or friends, but you should ask them first if they’re willing to take on this role as it involves a lot of responsibility.

An executor can also be a professional person, such as your solicitor. If you use a solicitor for this service, you’ll have to pay a fee.

Most people have two executors, but you can have up to four. You should at least have a second executor in case your main one is unable to act on your behalf.

Read more about what an executor does

After you've made your will

Make sure it’s valid.

Your will is only valid if two witnesses watch you sign it. They must also sign the will but do not need to read it.

Your witnesses must:

• not be your beneficiaries
• not be your beneficiaries’ spouses or civil partners

Keep it safe

Make sure your executors know where your will is kept. They must have access to it without needing to apply for legal permission.

Do not store your will in a bank safety deposit box. The bank will not be able to open it until the executor gets legal permission, which won’t be granted without your will.

You can leave your will with a solicitor (they’ll give you a copy). There’s no charge for this service if you leave it with the solicitor who drew up your will.

You can also store it with the government’s Probate Service .

Keep it up to date

You should review your will every five years to make sure it’s up to date.

This is especially important if your circumstances change – for example, if you:

• get married or enter a civil partnership – this will automatically cancel any existing will
• buy a new property or an expensive asset such as a new car
• divorce or separate from your partner

Your guide to making a will (PDF 609 KB) (email [email protected] for other formats and languages)

The rules of intestacy on the Citizens Advice website

Storing a will with the Probate Service

Find a solicitor

While we have made every effort to provide accurate information, the law is always changing and affects each person differently. This information is no substitute for specific advice about you personally and we will not be liable to you if you rely on this information.

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With our review service, specialist paralegals go through your document with a fine-tooth comb to iron out errors and to make sure it’s legally compliant. When they’re 100% satisfied that it is, and once it’s been printed, signed and witnessed correctly, it will be legally binding.

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Will Writing

Writing a will.

The law surrounding Wills and inheritance in England and Wales is highly complex, and the amount of paperwork involved can be daunting. At Legacy Wills & Estate Planning, we believe that writing something as important as a Will should be a straightforward and rewarding experience. Our professional Will & Estate Planning Consultants can take care of all the legal documents and paperwork required and also provide guidance on careful estate planning, as well as the best options available to your individual needs. Legacy Wills & Estate Planning make the process simple, giving you the peace of mind in knowing that your affairs are taken care of. If you wish, you can begin writing your Will online , over the phone or in person, whichever you prefer. The information you provide will then be used to draft the Will in accordance to your wishes. We offer a truly bespoke service, completely tailored to your individual needs.

The Will Writing Process

Before you begin writing your Will, there are a few important things to decide upon, such as who you wish to be the executors of your estate (see our Making a Will page for details on the role of an executor), and depending on the level of the Will you have purchased, appointing a guardian to any children you have under eighteen, how you wish to distribute your residuary estate, or any specific gifts you would like to leave. We usually encourage clients to review their Wills as and when their circumstances change. We appreciate circumstances are constantly changing, with Legacy Wills & Estate Planning, amending and updating your Will further down the line is an easy and simple process.

Writing a Will: What Info Will I Need

Writing a Will is a simple process, however there is some important you need to have to hand when you are drafting your Will. It will help to have these ready and available to refer to:

• An understanding of where you would like your estate to go (who your beneficiaries are)
• An awareness of the value of your estate (property, savings, personal possessions)
• Names, DOB’s and addresses of beneficiaries and executors

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What Should I Include in my Will?

Legacy Wills & Estate Planning are available to advise and assist you where needed, however, we recommend writing a list of your residuary estate (your belongings and property) and deciding who you would like to leave each item to before you begin your Will application.

You may want to think about what you wish to happen should a beneficiary die before you do, and have a second, “residuary”, beneficiary in place. The Will should also include who you wish to appoint as Executor of your Will .

When Should I Update my Will?

Once you have written your Will, it is advisable to review it at least once every five years or if any of your circumstances change. There are many reasons you may want to make adjustments to your Will, such as the arrival of a new child or grandchild , the value of your house changing significantly or when you enter a marriage or civil partnership (as any Will attested prior to this will be revoked and need to be re-written after a union). You also need to bear in mind that should you go through a separation or divorce , your Will may need to be amended, as many couples own property jointly. Should you die, property automatically passes to the survivor, who can then do as they please with it, including leaving it to their own families in their Wills, which you may not wish for if you are separating. Your Will needs to be revised following any significant change in your circumstances, financial or personal.

Will Writing Services

We offer our clients a flexible approach to Will writing. Whilst the law surrounding Wills and inheritance may be complex, the process of completing a Will shouldn’t be. Legacy Wills & Estate Planning have a range of ways to make contact with us, either by email, post or telephone, and in some circumstances we even offer the service of visiting you in your own home. Once you have provided all the information we need, we will draft your Will, leaving you to simply check over the document and sign.

Why Is It Important To Write Your Own Will?

If a person dies without leaving behind a valid last Will and testament, then there is a strong possibility that everything owned by that person passes onto the state rather than the beneficiaries they want to leave it to. In such a scenario, the estate of the deceased person will be distributed as per the rules of intestacy.

For example, if you die without making provisions for people who are financially dependent on you (spouse, children etc.), then the rules of intestacy stipulates who inherits from your estate which in certain scenarios could lead to your dependents receiving nothing at all from your estate.

So, unless a valid Will is made, the rules of intestacy will determine who inherits from your estate and also to what extent they inherit from your estate.

Thus, the provisions provided to your beneficiaries from your estate through the rules of intestacy could be markedly different from your own wishes unless you leave behind a valid last Will and testament.

Also, if a person dies without leaving behind a last Will and testament and if the deceased had no relatives beyond the group specified by the rules of intestacy, then the entirety of their estate will be inherited by the state.

Certain eligible people are entitled to challenge the rules of intestacy through the Inheritance Act Of 1975, if insufficient financial provision is provided to them, such as:

• The wife, husband or civil partner of the deceased.
• The ex-wife, husband or civil partner of the deceased who have not yet remarried or who are not in another civil relationship.
• Co-habitees i.e. someone who lived with the deceased for a minimum of two years before their death.
• A child of the recently deceased person.
• A person who was treated as a child of the recently deceased person.
• Someone who was being financially supported by the deceased.

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Why it is advantageous to write your own will.

There are many advantages of writing your Will online such as:

The Possesions Of Your Estate Are Distributed As Per Your Wishes

If you pass away without drafting a Will, your estate will be distributed as per the rules of intestacy. This means that some portion of your estate will automatically be transferred to your spouse or children. But, the valuation of your assets distrubted will depend on the worth of your property and the terms specified in the title deeds. By writing your own Will, you can ensure that your property is distrubuted exactly how you want it to be.

The Power To Appoint An Executor Or/And Trustee And Outline Their Powers

To ensure that the contents of your Will are carried out to the letter, you can select an executor or trustee in your Will. By doing this, you can rest easy in the knowledge that the terms specified in your Will will be honoured after you pass away.

Designate A Guardian To Take Care Of Minor Children

If you are the parent of minor children, then it is important to remember that a Will acts as guiding legal document for the care of your children, if both you and your spouse pass away.

State Your Funeral Wishes

You can reduce any stress for your loved ones and ensure that your body is taken care of in the manner of your choosing (e.g. cremation or burial) by stating your wishes in the Will.

Accelerate the Legal Procedure

By writing your own Will, you make the process of settling your estate less costly and faster. By reducing the amount spent on legal fees, you can protect the value of your estate that is to be passed on to your beneficiaries.

After my initial enquiry about making my will I had a phone call from a member of LegacyWills team, namely Siobhan O’Toole.She explained everything in simple language so that I knew exactly what I had to do. She was very patient when answering my questions, which made me decide to go ahead with using LegacyWills.

The team at legacy wills have been very helpful and extremely courteous when talking through the full process with me. Would highly recommend.

I found the advisor extremely helpful, explaining clearly any points which I was unsure about. I received my Will some days later and was pleased that the company followed up to check that I was happy with it. I did not feel pressured in any way and I would recommend this company to anyone wishing for a straightforward and efficient service.

Legacy wills explained every step very clearly and anything you forgot to ask they encouraged you to contact them, they also made you feel that no question was to big or small they would always find the answer.

Everything I requested was handled with patience and total professionalism, and the end result was a very simple and straightforward process which covered everything that I wanted. Thank you very much Legacywills.

How to Make a Valid Will?

For a Will to be valid:

• It should be made in writing, signed by the testator (person making the will) and witnessed by two people.
• The testator should have the mental capacity to make the Will and also to understand the effects of the will.
• The testator should have drafted the Will voluntarily without any external influence or coercion.

When Are Beneficiaries Not Entitled To the Bequests Made To them in the Deceased’s Will?

In certain scenarios beneficiaries cannot inherit from the estate of the deceased, such as:

• If the beneficiary was also one of the witnesses to the Will or the spouse/civil partner of the witness, then the Will remains valid but the beneficiary does not inherit anything.
• The spouse or registered civil partner of the deceased stops being a beneficiary if they have divorced, unless the Will states to the contrary. However, if a couple separate without getting a divorce, then the spouse remains a beneficiary.
• If the Will states that the beneficiary is the intended recipient of a particular property, but the property does not belong to the estate of the deceased person anymore, then the beneficiary does not inherit anything.

Request a Callback

Our Wills specialists can speak to you about your options and guide you smoothly through the whole process.

What Happens If The Beneficiary Of The Estate Dies Before The Testator?

If a beneficiary dies after the Will was made but before the death of the testator, then the beneficiary’s estate will not inherit from the estate of the testator of the will.

If the death of the beneficiary precedes that of the testator, then the benefit is said to have lapsed. Dependents of the beneficiaries are not legally entitled to anything unless for the following exceptions:

• If a provision is made in the Will for a child or other lineal descendents of the testator, then the benefit will not lapse as long as the deceased beneficiary leaves behind children who were alive at the time of the testator’s death. However, this rule will not apply if the gift is life interest.
• If the testator has made substitute provisions in the Will then the benefit will not lapse. For example, if the testator makes the provision ‘such of my children as are alive at my death’ in the Will, then estate will be distributed amongst surviving children of the testator.

What Happens If The Beneficiary Of The Estate Dies After The Testator?

In certain scenarios a gift made by the testator in the Will might be subject to certain conditions, if the beneficiary does not fulfil those conditions, then the estate of the beneficiary will not inherit from the Will.

For example, if the testator has left a gift to a child/grandchild who can be inherit only after they reach a certain age. But if they die before reaching that age, then the beneficiary’s estate does not inherit anything.

What Happens If The Executor Of A Will Dies ?

If an executor of the Will dies before the testator and if other executors are named by the testator in the Will, then the responsibility of administrating the estate will be passed onto the other executors appointed by the testator.

However, if the other executors are unwilling to take on the responsibility of administrating the estate, then a beneficiary of the estate can apply to be the personal representative of the estate.

If appointed, the personal representative will discharge all the responsibilities that were previously being handled by the executor in administrating the estate of the deceased.

These responsibilities include:

• Finding all the relevant financial documents owned by the deceased.
• Sending out a copy of the deceased person’s death certificate to all the financial organisations in which the deceased held money.
• Confirming the date of death value of all the assets owned by the deceased.
• Opening a bank account on behalf of the estate.
• Paying off any outstanding debts owed by the deceased person.
• Finding out the amount of inheritance tax owed by the estate and then paying them off.
• Compiling all the requisite documents that are required to be submitted at the probate registry and HM revenue and customs.
• Collecting money belonging to the estate in insurance companies, banks, building societies and pension funds after the grant of probate or letters of administration has been obtained.
• Distributing all the assets in the estate as specified in the Will or as per the rules of intestacy.

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Make your last Will and testament

Your Will is one of the most important legal documents you make in your life. Using Net Lawman is an easy way of ensuring your wishes are carried out and that your possessions are passed on as you wish, whether your affairs are simple or complicated.

For more information, read about where to start when making a Will .

• Download a Template
• Topic Overview

Simple will with gift over

A simple last will and testament to leave the whole of your estate to someone else, or to a charity, or shared between a group of people such as your children.

For example, you may be:

• married, leaving all possessions to a husband, wife or partner, or
• widowed, leaving all assets to an adult son or daughter, or
• single without children, and leaving all assets to a family member or a co-habiting partner

The template allows you to nominate another person else to receive your estate if your primary beneficiary dies before you.

The document is:

• simple to understand and simple to prepare and sign
• free to download and use

We include extensive guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the document and how to sign the will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors.

Will: to one person after legacies and bequests

This free template creates a last will and testament where the testator leaves all his or her assets to one person after making specific gifts of money and possessions.

• a parent or grandparent, leaving an estate to a husband, wife or partner after having made gifts to children, extended family members and/or charities, or
• a single person, who wishes to leave specific gifts to friends and family and the rest of the estate to one person, equally to his or her children, or to a charity

You may make as many gifts to individuals or classes of people as you like.

The template allows you to nominate another person to receive your estate if your primary beneficiary dies before you.

It also includes options for giving gifts to minors by passing the gift directly to a parent or by creating a trust

Will: half to wife, husband or partner and half to children

A flexible template to create a last will and testament suitable for the majority of circumstances.

After whatever gifts you make, the residue of your estate is divided between two or more people in shares you specify.

For example, you might be:

• a parent, leaving the majority of your estate to your husband, wife or partner and the remainder (after specific gifts), or
• a widowed grandparent, leaving your estate to your adult children and to your grandchildren (perhaps on trust because one or more is under 18 years old), or
• a single parent, who wishes to leave most of your estate to family members but also leave some to charity or to a friend

A key feature of this template is that you can set flexible trust provisions, giving you greater control of how the trustees should administer your estate, and making  trust management easy.

There are also options to leave gifts to minors without creating a trust.

You may also:

• appoint guardians
• nominate someone else to receive your estate if your first choice of beneficiary dies before you
• easy to prepare

Will template: lifetime beneficial interest for spouse, partner or dependant

This will template allows you to support someone (such as a spouse or partner) for the rest of his or her life, by letting him or her use certain assets (such as a house) without passing ownership. When that person dies, the estate is divided between others.

Use this template:

• for basic inheritance tax planning (largely as illustrated by HM Revenue and Customs)
• to control who ultimately benefits from the estate (for example, to ensure children from earlier relationships are not disinherited)

You can set trust provisions in detail, giving you a high level of control of how the trustees should invest and manage your estate for both the 'life tenant' and the ultimate beneficiaries.

You may also make specific gifts to individuals so that some or all the beneficiaries receive something immediately after your death, and not only on the death of the 'life tenant'.

'Young family' will: to spouse or partner, gift over to children's trust

This family will has been designed for parents of young children.

It could also be used by a grandparent leaving their estate to an adult son or daughter with a young family.

On your death, the estate passes entirely to one person, or into a discretionary trust for young children if that beneficiary does not succeed you by a certain number of days.

Use of a discretionary trust rather than a 'bare' one has a number of advantages:

• entitlements can be rearranged within 2 years, allowing post death tax planning
• allocation does not have to be on an even basis - some beneficiaries could be given a greater share than others
• trustees have discretion (which you can guide in a letter of intent) as to how to use the estate. For example, you could direct that it should be used to help support those who want to go to university
• benefit can be maintained without giving ownership in situations where ownership could erode value. For example, your share of a family company could be left in a discretionary trust so that your children only become shareholders (controlling how it is run) once they have sufficient experience.

Note though that many of the tax benefits of discretionary trusts have now been removed.

Of course, the template also allows you to appoint guardians.

Will: home and part of estate into life trust for wife, husband or partner; other part into trust for other beneficiaries

This will template should be used by someone who wishes to take good care of a dependant (such as a partner, spouse or disabled adult child) without giving the share of the estate to that person so that children or others ultimately have the capital.

The will creates three trusts:

• two to support a life beneficiary: one containing your share of the house, the other containing a proportion of your estate
• one for other beneficiaries containing the remainder of the estate

The template uses Net Lawman trust provisions, giving you control over how the trustees should administer the trusts for both the 'life tenant' and the other beneficiaries.

You may also make specific gifts that will be passed immediately on your death to who you intend to own them.

Will: assets in trust: lifetime beneficial interest and discretionary trust

This will template allows you to place your estate, after specific gifts, into two trusts:

• one that has a life beneficiary (to allow someone to benefit from use of those assets during his or her lifetime, but for those assets to be passed on to others of your choosing on death - for example, to ensure children from earlier relationships are not disinherited)
• one that is a discretionary trust (for inheritance tax planning)

There are options to leave private company shares or a partnership interest.

The most likely user would be a business owner who has remarried, but who has children from earlier relationships and does not want to 'disinherit' them.

The use of a discretionary trust makes this template suitable if some beneficiaries (such as young children or dependents) are not yet financially responsible.

You can set trust provisions in detail, deciding how the trustees should manage your property for both the 'life tenant' and the ultimate beneficiaries.

You may also make specific gifts to individuals so that beneficiaries receive something immediately after your death, and not only on the death of the 'life tenant'.

Will: business and value to nil rate band gifted separately

This is a straightforward will for someone who owns shares in a private company or who has a share in a partnership.

After specific gifts have been made, business interests are gifted to a person such as a sibling or adult child.

Further assets up to the nil rate band are given to other beneficiaries.

The residual estate is given to one 'primary' beneficiary, such as a spouse or partner, with provision for gift over if that person does not survive you.

There is an option for gift over to trust or discretionary trust for another group of beneficiaries if your first choice does not survive you by more than a given time.

Small bequests and legacies to minors can be made without involving a trust.

Will: value to nil rate band placed in discretionary trust

Use this will if you have a young family or dependents who are not yet financially responsible.

After specific gifts have been made, private company shares and business partnership interests are left as gifts to one person or party such as a sibling or adult child.

The will establishes a discretionary trust up to the value of the nil rate band at the time of your death to protect assets for one set of beneficiaries (such as your children until they reach the age of 18). This has advantages of:

• different beneficiaries can receive different amounts
• trustees have discretion (which you can guide in a letter of intent) as to how to use the estate
• benefit can be maintained without giving ownership in situations where ownership could erode value

Note that there are no longer tax benefits to using discretionary trusts.

Flexible trust provisions allow you to specify how the trust fund should be managed and spent.

The remainder of the residual estate is apportioned between named beneficiaries (such as your spouse or partner and your children) in proportions you choose. Beneficiaries can be the same as those listed for discretionary trust.

Documents checklist

A checklist that you can complete to tell your executors and family where they might find important documents and personal information that will make the process of sorting out your affairs easier.

Letter requesting executor to act

A template letter asking someone to be an executor of your estate.

Talk to us about writing your Will

We are happy to answer any questions you have. Arrange for us to call you.

If the document isn’t right for your circumstances for any reason, just tell us and we’ll refund you in full immediately.

We avoid legal terminology unless necessary. Plain English makes our documents easy to understand, easy to edit and more likely to be accepted.

You don’t need legal knowledge to use our documents. We explain what to edit and how in the guidance notes included at the end of the document.

Email us with questions about editing your document. Use our Lawyer Assist service if you’d like our legal team to check your document will do as you intend.

Our documents comply with the latest relevant law. Our lawyers regularly review how new law affects each document in our library.

Why you should make a Will

You should consider making a Will whether you are young or old, if you have a family to look after, or if you own a property or other valuable assets.

If you die intestate, that is if you don’t have a proper Will in place, then your money and personal property might not be distributed in the way you intend.

Making a Will gives you peace of mind and confidence that:

• minor children (under 18) will be looked after, emotionally and financially
• family disputes over the distribution of your assets will be avoided
• the people you trust to sort out your affairs after your death can do so
• that your money and possessions will be left to the people you want, even when there are complicated situations such as poor health, divorce and financial problems

Our comprehensive service

Net Lawman provides last Will and testament templates that you can download and edit on your computer.

If you would like peace of mind that your wishes will be carried out, we can review your edited document.

In some cases, we may be able to draft your Will completely for you.

What our Wills cover

Our Wills include the following provisions, as far as each is needed:

Revocation of previous Wills

Your last Will and testament by definition is the most recent. However, the first lines of any Will usually revoke (cancel) any previous Wills you might have made.

Appointment of executors

An executor is a personal representative who carries out your wishes in your Will.

In your Will, you can nominate up to four people to work together as your executors. They are appointed through the process of obtaining a grant of probate when you die.

We also allow you to nominate alternatives if your first choices are unable or unwilling to take up the position.

Appointment of Guardians for your children under 18 years

For detailed information about choosing guardians with parental responsibility for your children, we recommend that you read our article on providing for later generations .

Gifts of money and possessions (legacies and bequests) to individuals

You can make as many gifts to individuals as you like. These may include real and personal property, money in bank accounts, or other assets including digital assets.

When you give specific gifts, they are deemed to be free of tax. That means if tax is due on your estate, it is paid using the money and assets that you have not already given away (your 'residual estate'). So you need to make sure that you do not accidentally deprive those closest to you by making too large gifts to less important people.

If you make a gift of real property, such as your house or a piece of land, you should make sure that you own it outright, or as a ‘tenant in common’. If you own the real property with co-owners as a ‘joint tenant’, then it will automatically pass to them. You can read more about the difference between joint tenancy and tenants in common .

Gifts to charities

In law, a charity is simply another person. So just as you can leave a gift of money to a family relative, you can leave a gift to any charity.

Options for giving gifts to minors

If a beneficiary is under 18 when you die, then the law automatically places his or her gift in trust until he or she reaches 18. For small gifts, especially to minors who are not your own, you may want to avoid the administrative burden that managing a trust would place on your executors, and give the gift to the parents instead, either to keep on behalf of the child or to use as they choose (for the child).

Options for leaving the residual estate

In most templates, you can choose to leave:

• everything to one person
• everything in equal shares between a group of people
• specific shares to specific individuals

We also include a gift-over provision allowing you to nominate alternative beneficiaries for the gift of the residual estate.

Payment to executors

The law says that an executor may not accept payment for his work unless the Will expressly authorises it. But if you want a professional executor, they will usually act only if they are paid for his time. So we always provide a simple sentence authorising professional executors to be remunerated.

It would be most unusual for a family member acting as an executor to demand to be paid for their time, but they could reasonably ask for repayment of expenses.

Directions for valuation of your estate

After your death, it is unlikely that those closest to you will be thinking hard about the cost of winding up your estate. However, they may require professional valuations of certain assets to satisfy HMRC. The professionals who provide these valuations generally charge far more than they would dare to charge you if you were alive. In all but the simplest Wills we provide an instruction by you to stop this happening.

Funeral wishes

Strictly, you do not legally own your own dead body and, therefore, cannot specify what should happen to it. However, if you make your funeral wishes clear in your Will, it is most likely that your executors and relatives will carry them out.

Repayment of funeral expenses take precedence over the payment of gifts.

An example letter of intent

A letter of intent is a side letter that is not part of your Will and not binding. However, executors tend to follow the instructions you give in it. A letter of intent gives you an opportunity to cover business arrangements and personal matters in depth. It is not registered, unlike your Will is, so no-one except your personal representatives needs ever know its contents.

Trust provisions

You can create a trust on purpose or by operation of law such as when you leave a gift to minor children under 18. Trusts are a complicated concept. You can read more about trusts in Wills .

We use our own trust provisions adapted from the Standard Provisions of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Our provisions give you maximum flexibility and control of how any trust is managed, freeing the trustees from some of the bonds of the Trustee Act 2001 that are unsuitable for a trust managed within your family.

Life interests and property protection

Trusts that create life interests are used to control ownership of the assets you place into the trusts. The beneficiaries may use the assets during their lifetimes (or subject to other conditions) after which the trusts are dissolved and ownership of the assets passes to other people you choose.

The most common use is to provide security for a partner or second wife or husband during her or his lifetime, but for the assets eventually to pass to children, some of whom might be from earlier marriages and who otherwise might be accidentally disinherited if the entire estate passed to your second wife.

Use of an inheritance tax nil-rate band discretionary trust

Tax is payable only on the value of your estate above a certain amount. This amount is called the threshold or the nil rate band.

There used to be tax advantages to using a discretionary trust and placing assets valued up to the value of the nil-rate band into it. Those tax advantages are no longer so advantageous, but using a discretionary trust can protect your personal property from claims by creditors or in divorce settlements or if your husband or wife remarries.

Who can make a Will

Most adults can (and should) make a Will.

For a Will to be legally valid, the person making it must be:

• of legal age (over the age of 18)
• of sound mind
• not under undue influence or pressure from another person

In addition, the Will must be attested correctly. It must be signed and dated by the person making it, in front of two witnesses who print their names and addresses.

Using Net Lawman templates

Easy to understand and edit.

Like all our documents, our Wills are written in plain English. This not only makes editing easy, but also makes it more certain that your wishes are followed. Complicated and unusual words may make the document sound more impressive but they do not add to the legality of the document.

Only where absolutely necessary do we use words that have a particular meaning in law.

We follow the normal, modern legal convention of using the masculine form of a word regardless of the gender of the person. The documents are equally as suitable for women as for men.

Edit in your favourite word processor

All our documents are in Microsoft Word format, which is compatible with many other word processors including Mac Pages, LibreOffice and WordPerfect. We can provide copies in other formats on request.

Our guidance notes help you create a perfect document

Guidance notes are provided with each last Will and testament template. These explain how to edit the document and provide extensive information about why we include each paragraph and the decisions you might need to make.

Making your Will legally binding

Once you have finished editing the document, you need to print, date and sign your Will to make it binding. We explain exactly how to do that in the guidance notes that we provide with the template, and in our article about signing your Will to make it binding .

No need to use a solicitor

You do not need a solicitor or Will writer to review or to approve your Will for it to be legally binding.

The document becomes binding as a result of the process of signing it in front of two witnesses, not because of the involvement of a solicitor in preparing or reviewing it.

If you need specific legal advice, that is an 'opinion' about how the law applies to your circumstances, you might approach a law firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. However, unless you think that your wishes are contentious and will be challenged at probate or if you have personal posessions and property overseas, the advice you need may be practical rather than legal.

You might also seek estate planning or tax advice from a financial planner or accountant if you want to minimise the amount of tax eventually paid. However, this is not a requirement.

When to write or rewrite your Will

You can write a Will at any time. Most people consider a new Will when their financial circumstances change, or when relationships change. The Law Society advises that you review your Will every five years and that you make a new Will after a major life change such as having a child, marriage, separation or divorce.

It is possible to change a Will without making a new one, but amending a previous Will is more difficult than making a new one.

Why we provide some templates for free

Our motivations for providing completely free Will templates are both ethical and commercial.

A Will is an important legal document, and we believe that everyone should make one. Because the law sets out how your personal property is divided if you don't have a Will, without one, the people you care about are less likely to receive specific gifts (whether of financial or sentimental value) that you want to pass on to them.

The reason why most people don't write a Will is the financial cost of doing so. We want to remove that barrier. Our free templates are most suitable for less complicated estates that are valued below the IHT nil rate band (when no tax would be paid). One of the Net Lawman free Will templates should be suitable, we estimate, for about 60% of the UK population.

Our commercial motivation is simply that once you have used a Net Lawman Will, we hope that you come back to us for legal documents for other aspects of your personal or business affairs. Providing a complete, commonly used, free template that is based on our more complex paid versions is a great way for our visitors to assess the quality of our documents.

Note that our free templates do not contain provisions that seek to minimise tax. If this is important to you, you should look at the other Net Lawman last Will and testament templates, a number of which cover basic IHT planning (largely as illustrated by HM Revenue and Customs). If the valuation of your estate could exceed the nil rate band (£325,000 for an individual in 2022/23), then we suggest that you seek advice from a qualified tax specialist before signing your Will.

Home   >   Wills, trusts, tax & probate   >   Will Writing   >   A Simple Guide To Wills

Will writing

A simple guide to wills

Do you want to make sure your wishes regarding your money, possessions and property are carried out after you die? We provide legal expertise for wills and probate and answer your questions in our guide . Our will-writing team are currently at full capacity, though if you’d still like to pass on your details, please contact [email protected] and we’ll contact you next month to discuss which of our services is suited to your needs.

Call us now for will writing support

Slater and Gordon have experts in wills ready to help you. Contact us online today or call us on freephone 0330 041 5869 to speak to one of our friendly advisors.

Wills, trusts, tax and probate solicitors

What is a will.

A will determines how your assets are to be divided in the event of your death. It's a formal document that must comply with strict legal requirements concerning both the document and the way it's executed.

What type of will do I need?

• Straightforward wills: If you're aged 18 or above, and you wish to leave your estate and/or gifts to your loved ones.
• Mirror wills: These are two almost identical will documents. If you're married, in a civil partnership, or an unmarried couple and have similar wishes about what should be included in your wills then mirror wills may be the answer. When one of the parties dies then everything commonly passes to the other person. Provisions are generally put in place about how the estate should be distributed after both parties have passed away.
• Will trust: Sometimes it may be beneficial to have a testamentary trust written into your will. With a will trust you can protect your property and other assets you wish to pass on to your loved ones. Will trusts are also a way to provide for children and ensure vulnerable loved ones are taken care of when you die. A trustee is nominated to manage the trust on behalf of the people who stand to benefit, known as the beneficiaries, for the lifetime of the trust. Setting up a trust will can be quite complex. We can help you keep it simple .
• Living wills: With a living will (also known as Advanced Decisions) provided you have mental capacity you can give directions about the medical treatment you wish to accept or refuse. For example, this may be influenced by religious or other values and beliefs or you may want to determine how far treatment should go if your condition is declared 'terminal'.

How to write a will

A good place to start when considering making a will is to write a list of your assets and carefully think about who you'd like to leave your estate to. We offer a wide range of will writing services , with many offerings depending on your needs.

What should be included in a will?

Your will can cover various topics and it may be more or less complex depending on the assets in your estate and the beneficiaries you wish to include. Common questions you may want to answer when considering how you want your Will to be drafted are the following:

• Who do you want to benefit from your will (i.e. friends, families, and charities)?
• Are there assets, e.g. furniture, jewellery, family heirlooms, or collections that you want to give to a specific person?
• Who do you leave your property to? If it's a jointly owned property, it will automatically go to the other party. It is possible to 'sever' the joint ownership so you can leave your half of the property as you wish under your will. It is important to consider giving your property to a direct descendant or spouse as this may result in a lower inheritance tax bill.
• Do you want to give the right of residency to current tenants or occupiers of a property?
• Consider children, parents, and pets that you want to be taken care of.
• If you have digital assets, make sure you consider them in your will. Provide a list of passwords to the executor but don't put any sensitive information into the will itself.
• What do you want to happen if any of your beneficiaries die before you?
• Do you want to state any funeral wishes?
• Who do you want to appoint as your executor(s)? Someone to act on your behalf and fulfill the wishes in your will. For more information about executors, read "What is an executor or administrator" .

Writing a will can be complex. Contact us to speak to our specialist wills and probate solicitors who can guide you through the process.

How do I change my will?

Once you've got your will in place, you should regularly review it to ensure it reflects any changes in your life and how these may have impacted on your wishes. Circumstances where you may want to review your will include:

• Getting married or entering into a civil partnership (this automatically revokes your Will)
• Getting divorced (this does not automatically revoke your Will)
• Having children
• Buying property or other high-value assets

Do I need to sign my will?

Your will is not valid unless and until it has been properly executed.

Where do I store my will?

Your will needs to be easily found when it's needed. We advise you not to hide it somewhere in your home, but to keep it safe with a solicitor, a bank, or a will storage company. Make sure someone you trust, for example, your assigned executor, knows where your will is stored and has access to it.

We offer a will storage and retrieval service, click here for more .

Prices quoted on this page include VAT.

Wills, trusts, tax and probate help and expert guides

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• Wills, Trusts & Estates

Will Writing Services

A Will is a legal document that lets you decide what happens to your money, property, and possessions (your ‘estate’) after your death. It allows you to clearly set out your wishes and decide who’s responsible (executor) for dealing with your estate. It also sets out any procedures the executor may need to follow. With effective planning, a Will can also make sure that your loved ones are provided for in the most tax-efficient way.

If you don’t make a Will, the law will divide your estate according to what’s known as the rules of intestacy. These rules are very fixed and may not reflect what you’d like to happen to your wealth, or what’s most tax efficient.

More information about Wills can be found in our Wills Guide . You can also choose one of the options listed:

• Making A Will
• Our Online and Postal Will Service
• Our Bespoke Will Service
• Reviewing And/Or Changing Your Existing Will
• Accessing Your Documents
• Contesting Or Defending A Will
• Choosing Or Being Named As An Executor

Making a Will

Our friendly team of experts can help you prepare a Will to:

• Make sure your money and property go to the people you want them to go to
• Minimise inheritance tax
• Name trusted people as executors* to sort out your affairs when you die
• Appoint legal guardians for any children who are still minors
• Reflect changes in your life circumstances, such as marriage or divorce, or the birth of children or grandchildren
• Ensure gifts of personal items are left to the right people
• Set up trusts and make gifts to charity.

*We act as executors for many clients and have administered thousands of estates.

Choosing the right Will service for you

Our Will services are easy to use and can be tailored to your needs. We can help you decide what type of service would suit you best.

Our online and postal Will service

This fixed fee service may be perfect for you if:

• Your estate, personal circumstances and wishes are relatively straightforward
• You’re happy to complete a secure online questionnaire or complete and return a postal form
• You don’t want advice on inheritance tax planning, trusts or other aspects covered by our bespoke service.

And with this service, if you appoint Irwin Mitchell as your executor, you’ll also get access to our Wills Assured service.

Fees for our online will service are £175 for a single Will or £260 for ‘mirror’ Wills.

If you prefer to use our postal service, fees are £195 for a single Will or £295 for ‘mirror’ Wills and you can download the form  and send it back to us.

Our bespoke Will service

We know that life can sometimes be more complex, involving scenarios that are unique to you and your family. This means your Will may need to reflect this, with a more tailored and bespoke solution to give you and your loved ones the confidence and security you need.

You may prefer dedicated legal and tax advice tailored to your needs if:

• You prefer to discuss your wishes and options with an adviser at an in person or virtual meeting or on the phone
• You would like to talk about inheritance tax planning or trusts
• You need advice on how to provide for your beneficiaries, taking into account their particular circumstances
• You have business interests, agricultural assets, overseas assets, international connections or your estate is over £1m
• You are a beneficiary of a trust
• You have made gifts over £3,000 in any tax year
• You or your partner have children from a previous relationship.

Our fees for the Will drafting elements of this service start from £850 plus VAT for a single Will or from £1,050 plus VAT for ‘mirror’ Wills and depend on your particular requirements. We’ll be able to give you an indication of the likely cost after an initial chat and, once we know more, we’ll confirm fees in writing before we proceed. We’ll also highlight other services that may be of interest to you such as advice on estate planning, powers of attorney, trusts and tax.

Sharia-compliant Islamic Wills

A Sharia-compliant Islamic Will (Wasiyyah) can be suitable for Muslims who’d like their assets to pass in accordance with the principles of Sharia law. Our solicitors are experts in Sharia law compliance and can help you provide for your family in a way that follows your faith.

Wills Assured Service

As part of our online and postal Will Service, we also offer our Wills Assured Service. Once finalised, we can store your Will for you. If you appoint Irwin Mitchell Trustees Limited as the executor of your estate, you’ll also able to make free amendments as part of our Wills Assured Service .

This package of additional benefits is designed to make life simpler for you and your loved ones knowing:

• Your Will is kept safe and will be easy to access after your death
• You can update it at any time if your circumstances change
• All your important digital information is in one place.

Reviewing or changing your existing Will (Adding a Codicil)

An up-to-date Will is essential for making sure your wishes reflect your current situation and includes everyone you wish.

It’s good practice to recheck your Will every five years, especially to make sure it considers any changes in tax regulations that might affect you.

We suggest reviewing your Will following major life changes, for example if:

• You get married or divorced
• Any of your beneficiaries get married or die
• New children or grandchildren are born, and you want them to inherit
• There’s a significant change in your financial circumstances
• You come into any inheritance – this could change the value of your estate and the Inheritance Tax payable.

With our Wills Assured Service , standard updates are free. That means you don’t have to worry about paying extra fees to keep your Will fit for purpose.

Deciding whether to make changes to your existing Will (adding a codicil) or to write a new one will depend on the scale and number of changes you want to make. A codicil is an addition to a Will that can amend or revoke parts of it. This can be suitable if there are just one or two small changes.

If you need any large revisions, it’s often better to write a new Will to avoid confusion. We can explore these options with you and advise on what’s best for you and your loved ones.

Accessing your documents

Your Will belongs to you, and we’ll happily store it for you and provide you with a copy when you need one. If at any stage you’d like your original Will returned to you, just let us know and we’ll tell you what we need to send it to you. When you die, your executors will need the original Will. We can explain the terms of the Will to them and help them deal with the probate process .

Contesting or defending a Will

If you’ve been left out of a Will, haven’t been left as much as you expected, or think the Will is wrong in some way, you might be able to contest it.

Contesting a Will can be challenging and feel daunting. With the help of our Will Disputes Team, we can support and guide you through the process. We can also help if you are an executor defending against a Will dispute .

Lasting Power Of Attorney

At the same time as thinking about your Will, it makes sense to also consider making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) . These are useful if you’re worried about losing the ability to manage your own affairs in the future. We can discuss the options with you and help you appoint the right person to make decisions on your behalf if you lose mental capacity.

If you want to find out more,  contact the team today .

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Will Writing Services - More Information

How do i make a will.

Making a Will is simple. There’s a few ways to do it:

• Online – the questionnaire  only takes ten minutes to complete
• By post – download the form  and send it back to us
• By phone – call and speak to us
• In person – come and speak to us in one of our national offices

We recommend our online or postal service if your estate is relatively straightforward. If you have more complex requirements, or you’d like to talk about tax-planning or asset protection options such as setting up a trust, we advise speaking to us on the phone or coming in to see one of our experts.

Call us today for an initial consultation on 0370 1500 100 – or use our online enquiry form  and we’ll give you a call back.

How Much Does It Cost?

This depends on your requirements and the complexity of your estate. Standard Wills offered through our online service cost:

• £175 (including VAT) for a single Will
• £260 (including VAT) for ‘mirror’ Wills (for couples - if your needs are very similar).

If your estate is fairly straightforward we recommend this option. Get started with our online wills service  today.

You can also use our postal service by downloading the form and sending it in to us. The fees for this service are:

• £195 (including VAT) for a single Will
• £295 (including VAT) for ‘mirror’ Wills.

For both these services there may be additional costs if you need more complex advice. We would let you know about these before drafting your Will.

More complex and high value estates require more dedicated legal advice tailored to your needs, to ensure you and your loved ones are provided for in the most tax-efficient way .

For this service we recommend contacting the team to arrange an appointment with one of our experts who can let you know the options available to you.

What Should I Think About When Making My Will?

Everyone’s circumstances are different, but some of the things to consider when making a Will are:

• The value of your estate – inheritance tax (IHT) is generally due on anything over the £325,000 threshold (£650,000 for married couples and civil partners) once mortgage and other debts are deducted
• A new IHT allowance of £125,000 may apply if you own a property and leave some of your estate to relatives like children and grandchildren.
• How you own your assets – if you co-own property with your spouse, the type of tenancy you have will affect whether or not they can continue to live there after your death
• Who you want to leave your assets to (i.e. your beneficiaries)
• Who you would like to be the  executors of your estate
• Whether some assets would be best placed in a trust for asset protection purposes.

These are important decisions to make and you should seek legal advice to make sure your estate is structured in the best way for you and your beneficiaries.

Read through our Wills Checklist  to see if you’ve got everything covered.

Can You Store My Will?

Yes we can. Our specialist storage facility ensures your Will is kept secure from the risk of theft, fire or water damage. It also means it’s easily accessed after your death, giving you peace of mind and making things easier for your loved ones.

This service is free for our standard, bespoke and Wills Assured  clients.

Meet The Team

Our team has decades of experience helping people prepare, amend and execute Wills. We’re regularly appointed as executors and are very experienced in estate administration.

We also have experts in trust administration and tax compliance, which means we have everything you need to plan effectively.

We have considerable experience in complex estates and frequently work with international and high net worth clients.

Irwin Mitchell are a very professional, trustworthy and straightforward company to deal with. I would recommend them to anyone."

Elderly Care Crisis: A Tipping Point

Our new research predicts that the UK retirement living sector will run out of beds and face a multi-billion pound funding gap in the next 10 years.

This upcoming crisis means that planning ahead is more important then ever - find out more about how our Later Life Planning experts can help you prepare

"It’s never too late to start but the earlier you do the easier it is." - Richard Potts, CEO of IM Asset Management

Frequently Asked Questions

When do you need to review your will.

Having an up-to-date Will is essential to make sure your plans for your estate reflect your current situation and include everyone you want to include.

Its good practice to recheck your Will every five years, especially to make sure it takes into account any changes in tax regulations that might affect you.

You should also review your Will following major life changes, for example if:

• New children or grandchildren are born who you want to inherit
• You come into any inheritance – this could change the value of your estate and the Inheritance Tax payable

With our Wills Assured service, standard updates are free – so you don’t have to worry about paying extra fees to keep your Will fit for purpose.  Find out more.

Why Choose Irwin Mitchell?

Irwin Mitchell is a leading law firm with considerable expertise in the area of wills and estates. We’ve helped thousands of clients prepare for the future with strategic estate planning.

The team frequently receives five star reviews from our customers on Trustpilot, and we’re recognised in the leading UK legal guide, including the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.

We’re adept at dealing with complex estates and also handling international probate issues for clients who have assets in different countries. We also have the benefit of acting as executor for many of our clients, which allows us to bring our detailed knowledge of the probate process into our will writing services.

We pride ourselves on providing clear advice in plain English, free from jargon, and our team is always on hand to discuss any questions you have.

Can You Help Me Change My Will?

Yes – we can help you write a new will or add a codicil to your existing will. A codicil is an addition to a Will that can amend or revoke parts of it. It can be enough if there are just one or two small changes, but if you need any substantial revisions it’s better to write a new Will to avoid confusion.

Our probate and tax experts can also check that your Will is structured in the best way for your estate and be able to advise on any amends where necessary.

Standard updates are free with our Wills Assured  service.

Related Information - Will Writing Services

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10 of The Best Online Will Writing Services

Making a Will using an online Will-writing service is an excellent and simple way of securing the future of your estate. Online Will-writing services are affordable, easy to use, and can enable you to  write your Will  in as little as 10 minutes.

Age Space has compiled this helpful guide to some of the best online Will-writing services in the UK. This includes information about how each online Will-writing service works, how long the process takes, and how much you can expect to pay. We have also secured some exclusive discounts for Age Space users. 

• Which? Wills
• ActiveWills
• Properwills
• LegalWills.co.uk
• MakeAWillOnline
• Will Drafters Ltd
• Co-Op Legal Services

If you have a simple estate, then you can create a Will with Which? in as little as half an hour. Which? provide you with a simple guide to their Will-writing forms and process. You can fill these out in your own time and their dedicated support team are available by phone or email with any questions you have during the Will-writing process. 

Which? also operate a Review Service, ensuring that your Will is looked-over by one of their dedicated Will experts before you sign it to provide peace of mind that everything makes sense and is in order.

Prices start at £84 for a single Will, and £156 for a mirror Will. 

With our 15% discount you can also get your Will written and reviewed by an expert from only £72.00 

2. ActiveWills

Making an online Will through ActiveWills’ Will-writing service involves completing a simple online template devised by their expert estate-planning solicitors. You fill in each section, print the Will yourself, and then just need to get it signed and witnessed. There is a friendly chat facility if you need support whilst writing it. 

The process of writing an online Will through ActiveWills takes very little time, and you can have a simple Will put together in just 10 minutes! ActiveWills score 4.9 out of 5 on TrustPilot and with a Single Will costing £19.99 and a Mirror Will costing £29.99 they are one of the most affordable online Will-writing services. Plus you receive free lifetime storage of your legal documents.

The process of writing an online Will through ActiveWills takes very little time, and you can have a simple Will put together in just 10 minutes! ActiveWills score 4.9 out of 5 on TrustPilot and with a Single Will costing £19.99 and a Mirror Will costing £29.99  they are one of the most affordable online Will-writing services. Plus you receive free lifetime storage of your legal documents.

The process of writing an online Will through ActiveWills takes very little time, and you can have a simple Will put together in just 10 minutes! ActiveWills score 4.9 out of 5 on TrustPilot and with a Single Will costing £19.99  £9.99 and a Mirror Will costing £29.99 £14.99 they are one of the most affordable online Will-writing services. Plus you receive free lifetime storage of your legal documents.

50% Spring Discount for Age Space readers! Until 18th April Active Wills are offering Age Space readers Will writing at £9.99 for Single Wills and £14.99 for Mirror Wills. Click the link below to get this deal!

3. Properwills

Their step-by-step online questionnaire is sleek, easy to use and takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Each Will is checked by a legal expert and usually ready to sign in less than 48 hours, making them one of the fastest services in the UK. And if you can’t print your Will, Properwills offer to deliver it for free. 

We like that the process is very intuitive and easy to follow and that their support team is responsive and always happy to help. Included in the price is 5 years of free, unlimited updates to the Will. 

Their Wills cost £99 (or £149 for couples) and includes everything to get your Will(s) sorted, checked and sent to you. It’s a fixed fee service so you only pay this – no surprise fees down the line.

Age Space Exclusive : Get 12% off online when you use our discount code – “ AGESP12 ″

4. Farewill

Writing your Will with Farewill is a quick and easy process, taking as little as 15 minutes. You can choose to create your Will either by answering some questions online, or with one of their friendly team of experts over the phone. Whichever method you choose, their helpful support team are available to you every step of the way. Farewill then finalise your Will in under 5 working days, and send it to you to sign in front of witnesses. 

Farewill are rated 4.9 out of 5 by over 13,000 happy customers on Trustpilot, and were awarded the National Will Writing Firm of the Year award at the British Wills and Probate Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The price for making an online Will with Farewill costs £100 (£160 for couples) and making a Will over the phone costs £240 (£380 for couples). Farewill also have an optional £10 a year update service, meaning you can make unlimited updates to your Will throughout the rest of your life.

Age Space Exclusive:  Get 15% off your Will when you use our discount code – “agespace15”

5. LegalWills.co.uk

To make a Will online at LegalWills.co.uk, you answer a series of questions about your wishes, spanning 9 different sections. Their Will experts can offer help at each step of the online Will-making process, to make sure your wishes are being met.   LegalWills.co.uk can produce a Last Will and Testament from £39.95. You also have the option to request that your Will is looked over by one of their expert solicitors for an additional cost of £50.00 

An advantage of using the LegalWills.co.uk service is that they allow you to make unlimited updates to your Will, free of charge. Age Space Exclusive : Save 10% when you buy a Will using the link below

6. Make A Will Online

The process for producing a Will with Make A Will Online will only take between 5-10 minutes with one simple form. At the end of doing a single Will you are also able to add an additional Will for half the price of the first. 

Their website is simple, quick and easy to use and is perfect for busy people who would prefer to avoid expensive solicitor fees. What makes Make A Will Online extra special is that every Will has a qualified solicitor check it over after it has been created.

A single Will costs £60 and a pair of Wills costs £90. 

Beyond’s online Will-writing service can take as little as 15 minutes to answer a series of key questions. Beyond then puts together your fully-legal Will for you. Their online support team provide live support throughout the Will-writing process, ensuring you get everything right. Every Will that is created with Beyond is checked over by their in-house legal expert. Once you are happy with the Will all you need to do is print and sign it in front of two witnesses.

Making an online single Will with Beyond costs £90, and you pay only when you print and sign. Wills for couples cost £135, meaning you save money compared to purchasing two separate Wills.

The process of writing a Will online with Kwil takes just 30 minutes, and you don’t have to pay anything until you’re happy to print and sign. All you need to do is answer some qualifying questions and work your way through their step-by-step process for putting the Will together. Kwil has a very helpful Online Lockbox Service in which you can securely store all of the information your executor may need once you die,

including details about your bank accounts, credit cards, pensions etc. The Kwil will-writing service costs £90 for individuals, and £120 for couples. Any amendments in the first year are free, and there is an optional £10 annual fee per person to be able to update the Will anytime after that.

9. Will Drafters Ltd.

Will Drafters Ltd’s Will writing service is conducted over the phone and a good choice for those who prefer communicating in person rather than using online forms. Following an initial conversation, their specialist legal team will prepare and mail you your Will to sign. Will Drafters Ltd have helped over 100,000 customers to write their Will online since 1990. 

Their prices start at £43 for a single, simple Will, and they also offer a WillPlus service which includes free lifetime storage and the ability to make unlimited updates to your Will.

10. Co-Op Legal Services

With Co-Op Legal Services you just need to answer some quick questions online, and then speak on the phone to one of their Will-writers who will help you to put together the final document. Once the Will is ready, they will post you a copy to sign in front of your witnesses. Co-op Legal Services was named as the National Will Writing Firm of the Year in 2018. 

They operate a fixed fee service, meaning that once they’ve quoted you a price there are no nasty surprises later down the line. The price for a single Will from Co-Op Legal Services starts at £150, and Mirror Wills cost from £245.

FAQs on How to Make a Will Online

How long does it take to make a will online.

In most cases, writing a Will online does not take very long. If you have a simple estate then making the will can take as little as 10 minutes, but it will take longer the more complicated your Will is. Some online Will-writing services require a few days for their legal experts to look over the online Will before you are able to sign it.

How much does an online Will cost?

The cost of writing a Will online varies from provider to provider, and on the type of Will you are looking to buy. The starting cost for a simple Single Will can be as little as £19.99 as from Active Wills, but with other providers costs can start from over £100. Mirror Wills cost more than single Wills, but tend to be cheaper than the cost of 2 Single Wills.

Are online Wills legal in the UK?

Online Wills are legal in the UK, as long as they have been correctly signed and witnessed in line with UK law. Two witnesses, who are not beneficiaries of the Will, must sign and date it also. This can now be done  online .

Can I update a Will made online?

You can update a Will made online. Some providers allow you to opt-in to pay a small annual fee in order to make unlimited updates to your Will in the future. If you choose not to opt-in, you can still be able to make updates to your Will, but there will usually be a one-off cost on each occasion you make an update.

To enable Age Space to keep providing content for our readers, for some of the links on this page we receive a small commission if you decide to buy a Will with a provider. 

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Expat Wills - How to create a legally binding Will as an expat

A guide to Wills for expats primarily covering English and Welsh laws but also other nationalities and domicile statuses

Written on 31 May 2024

Wills for Expats are a difficult subject to write about because they are a difficult thing to define.  Laws which govern an expat’s estate will be different depending on their home nation and on the laws of the country in which they currently reside.

This article concentrates on English and Welsh (E&W) and other British domiciles, however, much of what is included here will be relevant for those of other nationalities and domicile statuses.

For English and Welsh domiciled expats, the law that governs the devolution of their movable estate (e.g. cash or personal items), is the law of England and Wales. However, this may not – and, in fact, is unlikely to extend to the immovable estate (e.g. land and buildings) held anywhere other than England and Wales).  The immovable estate is more likely to be dealt with under the law of the jurisdiction where the asset is situated.

As each nation has their own laws to govern the distribution of and the taxation on an estate, no one-size-fits-all Will exists, so, expats who own assets in more than one jurisdiction may find they require several Wills. 

Expat Wills example 1 (Joe):

Joe, who is Welsh domiciled, lives in Brazil.  He has a house in Brazil and a flat in England. He also has a bank account in Brazil, one in France (where his mother now lives), and one in England.

Joe would need an E&W Will to deal with his personal belongings and his cash in all bank accounts wherever situated; this E&W Will can also name the beneficiaries of his flat in England.

For the house in Brazil, Joe would need a Brazilian Will as the laws of Brazil would prevail for the immovable property (i.e. the house) that is situated there.

These different Wills need to work alongside each other and be written carefully so that a subsequent Will in a different jurisdiction for assets held there, doesn’t, inadvertently, revoke a Will already made somewhere else.

Although the laws of the expat’s home nation will prevail only for the distribution of their moveable assets held worldwide and their immoveable assets held in the jurisdiction of the home nation, the taxation treatment may well be different. 

For example, for a person domiciled in E&W, inheritance tax will be due on all assets that are over the value of the nil rate band (currently £325k) wherever these assets are held.  Yet, there may also be tax due on the same assets in the country where the assets are situated.

If there is a double taxation treaty between the UK and the country concerned, this may mean that the tax isn’t paid to both the country where the asset is held and to the UK, however, a treaty is not always in place.

Expat Wills example 2

Let’s say the total value of cash in all Joe’s bank accounts was £220k, his property in England was valued at £625k and his Brazilian house was valued at £180k, equalling £1,025k.  If Joe were to die, his estate would be taxed in the UK at 40% on everything over £325k, thus, £700k x 40% = £280k.

However, that may not be the end of the tax due.  There may be tax due in Brazil for the house held there and tax due in France on the monies held in the French bank account. 

What happens without a Will?

If you don’t have a legally binding Will, the laws of intestacy will prevail.  In E&W, the intestacy rules will divide the estate of a deceased person in a standard way and this will not suit everyone.  For example, a long-term partner (i.e. one who was not married or in a civil partnership with the deceased), even if they have children together, will not inherit anything at all, step-children are not recognised under the intestacy rules, guardians and executors will be appointed by a court and there will be no provisions for smaller gifts, for example, charitable donations.

The intestacy rules in E&W can make for some very difficult circumstances between family members.

Each country will have its own rules to dictate what happens to an estate when a person dies, so, for those with immoveable property situated in a certain jurisdiction it is the rules of that jurisdiction which will prevail.

And this may have consequences for the taxation of the estate.

Expat wills example 3

If Joe dies without a Will, his property in England and his worldwide moveable assets (i.e. the cash he has in bank accounts) would be subject to the intestacy rules of E&W; his property in Brazil would be subject to the Brazilian rules of intestacy.

For taxation purposes, as Joe is single, not very much would change.

A Expat wills example 4 (Joanna)

Joanna is in the same position as Joe however is married with one child of her own and one step-child.

Her circumstances would mean that her property in England and her worldwide moveable assets would be split between her husband and her own child with her husband receiving the first £250k of her estate and both her husband and child receiving half each of the remainder.

Her house in Brazil would be divided as per the Brazilian law and, as this would also include her child inheriting, there would undoubtedly be an, otherwise avoidable, inheritance tax issue in the UK as, in the UK, a spouse is an exempt beneficiary for taxation purposes but a child is not. In the case of Joanna’s estate, her child would now be inheriting an amount over the Nil Rate Band – thus, inheritance tax will be due.

Apart for the tax bill, the wider question, of course, is; how would the devolution of Joanna’s estate affect the family dynamics? Possibly, this would be unfavourable.

For those expats with children, one of the main concerns is what will happen to my children should I perish?  For most jurisdictions, this can be done by naming Guardians to look after the children with the same role and responsibilities as the parent.

Some jurisdictions around the world will allow for the Will in an individual’s home nation to prevail, especially in the naming Guardians, however, this is not always the case, so cannot, and should not, be relied upon.

This may mean that having a Will written in the country of residence is the answer.  That said, it is often best to discover if the jurisdiction does allow the Will of the home nation for Guardianship purposes, as this may give a better choice of naming guardians than would the laws on guardianship in country of residence, which may not allow for the Guardians of choice.

When choosing the option of having a Will written in the country of residence, although this may suffice for the naming of Guardians, a point to remember is that this Will is unlikely to be accepted for the devolution of property – especially immoveable property – held in the home nation or elsewhere.

Wills and The European Union (EU)

Expats who hold property in an EU Member State (except UK, Denmark or Ireland), may find the laws governing the devolution of that property are not those of the country where the asset is situated.

This is because the EU Succession Regulation which came into force on 17 th August 2015, provides that the succession law which applies to a person’s entire estate is decided by that person’s last place of habitual residence.  For expats, however, the regulation gives a superseding right to choose the law of their nationality.

Much discussion has surrounded the EU Succession Regulation and to what it might mean.  For example, does having not decided upon a law to govern a property situated in one of the Member States involved mean that the automatic choice is the law of the country where the person was last habitually resident; no matter where that was?

If this is the case then, those who reside in countries of forced heirship may find their properties being divided in ways which they would most certainly not wish.

Expat wills example 5

Joe has now married the daughter of his mother’s friend and, because she lives in France, has sold his English property and has bought a house in Nice.

At the same time, his firm has asked if he would like to go to work on a project in Qatar.  Seduced by the warmer climes, Joe and his wife go to live in Doha for the next five years.

If Joe does not write a Will and perishes whilst still a resident in Qatar, it might be that his property in France (a Member State which has signed up to the EU Succession Regulation) is divided up on his death as per French law which dictates that the law of the country of habitual residence shall prevail.  Joe’s country of habitual residence is Qatar and, therefore, this could mean that Qatari Sharia law will decide upon the devolution of Joe’s French home.

As yet, no clear outcome is known as the regulation is only in the early stages, however, writing a Will which gives the option of using the law of the individual’s nationality must surely be the more certain and more definitive solution.

Getting the Right Advice

This article has only covered some of the main issues that affect an expat; there are, of course, many more.

What would happen if they die, although not necessarily something that a person wants to think about, is more in the front of mind when that person lives abroad where the laws and customs are unfamiliar.

With so many factors to consider when creating a Will as an expat, it is vital to seek expert advice from someone who will be able to help structure the devolution of the estate to ensure the right people inherit and inheritance tax is minimised.

Every situation is different.  Every family circumstance is unique. Every person has distinctive needs and wants special to their own situations. And every country has their own regulations and practices. The best way for an expat to ensure their family and wealth is protected is to seek the right advice.

And to make sure they have a Will in place that protects them - just in case.

Next step: Request an introduction to a will writing and estate planning specialist

Our free introduction service will connect you with an international Will writing specialist to ensure you get advice you can trust and ensure that your Will(s) meet all local legal requirements, whichever country your assets reside.

Our introduction service is perfect for people who need help with:

• International family matters
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During your discovery call, our partner will explore your unique situation to get a better understanding of your circumstances, answer some general questions and provide them with the insight needed to detail any formal services you may need to get your affairs in order.

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I'm writing this because I know my Gen Z offspring will never read it – and that's OK

Too long, don't care

Is Gen Z really different from the rest of us? The alchemy of being born between 1997 and 2012 has delivered a generation of not exactly non-conformists but some seemingly disengaged youths. I mean, they must be disengaged because they see everything differently. Or is it more clearly?

Jigsaw, which is part of Google and tasked with researching "threats to open societies," studied the increasingly influential Gen Z generation to understand how they consume information, what they trust and don't trust, and how they divine facts and truth, according to a detailed report in Business Insider .

The results were startling to Google and Jigsaw, but I could've saved them time and trouble by detailing my ongoing research involving my Gen Z relation. My non-binary child is 26 and has been schooling me for years on what people their age do and don't do. I understand how they connect or do not connect with peers, gather information, reach consensus, and mostly not take action that they'd perceive as pointless anyway.

My schooling began some years ago when I discovered they (and many other Gen Zers) do not consume entertainment like I do. I noticed they were watching TV with captions on . My child has no hearing issues and the show they were watching was not in a foreign language or even featuring heavily accented people. 

The reason was simple: the show owned only a piece of their attention. While they "watched," they were also on their phone engaging in social media and watching other content on YouTube or Tumblr. The closed captioning helped them keep track of the action on TV.

Now, it's far more common for people (including me and my wife) to watch shows with close captioning, but I'm convinced Gen Z started the trend.

My facts vs. your facts

The schooling continued as we argued key socio-political topics, and I noticed that even though they never watched CNN or opened a news website, they were well-versed in most issues of the day. If I challenged them on a point, they noted the details about said topic they were gathering from the ground-level of social media, including X (then Twitter), Tumblr (the once bible of all Gen Z tweens and teens), and which included stories from people near the action and other Gen Z cohorts commentating on it.

Researchers seemed surprised that Gen Zers do not read posts (especially long ones like this) and instead scroll to the comments where the real action is (sorry, no comments on this site). From study:

" Participants crowdsourced their credibility judgments by observing how others reacted to the same information...."

"...Note that her practice is to go to the comments first and then Google to confirm what she finds there, using a search engine as a supplement to multiple social checks."

The researchers observed the deep distrust of the establishment I've witnessed for years. Gen Z doesn't just believe governments and institutions have let them down; they have an equal distrust of the established media that covered them.

The study notes that Gen Z relies heavily on influencers for information and fact-finding:

"Participants used go-to public personalities and influencers as surrogate thinkers to help them filter and interpret information."

Again, this is not a surprising development, considering this is the first generation raised on YouTube.

The age of influence

I remember when I learned my then-teenaged Gen Z child was following Jenna Marbles on the platform. Marbles, for a time one of the most popular influencers on YouTube, was brash, raw, and unvarnished but mostly funny. What she told the Gen Z set about the world mattered. Marbles ran into controversy and abruptly left the platform almost four years ago. Interestingly, the potential of getting canceled may have played into that decision. Years earlier, she had posted some questionable videos, and as they resurfaced, she pulled the plug.

The study notes that Gen Z not only depends on influencers to help shape their worldview but uses comments on the content to game out which kinds of reactions might make them get canceled. It's a sort of real-time awareness that previous generations often lacked and struggled to develop. From the study:

"To cope with their fear of social error, they checked comments for social orientation and searched for answers validated by peers. They often remained anonymous online to avoid being “canceled.”

In a way, the growth of social media and mobile content consumption and the rise of Gen Z as an active force in cultural, political, and social conversations is a sort of symbiotic relationship. Modern media and social media are increasingly designed to reach Gen Z where it's most comfortable:

• Short content
• Content propelled by paid influencers
• Reddit-style comment forums returning to more main-stream content source
• Content that does not make them feel uncomfortable

The researchers, who did not do a wide study but one that more anecdotally focussed on just 35 Gen Z adults from various backgrounds, were also surprised to find that Gen Zers avoid content that might upset them and are not concerned over the proliferation of AI-generated fake content.

A lot of this is a reminder for people like me that my worldview is shaped not just by my generation but by my vocation. I assume that everyone else is interested in the facts and that when these facts are shown, we'll all agree on what is true.

Conversations with my child have disabused me from these notions. They have concrete belief in their point of view based on information gleaned from their networks. Historical perspectives and wider context mean little to them. They have the information they need and are comfortable in their assumptions or facts.

This one study anecdote was particularly telling: "[One participant]  told us when investigating the rumor that Katy Perry killed a nun (screensharing with us a query they chose), they were disappointed to find no stories from major news sources that definitively answered this question. They went to TikTok and concluded that if Katy Perry fans hadn’t weighed in, the story must not be true. They trusted Katy Perry fans, who engaged with and reported on her activities daily, to know the truth. A lack of information on trending topics on search engines led several participants to turn to social sources of information."

Change. It's a thing

One thing I don't think researchers covered or fully comprehended, though, is that Gen Z is an easy label to use to define people of a certain age, but it is not a fixed description of every Gen Z person.

If we think of Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, or Gen X who were born between 1964 and 1980, these are people now either well into middle age or beyond it. As groups, they are varied. Some might have been hippies in the 70s, Reganites in the 80s, and corporate greedmongers in the 90s. Who knows what they are now?

The Gen Z population is already aging into adulthood and facing new realities. They may soon start to look at those news sources their parent favored or question the reliability of the hive mind comment section.

I'm not denying that Gen Z is adulting in an extraordinary time. No other generation was raised with ubiquitous screens or instant access to the opinions of millions of like-minded people. Their brains may be wired differently. I'm sure my person's is, but I can also see glimmers of change. They, too, may soon question their sources and seek a new way to gather information and form opinions. And they will be all the better for their journey through uncharted information space.

As I said, I wrote this reaction about the Jigsaw study and about my own Gen Z adult because I know they don't visit sites like mine and are more apt to learn of the study through X (formerly Twitter) or perhaps TikTok or YouTube and will form their opinions of it based on the reactions to the study. Their reactions to this piece will likely forever remain a mystery to me.

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A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist , Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Ryan, the Today Show , Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC. 

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Young writer's competition: Enter now!

We’ve teamed up with the National Literacy Trust to create a brand-new writing competition for anyone aged 16 or under. Winners will not only get to have their story published in Good Housekeeping, they’ll also be awarded £100 worth of bookshop voucher

As part of our year-long partnership with the National Literacy Trust, we’ve been promoting the power of reading for children and how it opens horizons – but writing is just as important a part of literacy. New research from the National Literacy Trust shows that writing for fun in their free time can support a child’s mental wellbeing and help them feel happier, more confident and relaxed. Children have also reported that it inspires their creativity and helps them express their imaginations, thoughts and feelings. That’s why we’re launching a new writing competition aimed especially at those aged 16 and under.

There’s nothing like creating a story to set children’s imaginations free and get them to put pen to paper. To enter, we’re asking parents or guardians to send us their child’s story on the theme of Christmas. This is a chance for children to let their creativity run wild and come up with something really original and exciting.

The competition is split into four age categories: seven and under, eight-to-10-year-olds, 11-to-13-year-olds and 14-to-16-year-olds. Those aged seven and under are invited to send in a drawing and a few sentences, while those in the other three categories can submit up to 500 words on a Christmas theme of their choice. Each age category will be considered separately by our panel of judges, who will be looking for the most creative entries in each group. Winning stories will be published in the December 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping and each category winner will also receive £100 worth of book tokens.

How to enter

What to send : Send us your child’s story of no more than 500 words (this can include a drawing if your child is seven or under) on the theme of Christmas. Please include the name of the parent or guardian, the name and date of birth of the child, the age category being entered and a mobile or daytime contact number for the parent or guardian.

Send your entry here : [email protected] by 31 August 2023 . In the email, please include the following information:

• Parent or guardian's name
• Parent or guardian’s address
• Parent or guardian’s postcode
• Parent or guardian’s mobile or daytime telephone number
• Child’s name
• Child’s date of birth and the category being entered

We cannot accept entries sent by post to Good Housekeeping. See T & Cs below

Need some inspiration?

Award-winning children’s author michael morpurgo shares his tips on getting started as a writer. his latest book is the boy who would be king , illustrated by michael foreman..

• Write just a little every day, whether that’s first thing in the morning like me or in the evening when it’s quiet. Find a comfortable place to write that suits you. For me, it’s my bed, with lots of pillows behind my head.
• Settle on an idea that you’re really passionate about, then research around it and dream it out in your mind. I don’t plan out the plot – I let it emerge as I write.
• When I write, I try as much as possible to forget I’m writing at all. I put it down on the page as if I’m telling it to one person only, my best friend. Try to read your stories out aloud as if someone is listening, and don’t worry too much about spelling and punctuation.
• Try to write about things you know about. Live an interesting life. Meet people. Read a lot and widely.
• Give yourself time to develop your own style, your own voice. It takes a lifetime. And most of all, enjoy it and have fun.

Meet our judges

JONATHAN DOUGLAS CBE

is chief executive of the National Literacy Trust

FIONA EVANS

is director of school programmes at the National Literacy Trust

ANGELLICA BELL

is a presenter and began her career on Children’s BBC

GABY HUDDART

is Good Housekeeping’s editor-in-chief

JOANNE FINNEY

has been books editor of Good Housekeeping since 2011

Your chance to give a child the joy of books

Every child should have the chance to read extraordinary stories. You could give the gift of reading by supporting the National Literacy Trust, whose work in the most disadvantaged areas across the country gives children and families access to books and support for their reading, writing and communication skills.

Terms & conditions

By submitting an entry, entrants will be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions and to have agreed to be bound by them. Open to UK residents. Only one entry is permitted per child. To enter, entrants must send their child’s entry to [email protected] – the name of both the child and the parent/guardian of the child must be included, along with the child’s age and the category being entered, as well as a contact number. Each entry must be the entrant’s original work. If an entry does not include the child’s name and age and the parent/guardian’s name and contact details, the entry will be considered invalid. By submitting an entry, entrants will be confirming that they are the parent/guardian of the child who has created the work and will be required to confirm the same in writing if the entry is selected as a winner. All entries must be received by midnight on 31 August 2023. Entries received after the closing date will not be considered. The first prize in each category is to have a story published in Good Housekeeping and £100 worth of book tokens. There are no cash alternatives to the prizes. Winners will be selected by a judging panel based on suitability for publication. By entering the competition, the parent/guardian understands that the winner will be invited to be interviewed for its publications and agrees that the winning story (and drawing, where applicable), plus any other relevant information, will be published in Good Housekeeping and any other Hearst title. They also agree that this material or the entry may be used for promotional and/or publicity purposes in any format in print and non-print media. Hearst reserves the right not to award the prize if it does not receive any entries of a publishable standard. The judging panel’s decision is final. Standard rules apply.

@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-o9j0dn:before{margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-right:0.625rem;color:#ffffff;width:1.25rem;bottom:-0.2rem;height:1.25rem;content:'_';display:inline-block;position:relative;line-height:1;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}} Book Reviews

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• Births, deaths, marriages and care
• Death and bereavement

Making a will

Update your will.

You should review your will every 5 years and after any major change in your life, for example:

• getting separated or divorced
• getting married (this cancels any will you made before)
• having a child
• moving house
• if the executor named in the will dies

Making changes to your will

You cannot amend your will after it’s been signed and witnessed. The only way you can change a will is by making an official alteration called a codicil.

You must sign a codicil and get it witnessed in the same way as witnessing a will.

There’s no limit on how many codicils you can add to a will.

Making a new will

For major changes you should make a new will.

Your new will should explain that it revokes (officially cancels) all previous wills and codicils. You should destroy your old will by burning it or tearing it up.

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More From Forbes

The u.k. needs a climate election—a vision for innovation.

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SALFORD, ENGLAND - JUNE 4: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party ... [+] organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this handout provided by ITV, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer (L) and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speak on stage during the first head-to-head debate of the General Election on June 4, 2024 in Salford, England. The first televised debate of the 2024 General Election between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will take place on ITV. (Photo by Jonathan Hordle - ITV via Getty Images)

A nature positive net zero transition is not just about the environment, but calls for an economic transformation. Addressing the twin challenges of climate change and nature loss requires addressing systemic problems that underpin the concerns of voters, from inflation to immigration. As the U.K. prepares to go the polls, the lack of vision about the need for system change by either main party should be of concern to business and individuals alike.

What’s The Problem?

Extreme weather records keep being broken, with worsening impacts on human health, the food system and the supply chain—let alone on biodiversity and nature. If large segments of society are poorer with less access to nutrition, education and healthcare, that undermines stability and increases pressure on public services.

We are only beginning to grasp the consequences of current temperatures. The amount of melting polar ice is so immense that it has affected the angular velocity of the earth’s liquid core —meaning humans are now responsible for changing the rotation of the Earth. Not much admittedly, but enough to impact how we measure time. For the first time, we are set to lose a leap second—and with computer systems underpinning everything from GPS to stock exchanges operating to accuracies of a thousandth of a second, this could have a significant impact. There is so much we still don’t know about what’s already happening today.

What we do know is that loss of nature and biodiversity undermines the food system, and diminishes the regulatory function of nature in providing clean air and water. Migration is being driven by conflict and climate change and if we want to address immigration we need to address the problem at source, not spend time arguing about quotas at borders, or the small numbers of migrants who can be put on planes.

At the same time, focus on climate, nature and sustainability has been shown to drive corporate efficiency, innovation and performance. The potential upside of green industrial action is billions in new opportunities and millions of new jobs —supporting livelihoods and the economy. The U.K.’s net zero economy grew 9% in 2023 , against overall economic growth of 0.1%. Yet the U.K. has no grand vision like the U.S. Inflation Act or the EU Green Deal. In the U.K. we continue to subsidize and promote expensive and damaging fossil fuel use and are failing to effectively incentivize the deployment of new technologies, processes and business models.

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‘bridgerton’ dethroned in netflix’s top 10 list by a new show, northern lights alert: here’s where you could see the aurora borealis tonight, do politicians understand the problem.

As a rule politicians don’t like complex messages and, unfortunately, communicating about system change is complex. Making the situation worse, many institutions and politicians are working on outmoded models. As Forbes McKenzie, chief executive of McKenzie Intelligence Services explains, governments have traditionally used mean data, recorded over a period of 20-50 years, to extrapolate predictions and come up with five- to ten-year plans. The issue with this is that, since 2010, climate change has altered things fundamentally, making weather patterns—and the places that will be impacted by them—impossible to predict.

The trouble is that weather and nature don’t follow borders, so we need to ensure co-ordinated responses, with resources that can be allocated as needed to the sources of the problem. Collaboration across borders for global public goods, from the climate to nature to clean water and air, is going to be a necessary component of future policy. Yet politics seems to be moving away from such approaches.

Who Pays For What?

As ever, financial questions lie at the heart of what to do. How are we to fund the NHS, education, social care? The questions that politicians seems to be ignoring are about what is going to happen to the economy, and who is going to pay for action on climate and nature. Debates about the economy are focused on fiscal responsibility and good governance, yet we pay billions every year in subsidies for fossil fuels and unsustainable agriculture. If we repurposed those funds we could finance the transition to a low carbon economy. That’s not to say that it would be simple, but it’s clear that the current system isn’t working, except for a very few.

BERLIN, GERMANY DECEMBER 01: SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the ... [+] Axel Springer Award 2020 on December 01, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty Images)

Growing inequality both globally and domestically is another huge challenge, and our current economic system is not set up to recognize or value anything except financial return. The fact that Elon Musk’s latest pay package could pay for the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework for a decade highlights the failure to recognize the value of the invisible—in this case climate and nature—in the economy.

Failure To Act Will Carry Significant Cost

The cost of lack of action needs to be considered too. Whether or not you believe that GDP is the measure that should be used to track an economy’s performance, there is little doubt about the cost of inaction. The latest research by Koch et al in Nature warns that ‘independent of future emissions choices’ the world is committed to an overall loss of 19% of GDP over the next 26 years. How then is a country to be competitive, to build new industries, to build resilience? The simple answer is by investing in system change, in a vision of the future operating within planetary boundaries focused on a nature positive low carbon transition.

Voters Have Lost Trust In Politicians

One issue that cannot be ignored is the loss of trust by the electorate. The percentages of those who vote continues to fall, and analysis says the most underrepresented groups are second and third time voters—which means those who have voted once or twice, and felt that nothing changed or worse, that their vote didn’t matter.

Populist politicians are gaining traction, because many people are concerned about the immediate impact of the cost of living, poorer public services, crime and immigration. Messaging on these issues can be simple and direct – even if solutions are less simple.

In Europe, concerns about costs saw farmer demonstrations about the cost of the Green Deal and potential changes to the Common Agricultural Policy. Farmers have been led to believe it’s the cost of these changes, and the potential hit to competitiveness, that puts their livelihoods at risk. Yet the likely impact of droughts and floods, as well as the cost of fossil fuel, could prove even more damaging in the long run. What’s needed in every industry facing transition is an honest conversation about what needs to happen and why, and politicians have got to engage more strongly with the science, and with longer term thinking.

Labour Versus Tory Seems Moot On Climate

Investing in renewables and clean energy technologies can make energy more affordable, boost energy security and combat climate change – issues that matter to everyone no matter where they sit in society. Yet in the U.K. the current conversation seems once again to be about immigration, about finance – about a battle between fiscal responsibility and the need to invest in a country where the economy has been severely impacted by Brexit and by COVID.

The Conservatives have pulled back on net zero plans, and even focused on new oil and gas licenses with the goal of addressing the energy crisis. As Christophe Williams, CEO of British-based solar thermal innovator Naked Energy points out though: “Claire Coutinho has herself admitted in the past that relying on North Sea oil and gas wouldn't necessarily bring energy bills down. It seems an odd decision to put the net zero transition on the backburner for a harmful energy source that isn't guaranteed to help us.”

At the same time, Labour’s HQ was recently blockaded by campaigners who argue that Labour’s ties to polluters like Airbus and Drax are the reason that the party abandoned its £28 billion green investment pledge. Florent Leblanc, chief executive and founder of Telis Energy U.K. has warned that the watering down of net zero commitments will result in stalled progress towards developing the sustainable energy infrastructure needed to combat climate change.

LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 12: A maintenance worker looks out over the turbines of the new ... [+] Burbo Bank off shore wind farm in the mouth of the River Mersey on May 12, 2008 in Liverpool, England. The site is run by Danish energy company Dong Energy. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The Institute for Public Policy Research recently warned that the U.K. is already off track for its 2030 target of 50GW of offshore wind by 18 years at the current pace of deployment. Given the importance of decarbonizing the energy sector, in order to reduce fossil fuel dependence, let alone tackling climate change, this is a significant problem for the U.K.’s place in the green transition.

Time For New Thinking

There is a new option, albeit it one that is unlikely to gain huge traction in the coming election, the Climate Party. Founded as a centre-right party by Ed Gemmell in 2022, it is driven by a business-friendly concern that failure to address the need for decarbonization will see the U.K. lose its place in a rapidly changing global economy. Party chairman Steff Wright, who is also chairman of Gusto Group, says that the Climate Party was founded to change the political conversation away from climate crisis to climate opportunity. He believes that green politicians haven’t managed to communicate the benefits of going green, so people still see it as a cost rather than a long-term benefit.

While the Green Party banged the drum for climate, Wright says they didn’t really engage with the business opportunities that are arising. Wright says: “With the right type of leadership the UK could and should lead the world in transition. We believe that that would create an economic revival with increased prosperity, if we were to commit to an industrial plan which aligns with the transition to net zero, aligns with the scientific recommendations.” The reality is that pathway means we need to be well underway before 2030 if we’re going to achieve that future. He adds: “We need a proper vision for what a sustainable future is going to look like. And then we need a business plan to transition towards that.”

At the moment, he argues, the parties have no vision apart from an aim to increase GDP. Today’s economy works by increasing GDP through increasing material consumption, which has clearly failed to deliver a sustainable economy or a pathway to a sustainable future. What Wright says is that the U.K. has even failed to deliver on GDP, delivering a 4.3% increase over 16 years. He says: “So not only are we not delivering on sustainability, we’re not really delivering on any growth at all.”

The Need For Consistent Ambitious Net Zero Policy

Business and the private sector are paying attention to that argument. The importance of a clear strategy from government is a sentiment shared across industry. Rory Brown, chief executive and co-founder of DAC specialist Airhive says: “Whoever gets into government, the importance of reaffirming the commitment to delivering on the UK’s binding climate targets will be present from day one.”

James Alexander, chief executive of UKSIF adds: “Parties must remain mindful that we are in a global race for sustainable investment. The UK can and should be a first-choice designation for firms looking to allocate capital for renewable energy projects, giga-factories, decarbonized housing and other innovative investment opportunities. But policy uncertainty and flip-flopping risks driving investors away.”

There Are Opportunities In The Next Parliament To Drive Change

Whoever does get into power can take action. The cross-party Climate and Nature Bill entered parliament through the private member’s route and has yet to be voted on – and there is an opportunity to make it law in the next parliament.

Politicians from across the aisle are calling for an approach in line with what the latest science is telling us is necessary to secure a livable future, via the Bill. Dr Amy McDonnell, co-director at Zero Hour, the CAN Bill Campaign says: “The CAN Bill calls for a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy that joins up the UK’s responses to climate change and the destruction of nature. These are interdependent issues that must be addressed together in order to achieve holistic, long-term solutions for the dual crises we face.”

As part of delivering an integrated and U.K.-wide climate and nature strategy, the Bill also proposes input from citizens—via a climate and nature assembly—as part of recognizing that the public need to be part of the solutions to delivering a rapid and just transition to a zero carbon, nature positive future.

McDonnell adds: “We are at a critical juncture with the climate and nature crisis. Legislative action must be taken urgently to ensure we do not consciously trigger irrecoverable tipping points. The challenges are great, but so are the opportunities—for people’s health, wellbeing, livelihoods and future prosperity—which are irrefutably a win for all.”

There is other stalled legislation that needs to be moved forward, especially if the U.K. is not to become a dumping ground for goods which fall foul of EU regulation. Anna Roberts, head of market development at supply chain digital identify specialists iov42 says: “The UK Environment Act and the Forest Risk Commodities (FRC) regulation, announced in 2021, have been stalled due to governmental uncertainties. It is crucial to reactivate these regulations swiftly to avoid heightened risks by January.”

The U.K. doesn’t yet have a clear path forward but whoever wins the election it’s time to start holding politicians—in power and in opposition, to account.

Action on climate and nature loss is not simply an environmental imperative, it’s an economic one. Casper Herzberg, chief executive of Aveva, believes that establishing greater momentum for a successful green transition is going to need to be a core agenda point for whichever government gets into power. He says: “The next five years are critical in ensuring we meet the Paris commitments—and ensuring that the UK has an internationally competitive industrial sector into the next decade and beyond.”

The connection between a nature positive net zero transformation of the economy and the multiple benefits in terms of business competitiveness on the global stage, lower energy costs, increased resilience and a healthier more equal society have got to be made clear. We need clear direct messages to the levers of power in order to facilitate system change.

For most of us there is little we can do to effect change. We’re often told it’s up to us to change our behavior, that that’s how we tackle these existential challenges. But we operate within a system and a set of choices that work to the benefit of a few. The power we have as individuals is threefold—what we buy (from fast fashion to the food we eat), where we invest and who we vote for. What we buy is a choice between what’s made available to us, and we invest mostly through third parties.

The one area where we can exert direct control is with a vote. It’s critical to take part and vote for those politicians which support action on climate and nature. If you’re interested in climate then Vote Climate shows the most climate positive candidates in your constituency and recommends a vote. No matter who gets elected, we’ll need sustained pressure from the public to keep the new government accountable—and that’s where the real work begins.

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