Free Wills in the UK 2026: Will Aid, Free Wills Month and What Is Really Free

Yes, you can get a will written for free, or close to free, in the UK. The best-known route runs right now. Every November, solicitors in the Will Aid scheme write a basic will without charging their usual fee (Will Aid). Instead, they ask for a donation to charity. Will Aid suggests £120 for one will, or £200 for a pair of "mirror" wills for a couple. Mirror wills are two wills with matching terms. These amounts were on Will Aid's site on 2 November 2026.

If you are 55 or over, Free Wills Month comes back on 1 March 2027 (Free Wills Month). Some charities pay for supporters' wills all year. Many trade unions do too. And if you would rather do it online, one large service charges £100.

This page compares each option, shows the catch in each one and tells you what to bring. It is general information, not legal advice.

Why does a will matter if you do not own much?

Imagine Sam and Priya. They have lived together for 19 years in England. They never married. The flat is in Sam's name. One winter, Sam dies suddenly, without a will.

Under the law in England, Priya inherits nothing automatically. Unmarried partners "cannot inherit from each other unless there is a will," says Citizens Advice. Sam's estate goes to his relatives instead. Priya may have to ask a court for help, which takes time and money.

Sam and Priya are not real people. But the rule is real, and many people do not know it.

In a Will Aid poll published on 1 September 2026, 57% of UK adults said they had never made a will. Another 10% said their will was out of date (Will Aid, 1 September 2026). The most common reason, given by 29% of people without a will, was that they had "nothing worth leaving." Cost was the reason for 19%.

A will is not only about money. It names who looks after your children. It names who sorts out your affairs. It says who should, and should not, receive your things. This month, cost does not have to stop you.

What are the free and cheap options in the UK?

Here are the main routes, with the prices we checked on 2 November 2026.

Option	What you pay	Who can use it	When	The catch
Will Aid	Suggested donation: £120 single, £200 mirror wills	Anyone in the UK	November only	Basic wills only. Complex work costs extra.
Free Wills Month	Nothing for a simple will	People aged 55+ (one of a couple is enough)	March and October; next starts 1 March 2027	Selected areas only. Appointments run out.
Charity free will schemes	Nothing for a simple will	Supporters referred by a member charity	All year	You must go through a charity. Offers differ.
Trade union or insurance	Often nothing	Members or policy holders	All year	Check your union or home insurance terms.
Online will service	Farewill: £100 single, £160 couple	Anyone with a simple estate (check it covers your part of the UK)	All year	No solicitor meeting. Most will writers are not regulated.
Write it yourself	Paper and 2 witnesses	Adults with very simple affairs	Any time	Easy to make a mistake that fails after you die.

In short: if you are reading this in November, Will Aid is the simplest way to get a solicitor for a small, fixed donation. If you are 55 or over and can wait until March, Free Wills Month costs nothing.

How does Will Aid work in November 2026?

Will Aid is a yearly campaign run by eight charities: Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Crisis, NSPCC, Shelter, SCIAF and Trócaire (Will Aid FAQs). Solicitors volunteer their time in November. The donations go to the charities, not to the solicitors.

Here are the steps.

1. Find a solicitor. Enter your postcode on the Will Aid solicitor search. Firms from across the UK take part.
2. Call or email the firm. Say you want an appointment "under the Will Aid scheme." Many firms offer phone or video appointments, as well as meetings in their office.
3. Plan your wishes first. Will Aid offers a free Will Planner on its site. The solicitor's time is limited, so arrive ready.
4. Meet the solicitor. They take your details and your wishes, and advise on the wording.
5. Check the draft. The firm sends the draft to you. You can ask for changes.
6. Sign it properly. In England and Wales, you sign in front of 2 witnesses. The firm will explain how, if you are not meeting in person.
7. Make your donation. Pay by card on the Will Aid site, or give the solicitor a cheque made out to Will Aid.

There is a small bonus. Will Aid clients can register their will with Certainty, the National Will Register, for free. The usual cost is £25 plus VAT. The 2026 code is willaid2026. The register only records where your will is kept. It does not hold a copy.

Book soon. Will Aid says it runs every November, and solicitors have limited time for the scheme.

Is a Will Aid will really free?

Mostly, yes, but read the small print. Here is what Will Aid's own FAQs say.

• The donation is voluntary. The suggested £120 and £200 are not fees. But Will Aid adds that most solicitors would usually "charge considerably more."
• "Basic" means simple. A basic will leaves everything to a few family members, friends or charities. It has no assets outside the UK and needs no detailed inheritance tax advice. It names a couple of executors. An executor is the person who sorts out your money and property after you die.
• Trusts and powers of attorney cost extra. If your will is complex, you and the solicitor agree a separate fee first.
• An ID check may cost a little. Some firms pay a third party to check your identity. They should pass on only the cost of the check.
• Home visits usually cost extra. That is because of the solicitor's travel time.
• No Gift Aid. Since March 2013, donations to Will Aid cannot be Gift Aided.

Ask at the first call: "Is my will likely to count as basic? Will there be any other charges?" A good firm will tell you plainly.

What is Free Wills Month, and who can use it?

Free Wills Month is a separate scheme. A group of charities pays solicitors to write or update simple wills (Free Wills Month). It runs in March and in October. On 2 November 2026, its site said the next campaign begins on 1 March 2027.

• Age: it is for people aged 55 and over. For a couple making mirror wills, only one of you needs to be 55.
• Where: solicitors in selected areas, mainly in England and Wales.
• Cost: nothing for a simple will. The solicitor decides what counts as simple. If yours is more complex, you pay the difference.
• Limits: appointments are first come, first served. The campaign can close before the month ends.
• Charity gifts: you do not have to leave anything to the charities. They do not get a copy of your will.

You can leave your details on the Free Wills Month site to get a reminder when it opens in your area.

Can a charity pay for my will the rest of the year?

Often, yes. Many UK charities offer free wills to their supporters through the National Free Wills Network (National Free Wills Network). The charity pays a local solicitor to write a simple will, or mirror wills for a couple.

The Network is not open to the public directly. You must be referred by a member charity. Here is how it works.

1. Check the Network's charity directory, or ask a charity you already support.
2. The charity refers you. The Network then sends you a pack listing local solicitors, plus some who work by phone or video.
3. You book with a solicitor and get your simple will written.

The Network says it only uses solicitors, not unregulated will writers. It lists more than 1,000 law firms across the UK. Each charity sets its own rules. Citizens Advice Scotland says these offers are often for members and people over 55 (Citizens Advice Scotland).

Two more places to check:

• Your trade union. Citizens Advice says many unions offer a free will service to members.
• Your insurance. Some home insurance policies include legal cover that pays for a will. Read your policy or call your insurer.

Are online wills a good cheap option?

They can be, for simple lives. Farewill, a large UK online service, charged £100 for one online will, or £160 for a couple, on 2 November 2026 (Farewill). A will written with a specialist by phone cost £240, or £380 for a couple. Farewill offers updates for £10 a year.

There is one thing to know first. Citizens Advice says will-writing services are usually cheaper than a solicitor, "but most aren't regulated." That means if something goes wrong, "you can't make a legal complaint or claim compensation" (Citizens Advice). If you choose a will-writing firm, Citizens Advice suggests one that belongs to the Institute of Professional Willwriters. Its code of practice is approved by a Trading Standards scheme.

So in November, compare the two. A Will Aid will with a solicitor costs a suggested £120. A basic online will costs £100. For about the same money, Will Aid gives you a regulated solicitor and helps charity.

Can I write my own will for free?

Yes. But it is easy to get wrong, and the mistake only shows after you die.

In England and Wales, your will is only valid if (GOV.UK):

• you are 18 or over;
• you make it freely, without pressure;
• you are of sound mind, which means you understand what you are signing;
• it is in writing;
• you sign it in front of 2 witnesses, both over 18;
• the 2 witnesses then sign it, in front of you.

A witness, or the witness's husband, wife or civil partner, cannot receive anything in your will. If they are named, the will still stands, but that gift fails.

Also remember: getting married cancels any will you made before (GOV.UK). In a Will Aid survey of over 2,000 people, 56% did not know this (Will Aid, 10 September 2025). You cannot change a signed will by crossing things out. You need a new will, or a signed and witnessed change called a codicil.

GOV.UK says to get advice if your will is not straightforward (GOV.UK). For example:

• you share a home with someone you are not married to;
• you want to provide for someone who cannot care for themselves;
• family members may claim on your will, such as a second spouse or children from another marriage;
• your permanent home is outside the UK, or you own property abroad;
• you own a business.

If any of these fit you, Will Aid or a charity scheme is a much safer choice than doing it alone.

What is different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

The UK has three legal systems for wills. GOV.UK's rules above are for England and Wales.

Scotland has its own rules (mygov.scot):

• You can make a will from age 12, if you understand it.
• A will does not legally need a witness. But a witnessed will is "self-proving," which means a court usually accepts it without more evidence.
• To make it self-proving, sign every page. One witness, aged 16 or over, watches you sign the last page and signs it too.
• Your spouse, civil partner and children have "legal rights." They can claim a fixed share of your money and belongings, even if your will leaves them nothing (mygov.scot).
• Marriage does not cancel a will in Scotland. Divorce cancels most gifts to the former partner.
• An unmarried partner does not inherit automatically, so name them in your will.

Will Aid works in Scotland. SCIAF, a Scottish charity, is one of its eight partners.

Northern Ireland follows its own law too. nidirect advises using a solicitor, because there are legal steps to follow for the will to be valid (nidirect). It says charities such as Age NI can also help. Trócaire, one of Will Aid's partners, works in Northern Ireland.

What happens if you do nothing?

The law decides for you. In England, the rules are called the rules of intestacy. "Intestate" means dying without a valid will.

Here is what they do, according to Citizens Advice:

• An unmarried partner gets nothing automatically, however long you lived together. A partner may have to go to court.
• A husband, wife or civil partner gets your personal belongings, the first £322,000 and half of the rest. Your children share the other half.
• Stepchildren you did not adopt inherit nothing.
• Children under 18 cannot receive their share until they turn 18. It is held in a trust until then.
• If you have no relatives who can inherit, everything goes to the Crown.

These rules may match what you want. Often, they do not. Our guide to what happens if you die without a will covers the rules in more countries.

What should you bring to your appointment?

A Will Aid or charity appointment is short. The solicitor is giving their time for free. Arrive with your thinking already done, and you will get a better will.

Before you call the firm, write down:

1. What you own. Your home and how it is owned, savings, pensions, life insurance, shares, a car and anything of special value.
2. What you owe. A mortgage, loans and credit cards.
3. Who you want to receive things. Full names and addresses. Say who gets what, and what happens if someone dies before you.
4. Who will be your executor. Ask them first. Choose a backup too.
5. Who would raise your children. In England and Wales, this is for children under 18. Ask the person first.
6. Any gift to charity. This is your choice, not a condition.
7. Your ID. Photo ID and proof of address.

Two things do not belong in the will itself. First, detailed funeral wishes. Citizens Advice Scotland suggests a separate letter kept with the will, because a letter is easy to change and a will is not. Second, your passwords and account list. A will becomes public after probate, the legal step to deal with your estate. So keep those details in a private record that your executor knows about.

Our free end-of-life readiness check takes a few minutes. It shows which papers you still need, from a will to a lasting power of attorney. The Complete Planning Library has an Important Documents and Accounts Organizer to fill in before your appointment. It also has a My Wishes Worksheet for funeral and care wishes, the things a will does not cover. It is not a will, and it does not replace a solicitor. It helps you walk in prepared.

The honest lesson

Making a will can feel like inviting death closer. It does not. It is just one more kind thing you do for the people you love, like a spare key left with a neighbour.

Death comes to everyone. Being ready for it is not morbid. It is calm and practical, and it saves your family a hard time later.

This November, a solicitor will do it for a suggested £120 donation. Pick a date this week. Write your list. Make the call.

To talk with your family about what you want, read how to talk to your family about end-of-life wishes.