Update your will online

Your circumstances changed. Your will should too.

If you've married, divorced, had a child, lost an executor, bought a property, or simply changed your mind about something important - your existing will probably needs to be replaced. Trusted Hands lets you re-issue your will online and automatically retires the old version.

Why update

The life events that should always trigger a rewrite.

A will only describes the situation it was written for. The day you write it, it's perfect. The day life changes, it isn't. These are the moments to update.

You got married

In England and Wales, marriage automatically revokes an existing will unless it was specifically made in contemplation of that marriage. Without an update you may die intestate.

You divorced or separated

Your ex-spouse is treated as having died for the purposes of your will - which usually has consequences you didn't intend. Update to make your real intentions clear.

You had or adopted a child

New guardians for under-18s, new beneficiaries, perhaps new gifts. The child needs to be named in the will to make your intentions enforceable.

A beneficiary or executor died

Your substitutes step up automatically, but you'll usually want to add new replacements so you're not relying on a single fallback person.

You bought or sold property

Specific-gift clauses pointing to "my house at [old address]" stop working if you've sold it. Updating the will keeps the gift logic intact.

You blended a family

Stepchildren are not automatic beneficiaries - they need to be named. Mutual wills are often the right structure for blended families.

When you should update your will

Update as soon as practical if any of these has happened:

You got married or entered a civil partnership - in England and Wales, marriage automatically revokes an existing will unless it was specifically made in contemplation of that marriage
You divorced or dissolved a civil partnership - your ex-spouse is treated as having died for the purposes of the will, which can have unintended consequences
You had or adopted a child - new guardians, new beneficiaries, new gifts
A beneficiary or executor died - your substitutes step up, but you may want to add new ones
You bought or sold significant property
You moved abroad or acquired assets abroad - this often needs a solicitor; our Complexity Detector will flag it
You blended a family with a new partner who has children of their own
You changed your mind about who inherits what, or who you want as executor

How updates work at Trusted Hands

With the Annual Subscription with Family Vault, you can update your will as many times as you like through the year:

Open your existing will in your dashboard
Change what needs changing - the builder remembers everything else
Re-issue and sign the new version with two witnesses
The new will revokes the old one automatically; older PDFs are retired

The Family Vault updates with you - so if your insurance changes, you update the policy; if your funeral wishes evolve, you update the funeral document; nothing goes stale.

No subscription? Update by re-running the builder

If you bought a one-off will and don't have the subscription, you can still update by paying to re-issue. The new will revokes the old one once signed and witnessed.

Common questions

About updating your will

What do I do with the old paper will once I've signed a new one?

Destroy it - tear, shred or burn the old original. The new will explicitly revokes any earlier will, but destroying the old paper copy avoids confusion if both turn up later.

Do I have to start from scratch each time?

No. The builder remembers everything from your previous will. You change only what's changed, re-issue, re-sign in front of two witnesses.

How often should I review my will, even without a big life change?

We recommend every three to five years as a quiet check-in, and immediately after any of the events above. The subscription includes life-event reminders so you don't have to remember.

What if my situation has gone beyond what an online builder can handle?

The Complexity Detector flags scenarios where a solicitor is the right call - foreign property, complex trusts, certain blended-family or business situations. We'd rather point you elsewhere than push you through a process that doesn't fit.