Make a Will Online

You are usually guided through sections covering your personal details, your family and relationships, who should act as your executor, guardians for any children under 18, specific gifts you want to make, and how the remainder of your estate (the residue) should be shared out. Each section explains the terms in plain English rather than legal jargon, so you can make informed choices as you go.

Once you have completed the questionnaire, the service produces a draft will for you to review. This is your chance to check names, addresses and gift amounts are correct before the final version is generated. Many providers, including My Posh Will, let you go back and amend answers before the document is finalised.

Section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 sets out the formalities that make a will legally valid: it must be in writing, signed by the testator (or by someone else in their presence and at their direction), and it must appear that the testator intended by their signature to give effect to the will. The testator must sign, or acknowledge their signature, in the presence of two witnesses who are both present at the same time, and each witness must then sign the will in the testator's presence.

This means an online will is not finished until it has been printed and correctly signed and witnessed. Getting this stage wrong, for example using only one witness or having a beneficiary act as a witness, can invalidate the whole will or specific gifts within it, so it is worth following the signing instructions carefully.

To make a valid will you need testamentary capacity, meaning you understand what a will is, broadly what you own, who might reasonably expect to benefit, and are not affected by a disorder that distorts these judgements. You also need to intend to make this particular will freely, without pressure from anyone else.

A properly made new will automatically revokes any earlier will, provided it includes a standard revocation clause. It is good practice to destroy old wills once the new one is signed, to avoid confusion about which document should be followed after death.

Your executor is the person or people responsible for administering your estate, so it is worth choosing someone organised and willing to take this on, and naming a backup in case your first choice cannot act. If you have children under 18, you can name a guardian to look after them if both parents die, which is one of the main reasons parents make a will.

The residue is everything left in your estate after specific gifts, debts, funeral costs and taxes have been accounted for. Most wills leave the residue to one or more named beneficiaries, with a backup beneficiary in case the first choice dies before you.

Online wills work well for straightforward estates, but you should see a solicitor if your estate is likely to face inheritance tax, if you own a business or agricultural land, if you have property abroad, if your family situation is blended or likely to lead to a dispute, or if you have a dependant who cannot care for themselves and needs a trust set up in the will.