How Much Does a Will Cost in the UK — 2026 Price Comparison

A will in the UK costs anywhere from £0 to £1,500+ depending on how you do it. The short answer: for most people, an online will service is the right choice at £90–£200. A solicitor is worth it only for complex estates. DIY kits are cheap but risky. Here's the complete breakdown.

The Short Answer: What a Will Costs in 2026

Most people in the UK can get a legally valid will for £99–£169 through an online service. That covers the vast majority of situations: a home, a spouse or partner, children, straightforward beneficiaries.

Here's the full range:

• Online will services: £90–£200 (single will); £150–£179 (mirror wills for couples)
• Solicitor: £300–£1,500+ depending on complexity
• Free Wills Month / charities: £0 (limited availability, simple wills only)
• DIY will kit: £10–£30 (high risk of invalidity)

ClearWill prices: £99 single will | £179 mirror wills for couples. Covers England & Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Online Will-Writing Services (£90–£200)

Online will services have taken the majority of the UK will market for straightforward estates. They ask guided questions, generate a jurisdiction-appropriate will, and let you download, print, sign, and witness it at home. The output is legally identical to a solicitor-drafted will for standard situations.

What you typically get: guided will wizard, jurisdiction-specific questions, downloadable PDF, witnessing instructions. Some services include storage; others charge extra.

2026 Comparison Table: Online Will Services

Important caveat on jurisdiction: Several major services only cover England & Wales. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, or own property there, you need a service that explicitly supports your jurisdiction. Using an English will template in Scotland produces an invalid document. ClearWill covers all three UK jurisdictions at the same price.

Solicitor Wills (£300–£1,500+)

Solicitor-drafted wills cost significantly more — typically £300–£600 for a straightforward single will and £500–£900 for mirror wills. Complex wills involving trusts, overseas assets, or business interests can reach £1,500 or more.

Why are solicitors so expensive? You're paying for: qualified legal advice (not just document drafting), professional indemnity insurance, in-person consultation time, and the firm's overhead. For a simple will, most of this is unnecessary. For a complex one, it's essential.

When a solicitor is genuinely worth it:

• You own a business or have business interests to pass on
• You have assets in multiple countries (overseas property, foreign bank accounts)
• You need to set up a trust — for minor children, a disabled beneficiary, or asset protection
• You have a blended family with stepchildren or children from previous relationships
• Your estate is likely to exceed the inheritance tax threshold and you need planning advice
• You're concerned about a potential challenge to your will (estranged family members, disputed capacity)

For everything else — a home, a partner, children, standard wishes — you're paying £300–£1,000 extra for the same legal outcome you'd get from a £99 online service.

Free Wills (£0)

Free professionally-drafted wills are available through Free Wills Month (runs each October and March) and charity schemes including Age UK, Cancer Research UK, and the National Trust. Participating solicitors donate their time; the understanding is that you may wish to leave a charitable bequest, but this is never required.

Limitations to know:

• Usually restricted to people aged 55 and over
• Limited to simple wills — no trusts, no complex provisions
• Availability depends on participating solicitors in your area
• October and March campaigns only — you may wait months
• The "free" aspect assumes a modest estate and straightforward wishes

If you qualify and your estate is simple, Free Wills Month is genuinely worthwhile. If you're under 55, or your estate has any complexity, you'll be turned away or charged for the additional work.

DIY Will Kits (£10–£30)

Will kits are available from WHSmith, Amazon, and legal stationery suppliers for £10–£30. They're a blank template you complete by hand or typewriter, with instructions on what to include and how to execute (sign and witness) the document.

The risks:

• Invalidity from execution errors. If you make a mistake in the witnessing — the wrong number of witnesses, a witness who is also a beneficiary, or witnesses not present simultaneously — the will is invalid or that beneficiary loses their gift.
• Ambiguous language. Legal language in wills is precise for a reason. "My savings" could mean current account, ISA, bonds, and pension — or just one of them. Ambiguity creates disputes at probate.
• No jurisdiction checking. A kit bought in England has no mechanism to tell you whether its provisions are appropriate for a Scottish estate.
• No prompts for common omissions. You won't be asked about guardianship, digital assets, or what happens if your primary beneficiary dies before you.

The £10–£30 saving over a £99 online service is the worst value proposition in estate planning. An invalid will is worse than no will — it creates a false sense of security while leaving your estate subject to intestacy.

What Affects the Cost?

Price increases with complexity. The factors that drive up cost:

• Trusts. Discretionary trusts, life interest trusts, and trusts for disabled beneficiaries add significant complexity and typically require solicitor involvement. Adding a trust to a will can double the cost.
• Business interests. Passing on a business — including business property relief calculations — needs specialist legal and tax advice.
• Overseas assets. Property or accounts in another country may require a separate will in that jurisdiction, or at minimum specific language in the UK will.
• Number and complexity of beneficiaries. A will leaving everything to a spouse, then equally to three children is straightforward. A will with 15 specific gifts, charitable donations, and conditional bequests takes longer to draft correctly.
• Jurisdiction. Scottish wills take longer to draft because of Legal Rights provisions (legitim) and different execution requirements. Northern Ireland has its own rules too.
• Inheritance tax planning. If your estate may exceed the nil-rate band (£325,000) or residence nil-rate band (£175,000), you need tax planning woven into the will — which adds cost and complexity.

Mirror Wills and Couples Will Costs

Mirror wills are two separate wills — one for each partner — that mirror each other. The standard structure: everything to the surviving partner first, then to children if both partners have died. They're the most common structure for married couples and civil partners.

Costs for couples in 2026:

• Online services: £150–£179 (ClearWill: £179 for two wills)
• Solicitors: £300–£600 for standard mirror wills, £600–£900+ with trust provisions
• Free Wills Month: Available as couples (both must qualify)

The pricing for mirror wills through online services represents excellent value — you're getting two legally valid wills for roughly 1.8x the single-will price. The same documents through a solicitor cost 3–5x more.

See our detailed guide: Mirror Wills for Couples UK — What They Are, How They Work & Cost.

Hidden Costs People Forget

The advertised price isn't always the full cost of a will. Watch for:

• Storage fees. Some services charge annual subscription fees (£10–£30/year) to store your will digitally. ClearWill doesn't — your will is yours to download and store how you choose.
• Update costs. Life changes — marriage, divorce, new children, new assets — should trigger a will update. Some services charge for every amendment; others offer free updates included in the original price. Check the policy before you buy.
• Probate costs if the will is unclear. An ambiguous or poorly drafted will can increase probate costs significantly — solicitors charge by the hour to interpret disputed clauses. A £10 DIY kit that creates a £2,000 probate dispute has negative net value.
• Solicitor review fees. Some services advertise low headline prices but charge extra for a "solicitor check" or "legal review." The review may be perfunctory and the combined cost ends up exceeding competitor pricing.
• Printing and notarisation. The will itself needs to be printed (on paper), signed, and witnessed in person. This isn't a monetary cost, but you need two independent witnesses — factor in the practicality.

Is a Cheap Will Worth It?

Yes — if it's from a quality service. No — if it's a DIY kit.

The framing of "cheap will vs expensive will" misses the point. The legal validity of a will doesn't depend on what you paid — it depends on whether the document meets the statutory requirements. A correctly executed £99 online will is as legally valid as a £600 solicitor-drafted will for identical circumstances.

The real question is: what's the cost of not having a will, or having an invalid one?

• Intestacy. Without a valid will, the intestacy rules apply. An unmarried partner — regardless of how long you've lived together — inherits nothing under English intestacy law. Everything passes to children, then parents, then siblings.
• Family disputes. Ambiguous wills or no will at all creates the conditions for family disputes at the worst possible time. Contested estates can cost tens of thousands in legal fees.
• Probate delays. Intestate estates take longer to administer. Disputed wills take longer still. Every month of delay has a cost — mortgage payments, utility bills, and the emotional weight on your family.
• Guardianship uncertainty. If you have minor children, a will is the only mechanism to name a guardian. Without one, the court decides.

A £99 will protects your family from costs that can run into tens of thousands. On that basis, a cheap will from a quality service is one of the best-value financial decisions most people will make.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a will cost in the UK in 2026?

Anywhere from free (Free Wills Month for over-55s) to £1,500+ for a complex solicitor-drafted will. Most people pay £99–£169 through an online service. ClearWill charges £99 for a single will and £179 for mirror wills for couples, covering all three UK jurisdictions.

Is it worth paying a solicitor to write your will?

For complex estates — business interests, overseas assets, trusts, blended families — yes. For straightforward estates, no. An online service produces an equally valid document for a fraction of the cost. See our full comparison: ClearWill vs Farewill: Which Online Will Service?

How much do mirror wills cost for couples?

£150–£179 online; £300–£900 through a solicitor. ClearWill charges £179 for two mirror wills. Read more: Mirror Wills for Couples UK — Complete Guide.

Can I write a will for free in the UK?

Yes — through Free Wills Month (October and March) and Age UK, for people aged 55 and over with simple estates. Limited availability; you may wait months for an appointment. If you don't qualify or your estate has any complexity, an online service at £99 is the next-best option.

Are DIY will kits from WHSmith legally valid?

They can be — but only if completed without errors and executed correctly. The risk of invalidity is high for non-lawyers. Given that a quality online service costs £99 and eliminates that risk, DIY kits are rarely worth the saving.

Does a will cost more in Scotland?

Not inherently, but fewer online services cover Scotland, which reduces competition. ClearWill covers all three UK jurisdictions at the same price. Scottish wills have different requirements — one witness instead of two, Legal Rights provisions — so you must use a service that explicitly supports Scottish law.

Related: How to Write a Will UK — Complete 2026 Guide | Mirror Wills for Couples UK | ClearWill vs Farewill