The honest answer to "how much should a will cost in the UK?" is: somewhere between free and £1,000+ depending on the route you take and the complexity of your situation. Here's a breakdown of every option in 2026, with rough pricing and what you actually get for it.
Online will-writing services - £40-£100
This is the route most middle-of-the-road UK estates now take, and it's where Trusted Hands sits. You answer guided questions, the service produces the will document, and you print and sign it in front of two witnesses.
Typical inclusions:
- A guided question-and-answer flow that adapts to your situation.
- A clean printable document compliant with the Wills Act 1837.
- A step-by-step witness guide.
- Storage of an electronic copy.
Some services (Trusted Hands included) offer an annual updates subscription so you can re-issue the will whenever your circumstances change without paying again. That typically adds around £12 a year.
Best for: straightforward estates where you know who you want to inherit and you're confident about appointing your own executors and guardians.
High-street solicitor - £200-£500 for a standard will
A traditional solicitor will draft a will for you, often after a 30-60 minute consultation. The fee varies a lot by region (London tends to be higher than the North) and by firm.
Inclusions usually:
- A consultation with a qualified solicitor.
- A drafted will reviewed by the solicitor.
- Witnessing in the office.
- Storage of the original (though many firms now charge separately for storage).
Best for: estates with specific complications you want a regulated adviser to look at - though many guided online services handle the same scenarios well via complexity flags.
"Will Aid" or charity will months - donation of £100+
Each November (Will Aid) and during October's Free Wills Month, participating solicitors offer a will in exchange for a charitable donation. The suggested donation in 2026 is around £100 for a single will or £180 for mirror wills.
These are good value if you've planned to donate to charity anyway. The downside is limited availability and the work has to fit a busy month.
DIY will kit - £10-£25
You can buy a fill-in-the-blanks will kit from any large stationer. They're cheap. They're also responsible for a disproportionate number of disputed wills.
Common pitfalls:
- No guidance on residual estate clauses, so estates are part-distributed.
- Easy to invalidate the signing through small witness errors.
- No prompt to consider IHT, guardians, or substitute executors.
We don't recommend DIY kits for anything other than a very simple estate, and even then a £40 online service is barely more expensive and far safer.
"Free" will services from banks and insurers - £0 (with strings)
Some banks and insurers offer free wills as a customer perk. Read the small print: many require the bank to be appointed as executor, which can mean the estate pays the bank's executorship fees later (often a percentage of the estate plus an hourly rate) - sometimes amounting to many thousands of pounds.
You're not paying for the will; you're paying through the executorship later.
Solicitor-drafted complex will - £600-£1,500+
For estates that genuinely need bespoke drafting - life-interest trusts, business succession, foreign property, blended-family disputes - a specialist private-client solicitor is the right call. Fees vary enormously by case.
Mirror wills for couples
Most providers offer a discount on mirror wills (a pair of wills that broadly reflect each other - typical for married couples leaving everything to each other first, then to the children). At Trusted Hands you pay slightly more for two wills than for one, but each will is bespoke to its owner. Solicitors typically charge £350-£800 for a pair.
What about ongoing changes?
Life happens. New baby, divorce, a beneficiary dies, you sell or buy a house. Every one of those is a reason to update the will.
Options:
- Codicil - a short legal document amending an existing will. Valid but easy to lose. Costs £50-£150 from a solicitor.
- New will - revoke the old one and start again. Recommended for anything more than a tiny tweak. Costs the same as the original will.
- Updates subscription - re-issue the will at any time during a 12-month period. Trusted Hands' annual subscription is £12/year.
For people who expect their circumstances to change, the subscription pays for itself after one update.
What's NOT typically included in any of the prices above
- Probate fees - paid by your estate when you die, not when you write the will. The application fee is £273 (estates over £5,000) plus optional copies at £1.50 each.
- Inheritance tax - tax on the estate, payable to HMRC, separate from any service fee.
- Storage - some solicitors charge an annual storage fee. Online services usually store electronically for free.
- Legal disputes - if your will is challenged, defending it is a separate cost.
Hidden questions that affect price
A few situations bump complexity (and cost) regardless of the route:
- You own foreign property.
- You have a blended family.
- Your estate is likely to attract inheritance tax.
- You want to leave money to a child with a disability who claims means-tested benefits.
- You run a business with co-shareholders.
For complex estates, we recommend you seek assistance from a Trusted Hands Advisor or your own legal advice.
> 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
What's the cheapest legal way to write a will in the UK?
DIY will kits from £10 are the cheapest, but the risk of invalidation makes them poor value. The cheapest safe route is a guided online service from around £40-£90. Will Aid (November) is also good value if you'd donate to charity anyway.
Are will-writing services regulated?
Some are members of the Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW) or the Society of Will Writers (SWW), which set conduct standards. These are not the same as solicitor regulation by the SRA. Trusted Hands is a will-writing service, not a regulated law firm; we provide a complexity-flagging engine that prompts you to seek further advice when your situation suggests it.
Will the cost go up if I have a complex estate?
A solicitor will normally charge more for complex drafting (often hourly). Online services typically use a flat-fee model and flag complexities for separate advice rather than absorbing the work.
Should I prepay for funeral planning at the same time?
Not usually. A will and a prepaid funeral plan serve different purposes. Funeral wishes can be recorded in the will (or a letter of wishes) - prepayment is a financial product worth shopping around for separately.
Is it cheaper to do mirror wills together?
Slightly, depending on provider. The savings are marginal because each will is still its own legal document. The bigger savings come from doing it online vs. in a solicitor's office.
Curious what yours would cost? Start a will online - you can build the whole thing for free and only pay when you're ready to download.
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.
- Free to start — no card details to begin
- Smart Will Engine — only asks what's relevant to your situation
- Fixed price — no hourly bills, no surprises
- Annual updates option — keep your will editable as life changes