Free wills guidance
Will guides
234 plain English guides on wills in England and Wales, arranged by subject. Start with the will planning checklist if you are not sure where to begin.
Make a will
Everything you need to make a will in England and Wales: what a will does, what it costs, whether you can write your own and what makes it legally valid.
- Make a Will Online
- Online Wills
- Last Will and Testament
- How to Make a Will
- How Much Does a Will Cost?
- Do I Need a Will?
- Can I Write My Own Will?
- Are Online Wills Legal?
- What Makes a Will Legally Valid?
- What Should I Put in My Will?
- What Should You Not Put in a Will?
- What Information Do I Need to Make a Will?
- How Long Does It Take to Make a Will?
- Can I Make a Will at Home?
- Online Will vs Solicitor
- Is a DIY Will Legal?
- Do I Need to Register My Will?
Signing and witnessing
How to sign and witness a will correctly in England and Wales, who can act as a witness and the mistakes that stop a will taking effect.
- How to Sign a Will
- How to Witness a Will
- Who Can Witness a Will?
- Can a Beneficiary Witness a Will?
- Does a Will Need to Be Witnessed?
- Can I Print My Will at Home?
- Does a Will Need to Be on Special Paper?
- Does a Will Need to Be Notarised?
- Does a Will Need a Solicitor's Signature?
- Can Witnesses Be Family Members?
- Can My Neighbour Witness My Will?
- Can Husband and Wife Witness Each Other's Wills?
- Can an Executor Witness a Will?
- Do Witnesses Need to Read My Will?
- Getting a DIY Will Witnessed Correctly
- What to Do With a Will After Signing
Executors and beneficiaries
Choosing executors, naming beneficiaries, leaving property, money and possessions, and what happens to a gift if a beneficiary dies before you.
- What Is an Executor?
- How to Choose an Executor
- Can an Executor Be a Beneficiary?
- How Many Executors Can I Have?
- What Is a Beneficiary?
- How to Leave Money in a Will
- Leaving Your House in a Will
- Leaving Personal Possessions in a Will
- Leaving Money to Charity in Your Will
- Leaving Someone Out of a Will
- What Is the Residue of an Estate?
- What Happens if a Beneficiary Dies Before Me?
- What Happens if My Executor Dies?
- What Happens if an Executor Refuses to Act?
- Can My Spouse Be My Executor?
- Can My Child Be My Executor?
- Can I Appoint More Than One Executor?
- Do Executors Have to Agree?
- Does My Executor Need a Copy of My Will?
- Should I Tell My Executor Where My Will Is?
- Executor Duties: A Practical Checklist
- Can an Executor Be Paid?
- Professional Executor vs Family Executor
- Removing an Executor
- What Happens If There Is No Executor?
Wills and family
Wills for parents, married and unmarried couples, mirror wills, guardians, and how marriage, divorce and separation affect an existing will.
- Making a Will When You Have Children
- Appointing a Guardian in Your Will
- Wills for Unmarried Couples
- Wills for Married Couples
- Mirror Wills
- What Happens to Your Will When You Get Married?
- What Happens to Your Will After Divorce?
- Making a Will After Separation
- Making a Will After Having a Baby
- Making a Will After Buying a House
- Who Should I Appoint as Guardian for My Children?
- Can a Guardian Also Be an Executor?
- What Happens to My Children if I Die?
- What Happens if Both Parents Die?
- Making a Will as a Single Parent
- Making a Will for a Blended Family
- Making a Will After Remarriage
- Wills for Couples Who Live Together
- Helping Elderly Parents Make or Update a Will
- Leaving money to a disabled child
- Wills for adopted children
- Wills when you have no family
- Wills for carers
- Naming a guardian who lives abroad
- What if a guardian cannot act?
- Wills for couples with no children
Will guides
What happens if you die without a will, the intestacy rules, when to update a will, how to change one and whether you need a solicitor.
- What Happens if You Die Without a Will?
- Intestacy Rules Explained
- Does an Unmarried Partner Inherit?
- When Should You Update Your Will?
- How to Change a Will
- What Is a Codicil?
- Where Should I Keep My Will?
- Do I Need a Solicitor to Make a Will?
- Simple Will vs Complex Will
- Will Writing Checklist
- Can I Disinherit My Child?
- Can I Exclude My Spouse From My Will?
- Can Someone Challenge My Will?
- How to Reduce the Risk of a Will Being Contested
- 10 Common Mistakes When Making a Will
- What Happens if My Will Is Invalid?
- How to Replace a Lost Will
- How Long Is a Will Valid For?
- Mental Capacity and Wills: What the Law Requires
- Making a Will When Seriously Ill
- A Will and Lasting Power of Attorney: The Difference
- Can an Attorney Make a Will for Someone Else?
- Making a Will Abroad With UK Assets
- Wills in Scotland and Northern Ireland vs England
Inheritance and gifts
Who you can leave your estate to, leaving everything to one person, unequal shares between children, grandchildren, friends and the age children inherit.
- Can I Leave Everything to One Person?
- Can I Leave Everything to My Spouse?
- Can I Leave Everything to My Children?
- Can I Leave Different Amounts to My Children?
- Can I Leave My Estate to My Grandchildren?
- Leaving Money to a Child in a Will
- What Age Can Children Inherit?
- Leaving Money to Nieces and Nephews
- Leaving Money to Friends in Your Will
- Can I Leave My Estate to Anyone I Want?
- Leaving money to a grandchild under 18
Property and wills
What happens to a home when you die: joint tenants and tenants in common, leaving your share, mortgages, and whether an unmarried partner inherits.
- Does My Partner Get My House if I Die?
- What Happens to a Jointly Owned House When Someone Dies?
- Joint Tenants and Wills
- Tenants in Common and Wills
- Can I Leave My Share of a House in My Will?
- What Happens to My Mortgage if I Die?
- Can I Leave a Mortgaged House in My Will?
- What Happens to a Mortgage When One Partner Dies?
- Leaving Foreign Property in Your Will
- Leaving a Holiday Home in a Will
- Buy-to-Let Property in a Will
What happens when you die
What happens to bank accounts, joint accounts, pensions, ISAs and savings when someone dies, and how a will changes who ultimately benefits.
- What Happens to My Bank Account When I Die?
- What Happens to a Joint Bank Account When Someone Dies?
- What Happens to My Pension When I Die?
- What Happens to My ISA When I Die?
- What Happens to My Savings When I Die?
- Who Pays My Debts When I Die?
- What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die?
- What Happens to a Loan When You Die?
- What Is Probate?
- How Long Does Probate Take?
- Telling Banks Someone Has Died
- Estate Accounts Explained
Tax and estates
Inheritance tax and wills explained: the nil rate band, residence nil rate band, spouse and charity exemptions, gifts and who pays the tax.
- Inheritance Tax and Wills Explained
- Does Making a Will Reduce Inheritance Tax?
- What Is the Inheritance Tax Threshold?
- What Is the Residence Nil Rate Band?
- Inheritance Tax When Leaving Everything to a Spouse
- Inheritance Tax When Leaving a House to Children
- Are Gifts in a Will Subject to Inheritance Tax?
- Are Gifts to Charity Free of Inheritance Tax?
- Who Pays Inheritance Tax When Someone Dies?
- How Is an Estate Valued for Inheritance Tax?
- Reporting Inheritance Tax After Death
- The Seven Year Rule on Gifts Explained
- Gifting Money Before Death: What You Need to Know
- Trusts in a Will: A Plain-English Guide
- Life Interest Trusts in a Will Explained
- Inheritance Tax for Unmarried Couples
- Downsizing and Inheritance Tax: What Happens?
Digital assets
What happens to your phone, email, social media, photos, online accounts and cryptocurrency when you die, and how to cover them in your will.
- What Happens to Your Phone When You Die?
- What Happens to Your Email When You Die?
- What Happens to Social Media Accounts When You Die?
- What Happens to Online Accounts When You Die?
- Digital Assets and Your Will
- Can You Leave Cryptocurrency in a Will?
- What Happens to Cryptocurrency When You Die?
- Can You Leave Digital Photos in a Will?
- What Happens to an Online Business When You Die?
- Digital Legacy Checklist
- Passwords and a Will: What Not to Do
- Subscriptions After Death: Cancelling and Closing Accounts
Pets and wills
What happens to your pet when you die, how to include a pet in your will, leaving money for their care and gifts to animal charities.
Business owners
Making a will if you own a business: company shares, sole trader businesses, partnership interests and what happens when an owner dies.
- Making a Will if You Own a Business
- What Happens to a Business When the Owner Dies?
- Can I Leave My Business in My Will?
- What Happens to Company Shares When You Die?
- Can I Leave Company Shares in My Will?
- What Happens to a Sole Trader Business When You Die?
- What Happens to a Partnership Interest When You Die?
- Business Owners' Will Checklist
Life events
When to make or update a will: buying a home, moving in together, marriage, a new baby, travelling abroad, retirement and later life.
- Making a Will in Your 20s
- Making a Will in Your 30s
- Making a Will in Your 40s
- Making a Will in Your 50s
- Making a Will in Your 60s
- Making a Will Over 70
- Is It Ever Too Early to Make a Will?
- Making a Will Before Getting Married
- Making a Will When Moving in Together
- Making a Will Before Buying a House
- Making a Will Before Having a Baby
- Making a Will Before Travelling Abroad
- Making a Will After Someone Dies
- What Documents Should My Family Know About Before I Die?
- What Information Should I Leave for My Executor?
- End-of-Life Planning Checklist
Online wills
Making a will online in England and Wales: what it costs, fixed fee will writing, online versus DIY wills, and how quickly you can get one done.
- Cheap Wills Online: What Should You Look For?
- Simple Will Online
- Fixed-Fee Will Writing
- Online Will or DIY Will: Which Is Better?
- Can I Make a Will on My Phone?
- Making a Will at the Last Minute
- Best Online Will UK: How to Choose
- Are Cheap Wills Any Good?
- How Online Wills Work
- Online Wills for Couples
- Same Day Will: Can You Make One Today?
- Will Writing Service vs Online Will
- Making a Will on a Tablet or Phone
- What Happens After Making Your Will Online
Gifts and wishes
Leaving jewellery, cars, heirlooms and cash gifts in a will, giving different gifts to different people, and recording funeral and cremation wishes.
- Leaving Jewellery in a Will
- Leaving a Car in a Will
- Leaving Family Heirlooms in a Will
- Leaving Specific Gifts in a Will
- Leaving Cash Gifts in a Will
- Can I Leave Different Gifts to Different People?
- What Happens if an Item I Leave in My Will No Longer Exists?
- What Happens if I Sell a House Mentioned in My Will?
- Should I Put My Funeral Wishes in My Will?
- Can I Say Whether I Want Burial or Cremation in My Will?
- Can I Include Funeral Instructions in My Will?
Blended families
Wills for second marriages and blended families: stepchildren, children from a previous relationship, grandchildren and protecting a partner and children together.
- Do Stepchildren Inherit if There Is No Will?
- How to Include Stepchildren in Your Will
- Making a Will With Children From a Previous Relationship
- Making a Will After a Second Marriage
- Protecting Children From a Previous Relationship in Your Will
- Do Grandchildren Inherit if Their Parent Has Died?
- Can I Leave My House to My Children but Let My Partner Live There?
- Wills for stepparents
- Providing for a second spouse and children
Ready to begin? Start my will.