You can write a will online in the UK and have it stand up legally, provided your estate is straightforward and you follow the signing rules. In England and Wales that means a written will, signed by you, and witnessed by two independent people present together, as Gov. Scotland and Northern Ireland differ slightly. We offer a free guided option.
TL;DR:
In England and Wales, both witnesses must watch you sign and then sign in your presence; beneficiaries and their spouses should not witness.
Scotland generally requires at least one witness, unlike England and Wales, and Northern Ireland broadly follows the latter; confirm local rules before signing.
Online wills suit uncomplicated estates; consult a solicitor if you own a business, hold foreign assets, need a trust, or anticipate family disputes.
Name beneficiaries clearly and add a replacement for each significant gift; record accounts by institution and type, not balance, since balances can change.
Tell executors where the original and amendments are stored, and review the will after marriage, divorce, a birth, major asset changes, and periodically.
How do you write a will online, step by step?
The process is easier if you prepare first. Here is the route we recommend from start to finish:
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Choose a UK service and create an account. Pick a service built for UK law, then sign up. Our own guided creator is free.
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Enter your own details. Give your full legal name, address and date of birth, exactly as they appear on official documents.
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Name your beneficiaries and any specific gifts. Use clear names and relationships. A gift described as “my watch” invites argument; “my Omega Seamaster watch to my niece Anna Clarke” does not.
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Choose executors. These are the people who will carry out your wishes. Name at least one, and ideally a second as a back-up.
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Record your assets clearly. List property, bank accounts, pensions, investments and digital assets such as online accounts. Describe each by type and institution, for example “my current account with Barclays”, rather than quoting balances that will change.
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Download and print the will. Check every name and gift on the printed copy before you sign anything.
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Sign and witness it exactly as the rules require. Do not sign in advance, and do not let a witness sign separately. The next section explains why.
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Store the original and tell your executors where it is. Executors need the original document, and any codicils, to apply for probate, as nidirect’s probate guidance sets out.
Two practical tips make the wizard far easier. First, keep your asset list open in another window so you are copying, not remembering. Second, write beneficiary names the way a stranger could identify them: full name, relationship and, where several people share a name, a date of birth. The most common drafting problems come from vague descriptions, not from the online format itself.
If a question in the wizard does not fit your situation, treat that as a signal. A feature of your estate the form cannot capture, such as a business or a trust, is a reason to speak to a professional before you finish.
What are the signing and witnessing rules across the UK?
Getting the formalities right matters more than anything else you do online. A beautifully drafted will that is signed incorrectly can fail.
England and Wales. The rules come from the Wills Act 1837 and the Administration of Justice Act 1982, as HMRC’s inheritance tax manual records. In practice:
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The will must be in writing.
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You must sign it, or someone must sign in your presence and at your direction, intending the signature to give effect to the will.
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Two independent witnesses must be present at the same time as you sign.
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Both witnesses must then sign, in your presence.
Scotland. The Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995 applies, and the rules differ from those south of the border. GOV.UK notes that Scotland generally requires at least one witness. Check the current Scottish requirements before you sign.
Northern Ireland. The formalities broadly follow England and Wales, though you should confirm the details with the official guidance for your jurisdiction.
Who should not witness. A beneficiary, or the spouse or civil partner of a beneficiary, should not act as a witness, because it can cost them their gift. Pick neighbours, colleagues or friends who will receive nothing under the will.
England and Wales require two independent witnesses present together, while Scotland generally requires at least one, according to GOV.UK. Both signing sessions must follow your own jurisdiction’s rules, so never reuse another nation’s instructions.
HMRC’s guidance also confirms that your signature must show you meant to give effect to the will. It normally sits at the end of the document, though the courts look at your intention where it appears elsewhere. Keep it simple: sign at the end, in ink, with both witnesses watching.
What should you prepare before you start?
Gathering your details in advance can save you from stopping and searching. Have these to hand:
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Personal details: full name, address, date of birth and marital status.
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Property: addresses and how it is owned, whether solely or jointly.
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Bank and savings accounts: the institution and account type, not the balance.
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Pensions and policies: provider names and policy types, including life insurance.
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Investments and business interests: shares, funds or any stake in a company.
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Digital assets: email, cloud storage, online banking and anything with sentimental or financial value.
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People: full names of beneficiaries, executors and, if you have young children, guardians.
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Funeral wishes: burial or cremation, and any songs or readings you would like.
Pro Tip: Name a replacement beneficiary for every significant gift, for example “to my brother, and if he has died before me, to his children”. A contingency costs one sentence and avoids a gap in your plan.
Think carefully about executors and guardians. An executor needs to be organised, trustworthy and willing, and ideally not far older than you. For a guardian, choose someone who shares your approach to raising children, and ask them first.
You can also make small changes later with a codicil, a short formal amendment signed and witnessed in the same way as the will. For anything more than a minor edit, though, rewriting the will is cleaner.
When is an online will right for you, and when do you need a solicitor?
An online will suit a settled, uncomplicated situation. GOV.UK says DIY and online wills are legal in the UK but best suited to straightforward estates. You are likely in that group if:
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You have a small number of beneficiaries and no disputes expected between them.
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Your assets are ordinary: a home, bank accounts, a pension and perhaps some savings.
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You hold no trusts and no property or accounts abroad.
Take advice from a solicitor if any of these apply:
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You own a business or have shares in a family company.
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You hold foreign property or assets.
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You want to set up a trust, or need to plan for Inheritance Tax.
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A family dispute looks likely, for instance after a second marriage or an estranged relative.
Will writing is not a reserved legal activity in the UK, so quality varies and it pays to check who oversees what you sign. A common worry is that a DIY will is somehow less valid. It is not: validity depends on following the formalities, not on who drafted the words. What a solicitor adds in complex cases is protection against drafting mistakes and tax complications.
If your situation is on the complicated side, our advisers page helps you find a financial adviser or solicitor, and you can still complete your own part of the will beforehand.
What does a will cost, and are there free options?
Cost is rarely a good reason to wait. Which? argues that cost shouldn’t be a barrier, noting that many people now use free online tools or charity schemes, and that median fixed fees for a simple will tend to sit below solicitor fees.
Legal Futures reports that use of solicitors for wills fell below half for the first time, as DIY and unbundled services, where you handle the straightforward parts and pay a lawyer for the difficult ones, become more common.
Here is how the options generally compare:
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Free online creators: suited to simple wills, with guided questions and no fee to produce the document.
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Charity free-will schemes: often offered during set campaigns for simple wills, and usually limited to straightforward circumstances.
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Paid, solicitor-checked services: a fee buys professional review, which makes sense when your estate involves a business, a trust or overseas assets.
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Full solicitor drafting: the most expensive route, but the right one when complexity or a possible dispute raises the stakes.
Free does not mean unreliable. The test is whether the service fits your circumstances and whether you follow the signing rules correctly. A free will signed properly beats a costly one signed carelessly.
Where should you keep your will, and how do you make life easier for executors?
An unfound will is as good as no will. Executors need the original, and any codicils, to apply for probate.
Your realistic storage options each have trade-offs:
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At home: convenient, but at risk from fire, flood or loss. Use a fireproof box and tell someone where the key is.
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With a solicitor: secure and professionally held, though you may be charged and you must remember to tell your executors which firm has it.
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At your bank: some banks offer storage, but policies vary, so ask before relying on it.
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Via the official probate service: a formal deposit route that keeps the original safe.
Whatever you choose, tell your executors where the original sits, and write a short letter of wishes covering the personal things a will does not handle well, such as keepsakes or the tone of a funeral.
Pro Tip: Store a dated list of accounts, policies and logins separately from the will itself. A will becomes public after probate, so keep private detail out of it.
Our Connected Estate feature goes a step further. Your estate record stays up to date as things change, and your executors can reach what they need through our executors page without chasing paper or passwords. That cuts the delays and lost paperwork that slow estates down.
What do people most often get wrong with a will?
Common oversights are rarely about law. They are about everyday upkeep.
The first is unclear wording. “Split my savings between the children” sounds simple until someone asks whether that includes a stepchild. The second is silence: people finish a will and never tell their executors it exists. The third is neglect. An older will may name an executor who has since moved abroad, or ignore a child born since.
Wills are not “set and forget”. GOV.UK advises reviewing yours after major life events such as marriage, divorce, a birth or a significant change in your assets, and every few years in any case.
Our view is that the document matters less than the habit around it. A modest will that is reviewed, findable and understood by the people who will use it beats a perfect one nobody can locate. That is why we built our service around keeping your estate record current and your executors informed.
— the WillFull team
How does WillFull help you write your will and keep it current?
We let you write a will online for free, with plain-English questions that guide you from your details through to gifts and executors. If you want more, our Will + Connected estate plan costs £9.99 per month and keeps your property, accounts, pensions and digital assets updated in one place, so there is far less for your family to piece together later.
When the time comes, executors can use our executors page, where Connected estate access is available as a £200 one-off payment. If your situation is more complex, our advisers page points you towards a solicitor or financial adviser.
To begin, create your account on our main page, work through the guided questions, and decide whether to switch on Connected estate.
This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer. Consult a qualified legal professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.
FAQ
Is a self-written will legal in the UK?
Yes, a will you write yourself is legal if it meets the formal requirements. In England and Wales it must be in writing, signed by you and witnessed by two independent people present together, as GOV.UK sets out. Complex estates are better reviewed by a solicitor.
How can I check a will online for free in the UK?
You cannot generally look up a will online for free. Wills become public only after probate is granted, and the original is normally held by the executors, a solicitor or a storage provider. If you are an executor, ask the person who stored it, or contact the probate service.
What is the golden rule in will writing?
The core principle is that you have the mental capacity to make the will and that it records your wishes clearly in plain language. Vague wording and doubt over capacity are the main triggers for disputes later, so clarity matters as much as the signing rules.
What does it cost to write a will in the UK?
Costs vary widely by route. Free online tools and charity schemes cost nothing for simple wills, while solicitor-drafted wills cost more, and Which? notes that median fixed fees for simple wills tend to be lower than full solicitor fees. Check what each option includes before you decide.