6 ways to get a cheap or free will in October

One in six people without a will say they don’t have one because they’re unable to afford it, according to financial services provider Canada Life.

Making a will can help protect your loved ones after you die, and ensure your estate is distributed in the way you choose.

With Free Wills Month running this October, and Will Aid taking place in November, now could be a good time to get one. 

Here, Which? explains how much you can expect to pay for a will depending on what type of service you use – and how you can keep the cost down. 

• Are you making a will? If you want support, you can make your will and have it reviewed by Which?. Plus save 30% on a Review Will, until 31 October 2023.

How much does it cost to make a will?

According to the survey of 2,000 adults by Canada Life, 15% of those without a will said they were unable to afford it. 

The amount you spend will vary depending on how complicated your estate is and how you wish to create your will. 

If your affairs are complex, you could spend more than £500 creating a specialist will with a solicitor.  

However, most people only need a simple will, which typically costs around £100 to make using a will writer or bank. But there are ways to pay less than that...

1. Take advantage of Free Wills Month

Free Wills Month runs twice a year in March and October and gives those aged over 55 the chance to have a will drawn up or updated by a solicitor for free in exchange for a charitable donation.

If making mirror wills (almost entirely identical wills created by married couples or partners), just one of you needs to be aged over 55. 

Appointments with participating solicitors are limited and arranged on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Hundreds of solicitor firms and charities take part, but different areas participate in different months. 

This month the scheme is running in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Chester, Cornwall, Derbyshire, East Cheshire, Exeter, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Ipswich, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Nottinghamshire, Northern Ireland, North Wales, Oxfordshire, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Shropshire, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Southampton, Scarborough, Swansea, Torquay and York.

You can put your postcode into the Free Wills Month website to find out which solicitors near you are taking part.

• Find out more: what to put in your will 

2. Make the most of Will Aid

If you miss out on Free Wills Month, another scheme is just around the corner. 

Will Aid is a partnership between solicitors and nine UK charities, which allows you to get a basic will for a voluntary donation. 

The suggested donation to Will Aid is £100 for a single basic will and £180 for a pair of mirror wills.

Donations support the work of the British Red Cross, Age UK, Action Aid, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF, Sightsavers and Trócaire.

A list of participating solicitors can be found on the Will Aid website, and it’s recommended you book an appointment early to secure a place.

• Find out more: reasons for making a will 

3. Leave a gift to charity 

Many charities provide free will-writing services all year round, although it's recommended you leave a gift to the charity in your will in exchange for the service. 

Participating charities include Marie Curie, Cancer Research, Macmillan Cancer Support, The Children’s Hospital and The Stroke Association. 

Bear in mind that some have criteria for who can use the service, so it's best to check their website first. For example, at The Stroke Association you need to be over the age of 60 or a stroke survivor over the age of 18. 

• Find out more: how to make a will for free 

4. Use a will writing service 

Using a will writing service is typically cheaper than using a solicitor, with prices starting from around £80.

You’ll also get more guidance than doing it yourself, and it can be ideal if your circumstances are relatively straightforward.

However, not all will writers are qualified or regulated, because will writing itself is not a regulated market. 

To give yourself extra protection, you should make sure your will writer is recognised by a professional body within the industry, or by a regulated individual, like a solicitor. 

The wills team at Which? is supervised by a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

• Find out more: how to pass on digital assets in your will 

5. Watch out for hidden fees

If you’re using a will writer, always read the small print carefully and watch out for hidden fees. 

The Society of Trust and Practitioners (Step) has warned people to be on their guard for ‘cowboy’ will writers. 

Step members have reported examples of rogue firms charging hidden fees, appointing themselves as executors, and giving false promises about avoiding care home fees.

Some customers had been told by advisers to put their home and other assets into lifetime trusts.

Setting up a trust means someone else becomes the legal owner of the assets you place within it, but it won’t help you to avoid care home costs, as local authorities consider it to be ‘deliberate deprivation of assets’ and will still include them in care cost assessments.

One Step member was contacted by a couple who paid £4,500 for their wills with a storage fee of £49 a year, which has since risen to £89. 

Another said expensive storage fees not explained or charged for at the time meant rogue firms ‘have your estate over a barrel’, requiring payment to release the original will. 

This warning follows an investigation launched by the Competition and Markets Authority into will writing, prepaid probate plans and online 'quickie' divorces services.

• Find out more Listen to the Which? Money podcast team discussing the problem of unregulated firms persuading people to put their property in a trust:

6. Use a DIY service

Templates for DIY wills can be downloaded online from as little as £10, but you should only use one of these if your estate is very simple. 

If you have more complex circumstances, you risk making a mistake that could make your will invalid or ambiguous.

Should you go down the DIY route, it’s crucial that the will covers all the major assets you own and that the document is witnessed correctly.

• Find out more: the 6 mistakes that could invalidate your will 

Are you making a will? If you want support, you can make your will and have it reviewed by Which?. Plus save 30% on a Review Will, until 31 October 2023.