How to Write a Will

Around 60% of UK adults don't have a will, and it's easy to assume it's a bigger, more complicated job than it actually is. Here's what's genuinely involved.

What makes a will legally valid

In England and Wales, a will is valid if it meets four conditions:

1. You're 18 or over
2. You have testamentary capacity, you understand what you're doing and its effect
3. It's in writing
4. You sign it in front of two independent adult witnesses, not beneficiaries, and not their spouses or civil partners, who then also sign it, in your presence, at the same sitting

A common mistake worth knowing about: signing before your witnesses arrive, then having them sign later, isn't valid. All three signatures need to happen together, everyone seeing everyone else sign.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have broadly similar principles but some differences in detail, if you're outside England and Wales, it's worth checking nation-specific guidance.

Do you actually need a solicitor?

No, there's no legal requirement to use one, under the Wills Act 1837, a correctly signed and witnessed DIY or online will is just as valid. The real risk with DIY isn't the concept, it's the drafting, ambiguous wording, a missing clause, or a witness who doesn't meet the requirements are the most common reasons a will fails or gets challenged.

Professional advice becomes genuinely valuable where things are more complex, property, business assets, overseas assets, blended families, or if you want to set up a trust for a young or vulnerable beneficiary.

What it typically costs

• DIY kit: roughly £10-£30
• Online will-writing service: commonly £50-£350
• Solicitor: typically £150-£500 for a straightforward will, more for anything complex

The practical steps

1. List your assets, property, savings, possessions of value
2. Decide who inherits what, specific gifts, or shares of the overall estate
3. Choose your executor(s), the people who'll administer your estate. Most people choose one or two, ask them first, it's a real responsibility
4. Name guardians for any children under 18, and speak to the people you're asking beforehand
5. Sign and witness it correctly, as above
6. Store it somewhere safe and tell your executors where, a solicitor's office, a bank, or the Probate Registry's official storage service (a small one-off fee) are all common options. A will nobody can find is no help to anyone.

If you don't have one

Without a valid will, your estate is distributed under the intestacy rules for your nation, a fixed legal order of priority for who inherits, which may not reflect what you'd actually have wanted, particularly for unmarried partners, who have no automatic right under intestacy at all. See our Wills vs LPAs vs Deputyship guide for how this fits alongside the other planning-ahead documents.

When to review it

As a general habit, every 3-5 years, or sooner after a major life event, marriage (which usually revokes an earlier will unless it was made in expectation of that marriage), divorce, having children, buying property, or a significant change in your finances.

A word from The Care Compass

This is one of those tasks that feels bigger in your head than it is on paper. It doesn't need to be perfect or exhaustive to start with, it just needs to exist, and be found when it's needed.

This article is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. For anything involving property, business assets, or a more complex estate, professional advice is genuinely worth having.

You don’t have to navigate it alone.