Your own official Will in minutes from only £50

No.

A will does not need to be written or signed by a solicitor to be legally binding. It just needs to be properly drafted then correctly signed and witnessed. All our wills are thoroughly checked by trained will writers; we won’t just leave you entirely to your own devices.

If you have more complex circumstances, such as property abroad, a business or agricultural interests, we may not be suitable for you. A specialist estate planner or solicitor may be your best option. We’ll tell you if we think that’s the case.

Betterwill handles estates up to a value of £2m, so if your assets are likely to exceed this, we may not be suitable for your needs.

If you die without a will, your legal status is that of ‘intestate’. That means your assets get divided according to the laws of intestacy, rather than what your own wishes might be. Even if you’ve lived with your partner for a long time and share a home, the law does not recognise ‘common law spouse’ status. Your partner will not be automatically entitled to inherit anything when you die, unless you have made a will with specific provision for them.

It’s also important to remember that one of the functions of a will, apart from dealing with physical assets like money and property, is to appoint guardians to look after any children under 18 at the time of death. If you don’t specify guardians, the family courts may decide.

You can find out more about the rules surrounding intestacy here: https://www.gov.uk/inherits-someone-dies-without-will

We are a will writing service and not a firm of solicitors or tax planners. Therefore we can’t dispense legal advice or provide advice on inheritance tax issues. If you need specialist advice a solicitor may be your best port of call. However, we do draft wills to make sure that all gifts of money are given free of inheritance tax, so your beneficiaries should receive the exact amount that you have left to them if your estate at the time of death has sufficient resources to accommodate any specific legacies you have made in the will.

Any inheritance tax will be paid out of your residuary estate before it is divided between the people you have chosen.