A common assumption is that wills "expire" - that a will written 20 years ago has lapsed and needs renewing. The legal reality is the opposite. A properly signed and witnessed will is valid until you do something to revoke it. There is no shelf-life. But there are good practical reasons to review and refresh your will periodically, even if the law doesn't force you to. This guide explains how long a UK will stays valid, what can revoke it, and when a refresh is overdue.
A will doesn't expire
Under the Wills Act 1837, a will is valid from the moment it is correctly signed and witnessed, and remains valid indefinitely. There is no automatic expiry, no renewal, no "ten-year rule." A will signed in 1998 and stored properly is, on the face of it, just as valid in 2026.
There is one important caveat: valid in form is not the same as fit for purpose. A 30-year-old will may still be a legally enforceable document, but it might appoint executors who have died, leave gifts to people who have predeceased the testator, refer to assets that no longer exist, and miss out children, grandchildren, partners and stepchildren who weren't around when it was written.
So while the law doesn't expire your will, your circumstances do.
What actually revokes a UK will
There are five main ways a will can be revoked in England and Wales:
A new will. Any new properly drafted will revokes all earlier wills. The opening clause of a Trusted Hands will (and any properly drafted will) explicitly says so.
A signed and witnessed declaration. A standalone document, signed and witnessed in the same way as a will, declaring that the earlier will is revoked. Rare in practice; a new will is normally simpler.
Physical destruction. Tearing up, burning, or otherwise destroying the will, with the intention of revoking it. Accidental destruction (a house fire, a flood) does not revoke a will.
Marriage or civil partnership. Under section 18 of the Wills Act 1837, marriage automatically revokes any earlier will, unless the will was made in expectation of that specific marriage and says so. This catches huge numbers of people.
A codicil that explicitly revokes. A codicil is normally an amendment, but it can include a revocation clause if needed.
That's the complete list. None of these involve the passage of time.
What divorce does (and doesn't do)
Divorce is the source of the most common confusion. Under section 18A of the Wills Act 1837, divorce does not revoke the whole will. Instead, your former spouse is treated as if they had died on the date of the decree absolute. This means:
- Any gift to them lapses.
- Any appointment of them as executor or trustee fails.
- The rest of the will continues unchanged.
So a divorced person who hasn't rewritten their will isn't intestate - but they may have a will with significant lapsed gifts and missing fiduciaries. Updating after divorce is strongly recommended. Our will after divorce guide covers this in more depth.
Why time still matters in practice
Even though wills don't expire, life moves on. The most common reasons a will becomes inadequate over time:
Beneficiaries die. A "30% to my brother" gift fails if your brother predeceases you and the will doesn't include a substitute. The amount falls back to the residual estate (or partial intestacy if there's no residual clause).
Executors die or lose capacity. A will with no executor able to act has to fall back on substitutes - if there are any. If there aren't, the court appoints an administrator.
Children grow up. A guardian appointed when your daughter was 4 is no longer needed when she's 28. Worse, you might have appointed someone who has since become unsuitable.
You acquire or sell major assets. A specific gift of "my flat in Manchester" lapses if you've sold the flat. A new business, pension or investment portfolio may need new clauses.
You move countries. A will written under English law may behave differently if you've spent a decade resident in Spain, France or anywhere else. Cross-border estates need specialist input.
Tax thresholds change. The £325,000 nil-rate band and £175,000 residence nil-rate band are frozen until April 2030 per UK government policy as of 2026, so a will written before the residence nil-rate band was introduced (2017) may not be making full use of available relief.
For complex estates, we recommend you seek assistance from a Trusted Hands Advisor or your own legal advice.
A useful review schedule
A common-sense pattern:
- Every 3-5 years as a baseline, even if nothing major has changed.
- After any significant life event - the list below.
- Whenever you doubt it. If something is bugging you about it, that's reason enough.
The "significant life events" prompt list:
- Marriage or civil partnership (revokes the will - so this is essential, not optional).
- Divorce or dissolution.
- Birth or adoption of a child or grandchild.
- Death of an executor, guardian or major beneficiary.
- Buying, selling or remortgaging a home.
- Starting or selling a business.
- Major change in finances - inheritance, redundancy, pension lump sum.
- Move abroad or significant change in your domicile.
- Falling out with someone named in the will.
- Forming a long-term cohabiting relationship - particularly if you're not planning to marry. See our cohabiting couples guide.
We have a fuller checklist in when should you update your will.
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How updates work in practice
There are two ways to update an existing will:
A codicil. A short signed and witnessed amendment to the existing will. Useful for one or two small changes - swapping an executor, changing a small gift. Codicils have to be signed and witnessed with the same formalities as a will under section 9 of the Wills Act 1837.
A fresh will. A new will that revokes the old one. Almost always cleaner than a codicil for anything substantive.
Our recommendation, for almost everyone, is: rewrite. The risk of a codicil is that future readers - executors, family, the probate registry - have to piece together the original will plus all amendments to understand what you wanted. A single clean will is much easier to administer.
Storing the right document
A will is only useful if your executors can find it. The signed paper original is the legal document; copies are not. Where to keep it:
- A fireproof home safe.
- The Probate Service's wills storage facility.
- With a specialist storage provider.
- With the will-writer (some online services include storage, some don't).
Always tell your executors where the original lives. A will no one can find is a will that fails. We cover this in how to store your will.
If you replace your will, destroy the old one - or at the very least mark it clearly as revoked. Old wills lying around can cause genuine confusion at probate.
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Frequently asked questions
Does my will expire after 7 years?
No. There is no 7-year rule for wills. (You may be thinking of the 7-year rule for lifetime gifts under inheritance tax law, which is unrelated. We cover that in our seven year rule guide.)
Is my will from before I got married still valid?
Probably not. Marriage automatically revokes a previous will under section 18 of the Wills Act 1837, unless the earlier will was made in expectation of that specific marriage. Most aren't. Most pre-marriage wills are revoked the day of the wedding.
My executor died years ago - is the will still valid?
Yes, the will is still valid, but the executor appointment has lapsed. If you named substitute executors, they can act. If not, an administrator will be appointed by the court. Updating the will to name a new executor is much simpler.
I moved house - do I need a new will?
Not necessarily. A general gift of "my home" or "my residual estate" doesn't depend on a specific address. A specific gift of "my house at 14 Acacia Avenue" might lapse if you've sold the house. If your will is general, no update needed for the house alone; if specific, an update is sensible.
How often should I really update my will?
A review every 3-5 years is sensible, plus after any major life event. Plenty of people review and find nothing needs changing - which is also a useful outcome. The annual updates option on Trusted Hands lets you re-issue the will whenever you want, without paying again.
Ready to write your will?
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