How to Make a Will Online in the UK: Complete 2026 Guide

Making a will online in the UK has never been more straightforward — but "straightforward" doesn't mean there's nothing to get wrong. This guide covers everything: the legal requirements, the step-by-step process, the differences between England & Wales and Scotland, the mistakes that invalidate wills, and when you genuinely need a solicitor.

Around 60% of UK adults don't have a will. Of those who do, a significant proportion have wills that are out of date, incorrectly witnessed, or missing key clauses. The good news: making a valid will online takes about 30 minutes and costs a fraction of a traditional solicitor appointment.

Do You Actually Need a Will?

Yes — unless you want the government to decide what happens to your estate. Without a will, the intestacy rules apply. In England and Wales, the Intestacy Rules 2014 determine who inherits. In Scotland, the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964 governs distribution. Neither set of rules is likely to match your actual wishes.

Common assumptions that intestacy will prove wrong:

• Cohabiting partners inherit automatically. They don't. Under English intestacy law, an unmarried partner — regardless of how long you've lived together — inherits nothing. The estate passes to children, then parents, then siblings.
• Stepchildren are treated like biological children. No. Stepchildren have no automatic inheritance rights under intestacy.
• Your estate just "goes to your family." Only if your family matches the intestacy priority order. If your closest relatives are estranged cousins, they'll inherit before any friends or chosen family members.
• Small estates don't need wills. The value of the estate is irrelevant — what matters is whether your wishes are documented. A £10,000 estate with three children and no will still requires a court-supervised distribution.

Legal Requirements: What Makes a Will Valid in England & Wales

The legal framework for wills in England and Wales is primarily the Wills Act 1837, amended by the Administration of Justice Act 1982. The requirements haven't changed substantially in nearly 200 years:

1. You must be 18 or over (exceptions exist for members of the armed forces on active service)
2. You must be of sound mind — what lawyers call "testamentary capacity." You must understand what a will is, what you own, who has a claim on your estate, and the effect of the document you're signing.
3. The will must be in writing — handwritten or printed. Video wills and oral wills are not valid in England and Wales (with extremely limited exceptions for soldiers in active service).
4. You must sign the will in the presence of two witnesses, both present at the same time.
5. Both witnesses must sign in your presence, immediately after you sign.
6. Witnesses cannot be beneficiaries — or the spouse/civil partner of a beneficiary. If a witness is also a beneficiary, the will itself remains valid but that beneficiary loses their inheritance.

That's it. No solicitor required. No court registration. No stamp. A properly signed and witnessed will is legally valid regardless of whether it was drafted by a law firm or typed on your kitchen table at midnight.

Legal Requirements: What Makes a Will Valid in Scotland

Scotland operates under entirely different law. The Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995 (as amended by the Legal Writings (Counterparts and Delivery) (Scotland) Act 2015) governs formalities for wills in Scotland.

The key differences:

• Only one witness required in Scotland, not two. The witness must be 16 or over.
• The will must be signed on every page (or at minimum the last page) — though signing every page is strongly recommended.
• Holograph wills are valid — a will entirely in the testator's own handwriting and signed, with no witness at all, is valid in Scotland. This is a significant difference from English law.
• "Legal rights" (legitim) cannot be excluded. Under Scots law, children have an automatic right to a share of the moveable estate regardless of what the will says. This is called legitim and applies to all children, including adult children. A testator cannot disinherit their children entirely in Scotland.
• Survivorship clauses work differently. The common law presumption in Scotland (the Commorientes rules) affects how simultaneous deaths are treated.

If you're resident in Scotland or own property in Scotland, you need a will that's been specifically drafted for Scottish law — not an English template with "Scotland" substituted in.

Step-by-Step: How to Make a Will Online in the UK

Here's the process from start to signature:

Step 1: Take stock of your estate

Before you start filling in any forms, spend 15 minutes listing: property (include mortgages), savings and investments, pension death-in-service benefits, life insurance policies, personal possessions of value, digital assets, and any debts. This gives you a clear picture of what you're distributing — and flags whether you might have an IHT liability to plan around.

Step 2: Decide who gets what

Your primary beneficiary (usually a spouse, partner, or children) inherits the residuary estate — everything after specific gifts and expenses. Name backup beneficiaries in case your primary beneficiary dies before you. For specific items (jewellery, a car, a particular sum to a charity), list those as specific gifts.

Step 3: Appoint executors

Your executors are the people responsible for administering your estate — applying for probate (or confirmation in Scotland), collecting assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the estate. Name at least two executors in case one predeceases you or is unable to act. Most people name their spouse and a trusted friend or sibling.

Step 4: Appoint guardians (if you have children under 18)

If both you and the other parent die while your children are minors, who raises them? This is the most emotionally significant decision in any parent's will — and the one most often left blank. Name a guardian. Discuss it with them first. Then document it.

Step 5: Complete the online will wizard

A reputable online will service walks you through structured questions for each of the above decisions. ClearWill's wizard covers England & Wales (at clearwill.ai/draft) and Scotland (at clearwill.ai/draft-scotland) separately — ensuring the document generated is specific to your jurisdiction's legal requirements. Northern Ireland is also covered.

Step 6: Review the generated document

Read through the full will before signing. Check that names, addresses, and asset descriptions are correct. Verify that beneficiary shares add up to 100%. Confirm the executor details are accurate. A will with a misspelled beneficiary name or an ambiguous asset description can cause problems at probate.

Step 7: Print, sign, and witness

Print the will. Sign it in front of two independent witnesses (England & Wales) or one independent witness (Scotland). Your witnesses must be present when you sign and must sign immediately afterwards. Use permanent ink. Don't use white-out or correction fluid — if you make an error, reprint and start again.

Step 8: Store it safely

Tell your executors where the will is. Consider storing it with a solicitor or the National Will Register. Keep a copy (clearly marked "COPY — NOT THE ORIGINAL") at home. The original must be the signed paper document — a scan or photocopy is not valid.

England & Wales vs Scotland: Key Differences at a Glance

If you're unsure which jurisdiction applies to you: use the law of your country of domicile for moveable assets (bank accounts, investments, personal possessions). For immoveable property (land and buildings), use the law of the country where the property is located.

Most people who live in England or Wales use English law. Most people who live in Scotland use Scots law. If you own property in both countries, you may need advice on cross-border estates.

Feature	England & Wales	Scotland
Governing legislation	Wills Act 1837	Requirements of Writing (Scotland) Act 1995
Witnesses required	Two	One (holograph wills need none)
Children's forced share	No (Inheritance Act claims possible)	Yes — legitim (½ or ⅓ of moveables)
Grant of representation	Probate (England & Wales)	Confirmation (Scotland)
Minimum age for testator	18	12
Intestacy rules	Intestacy Rules 2014	Succession (Scotland) Act 1964

Common Mistakes That Invalidate Wills (or Cause Disputes)

Beneficiary as witness. The will itself is valid but the beneficiary loses their gift. This is one of the most common errors in DIY wills and entirely avoidable.

Both witnesses not present simultaneously. Both witnesses must be physically present when you sign. If one leaves the room and then signs separately, the will may be invalid. Do it all in one sitting.

Signing before completion. Sign the will only when you're satisfied it's complete and correct. Any additions made after signing are not part of the valid will unless they're re-executed with fresh signatures and witnesses.

Using correction fluid or crossing out text. Any alterations to a will after signing require fresh execution. The safest approach: if you spot an error, reprint and start again.

Not updating after major life events. Marriage revokes a will in England and Wales (but not in Scotland since 2012). Divorce does not revoke a will — it just treats the ex-spouse as having predeceased you for the purposes of the inheritance, but executorship survives. Birth of a child, significant asset changes, death of a beneficiary — all require you to review.

Ambiguous descriptions. "My car" is ambiguous if you own two cars. "My shares in XYZ Ltd" might refer to shares you've since sold. Use specific, current descriptions for specific gifts.

Forgetting digital assets. Cryptocurrency, online investment accounts, and digital businesses have real value and require careful handling. List them in a Letter of Wishes (not the will itself — you don't want login credentials in a public probate document).

When to Use a Solicitor Instead

Online will services handle the vast majority of UK estates perfectly well. But there are scenarios where professional legal advice is the right call:

• Estates above the IHT threshold where trust-based planning could save tens of thousands in tax
• Business ownership — shares in private companies, partnerships, or sole trader businesses require specific drafting and often Business Relief analysis
• Contested family situations — if you anticipate a challenge from a disappointed beneficiary under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
• Foreign assets — property in Spain, France, or elsewhere may require a separate will under local law
• Vulnerable beneficiaries — leaving assets to someone with a disability may affect their means-tested benefits unless a discretionary trust is used
• Cross-border domicile — if you're not sure whether English or Scottish law applies to your estate

For everyone else — employed, one jurisdiction, straightforward assets, clear family situation — an online will is legally equivalent to a solicitor-drafted one and costs a fraction of the price.

How Much Does an Online Will Cost in the UK?

Online will services in the UK range from free (basic tools with limited customisation) to around £150 for a comprehensive service. Here's a realistic comparison for 2026:

• Free tools: Limited to the simplest estates, no IHT analysis, minimal support
• Budget online services (£20–£50): Template-based, some guidance, no jurisdiction-specific drafting
• ClearWill from £99: AI-generated, jurisdiction-specific (E&W, Scotland, N. Ireland), includes IHT Estimator, executor's guide, and signing instructions
• High-street solicitor (£300–£600): Full professional advice, face-to-face, appropriate for complex estates

ClearWill starts at £99 for a single will and £179 for mirror wills for couples. That includes the full AI-powered wizard, a jurisdiction-specific document, the IHT Estimator, and the complete toolkit.

If you're in Scotland: start your Scottish will here. Not sure which applies? Take the free Will Readiness Assessment — it'll tell you exactly where your gaps are in under two minutes.