Wills and family
Family circumstances change what your will needs to say. These guides cover children and guardians, married and unmarried couples, mirror wills and the life events that change everything.
Reviewed by the Estate Advisory Group editorial teamLegally reviewed: 13 August 2026Last updated: 13 August 2026
- Making a Will When You Have ChildrenA plain-English guide to the will decisions that matter most once you have children.
- Appointing a Guardian in Your WillHow testamentary guardianship works under section 5 of the Children Act 1989 and how to choose the right guardian.
- Wills for Unmarried CouplesUnmarried and cohabiting partners have no automatic inheritance rights, so a will is essential.
- Wills for Married CouplesMarriage gives spouses stronger intestacy rights than unmarried couples, but wills still matter for control and clarity.
- Mirror WillsMirror wills are two matching but separate wills, popular with couples who share the same wishes.
- What Happens to Your Will When You Get Married?Marrying or entering a civil partnership generally cancels any earlier will unless it was made in contemplation of that marriage.
- What Happens to Your Will After Divorce?Divorce treats a former spouse as having died before you for gifts and executor roles, but the rest of your will remains valid.
- Making a Will After SeparationSeparation does not change your will or intestacy rights, so a still-married but separated person often needs to act straight away.
- Making a Will After Having a BabyA new baby is a natural prompt to appoint a guardian and set out how your estate should be looked after for your child.
- Making a Will After Buying a HouseBuying a house is a good moment to make or review your will and check how the property is owned.
- Who Should I Appoint as Guardian for My Children?How to think through choosing the right guardian for your children and appoint them properly in your will.
- Can a Guardian Also Be an Executor?Guardians and executors are different roles that can be filled by the same person or kept separate.
- What Happens to My Children if I Die?How care of children and any inheritance is decided if a parent dies, with or without a will.
- What Happens if Both Parents Die?How care and inheritance for children are decided if both parents die, and why guardianship appointments matter.
- Making a Will as a Single ParentA guide to the will decisions that matter most for single parents, particularly around guardianship.
- Making a Will for a Blended FamilyThe key decisions and risks blended families face when making a will, and why individual advice usually matters here.
- Making a Will After RemarriageWhat remarriage does to an existing will, and how to plan for both a new spouse and earlier children.
- Wills for Couples Who Live TogetherHow to make sure a partner you live with but are not married to is properly provided for.
- Helping Elderly Parents Make or Update a WillYou can help arrange it, but the will must reflect your parent's own wishes and capacity.
- Leaving money to a disabled childA discretionary trust can protect an inheritance without affecting means-tested benefits.
- Wills for adopted childrenAdopted children inherit exactly as birth children do, both under a will and under intestacy.
- Wills when you have no familyWithout a will and no close family, your estate can end up passing to the Crown.
- Wills for carersA will lets a carer provide for a dependant and plan for what happens if they die first.
- Naming a guardian who lives abroadYou can name an overseas guardian, but plan for the practical impact on your children.
- What if a guardian cannot act?Name a backup guardian, since circumstances can change between writing a will and it being needed.
- Wills for couples with no childrenWithout a will, even a married partner may not inherit everything, and an unmarried partner inherits nothing.
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Other guidance
- Make a willEverything 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.
- Signing and witnessingHow 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.
- Executors and beneficiariesChoosing executors, naming beneficiaries, leaving property, money and possessions, and what happens to a gift if a beneficiary dies before you.
- Will guidesWhat 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.
- Inheritance and giftsWho you can leave your estate to, leaving everything to one person, unequal shares between children, grandchildren, friends and the age children inherit.
- Property and willsWhat happens to a home when you die: joint tenants and tenants in common, leaving your share, mortgages, and whether an unmarried partner inherits.
- What happens when you dieWhat happens to bank accounts, joint accounts, pensions, ISAs and savings when someone dies, and how a will changes who ultimately benefits.
- Tax and estatesInheritance tax and wills explained: the nil rate band, residence nil rate band, spouse and charity exemptions, gifts and who pays the tax.
- Digital assetsWhat happens to your phone, email, social media, photos, online accounts and cryptocurrency when you die, and how to cover them in your will.
- Pets and willsWhat 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 ownersMaking a will if you own a business: company shares, sole trader businesses, partnership interests and what happens when an owner dies.
- Life eventsWhen to make or update a will: buying a home, moving in together, marriage, a new baby, travelling abroad, retirement and later life.
- Online willsMaking 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.
- Gifts and wishesLeaving jewellery, cars, heirlooms and cash gifts in a will, giving different gifts to different people, and recording funeral and cremation wishes.
- Blended familiesWills for second marriages and blended families: stepchildren, children from a previous relationship, grandchildren and protecting a partner and children together.
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