A will is not a document you write once and forget. Life moves; your will should move with it. The good news is that updating a will in 2026 is faster and cheaper than ever - usually 15-30 minutes online. The harder part is recognising the moments when an update is overdue. This guide is the practical "trigger list" - life events and changes that should prompt a will review, plus how to actually do it.
The two-pronged rule
A useful default is:
- Review every 3-5 years, even if nothing major has changed.
- Review after any significant life event - the trigger list below.
A periodic review catches drift - the slow accumulation of changes that no single event flagged. A trigger-driven review catches the obvious changes immediately. Together they cover most cases.
The major triggers
These are the events where an update is essentially essential, not optional.
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. The same applies to civil partnerships under section 18B.
In plain English: if you marry without making a new will, you die intestate from your wedding day until you make one. This catches large numbers of people, particularly in second marriages where the existing will was for a previous family.
The fix: write a new will at the same time you sort the wedding paperwork. We cover this in planning a will when remarrying.
Divorce or dissolution
Divorce doesn't revoke the whole will, but section 18A of the Wills Act 1837 treats your former spouse as if they had died on the date of the decree absolute. Any gift to them lapses; any appointment of them as executor or trustee fails. The rest of the will continues.
This is rarely the outcome you want. A clean rewrite is almost always better - to redirect what would have gone to them, to appoint new executors and guardians, and to think about the children's inheritance. See our will after divorce guide.
Birth or adoption of a child or grandchild
A new child changes everything. The will needs to:
- Include the new child as a beneficiary (existing wills often refer only to "my children at the date of the will").
- Appoint guardians if the child is under 18 and you haven't already done so.
- Adjust the residual estate to share fairly across all children.
For step-children, this is especially important - they are not automatically your "children" for the purposes of an existing will, and they are invisible to intestacy. Adopted children are treated as biological children once adoption is legally complete.
Our parents with young children guide covers the typical wishlist.
Death of an executor, guardian or major beneficiary
Three things to fix:
- Executor. If you named substitutes, they can step in - update to confirm. If you didn't, the will needs replacing or the court will appoint an administrator.
- Guardian. Same logic - substitute or replacement.
- Beneficiary. A "30% to my brother" gift fails if he's predeceased you and there's no substitute. The 30% falls into residue or, worse, into partial intestacy.
Buying, selling or remortgaging your home
A general gift of "my home" or "my residual estate" doesn't normally need updating just because you've moved. But:
- A specific gift of a named address lapses if you've sold the property.
- The form of joint ownership (joint tenants vs tenants in common) matters more than most owners realise. Joint tenants pass by survivorship outside the will; tenants in common pass under the will. We cover the difference in joint tenants vs tenants in common.
- The residence nil-rate band (£175,000 frozen until April 2030) only applies to a home left to direct descendants. If you've moved into a new home or changed family structure, this may need revisiting.
Starting or selling a business
Business interests need bespoke drafting. A simple "all my shares to X" clause may not work if there's a shareholders' agreement, business property relief at stake, or partnership rules.
For complex estates, we recommend you seek assistance from a Trusted Hands Advisor or your own legal advice.
> A small change is still worth doing properly. Trusted Hands lets you rewrite cleanly in 15-30 minutes. Start free → - only pay when you download.
The "softer" triggers
These don't necessarily require an immediate rewrite, but each is a good reason to take 15 minutes and review:
Falling out with someone in the will. A beneficiary or executor you no longer trust. The will doesn't change just because you stopped speaking. Update it if your wishes have changed.
Significant change in finances. Inheritance received, redundancy, pension lump sum, large investment gain or loss. The fixed gifts in your will may now be a much bigger or smaller share of the estate than you intended.
Moving abroad or returning. Cross-border estates can get complicated quickly. Domicile, location of assets, foreign forced-heirship rules - all change the picture.
Forming a long-term cohabiting relationship. Cohabitees have no automatic inheritance rights in England and Wales. If you want your partner to inherit, your will is the only reliable route. See our cohabiting couples guide.
A beneficiary's circumstances change. Means-tested benefits, addiction, a difficult divorce of their own. A direct gift might cause them more harm than good - a trust arrangement might be better.
Tax thresholds or rules change. The £325,000 nil-rate band and £175,000 residence nil-rate band are frozen until April 2030, but the rules around them evolve. Periodic review is sensible. See our inheritance tax guide.
You change your mind. No life event needed. If something is bothering you about the will, fix it.
The "no real reason" review
A 3-5 year periodic review often surfaces things you wouldn't have flagged yourself: an executor who has moved abroad, a beneficiary's address that has changed, a wording that no longer reads quite right. None of these individually are emergencies. All of them are easier to fix sooner.
How to actually update a will
There are two routes:
A new will (recommended for most updates)
A fresh will revokes all earlier ones. It is the cleanest way to handle anything more than a tiny tweak. Modern guided builders make this fast - 15-30 minutes online with services like Trusted Hands, after which you print, sign and witness in the usual way.
The annual updates option on Trusted Hands is designed exactly for this case: you pay once, and you can re-issue the will any time your circumstances change without paying again.
A codicil (only for tiny changes)
A codicil is a short signed and witnessed amendment to an existing will. It must comply with the same section 9 formalities as the original - in writing, signed by you, witnessed by two adults present at the same time.
Codicils are useful for very small changes - swapping one executor for another, increasing one specific gift. They are rarely the right answer for anything substantive, because they layer on top of the original will and make the document harder to administer at probate.
If you'd rather just get on with it, our guided will builder is free to start.
What to do with the old will
Once you have a new will:
- The new will revokes the old one (any properly drafted will does this in its opening clause).
- Destroy the old will - or at the very least mark every page "REVOKED" and the date.
- Update your executors so they know where the new original is stored.
- Consider whether your letter of wishes (the non-binding personal letter that sits alongside the will) also needs updating.
Old wills floating around can cause genuine confusion at probate. Tidy as you go.
> Ready to start your will? Trusted Hands turns these decisions into a 15-30 minute guided builder. Start free → — only pay when you download.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to update my will every year?
No. A 3-5 year review is the usual recommendation. Updating annually for the sake of it is not necessary - though if your circumstances change frequently, an annual updates plan can be useful.
Is a codicil cheaper than a new will?
Sometimes, marginally. But the legal formalities are identical (it must be signed and witnessed like a will), and the result is a more complicated paper trail. For most updates, a fresh will is cleaner and not significantly more expensive.
Will updating my will affect inheritance tax planning?
It can, in either direction. An update is a chance to make better use of available relief - charitable bequests for the lower IHT rate, the residence nil-rate band, life-interest trusts. It can also accidentally undo planning if not done carefully. For estates near or above the thresholds, take advice on the IHT side.
Does my old will get cancelled automatically when I write a new one?
Yes - any properly drafted new will starts with a revocation clause that cancels all earlier wills. Belt and braces, destroy the old physical copies too.
How do I update a will I made with a solicitor years ago?
You don't have to go back to the same solicitor. You can write a fresh will through any route - online builder, a different solicitor, or a Will Aid scheme - and it will revoke the old one. The new will is what matters.
Ready to write your will?
Trusted Hands is a guided, plain-English will builder. You answer simple questions, see your draft as you go, and only pay when you're ready to download.
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- Annual updates option - keep your will editable as life changes