The Basics

The articles in this section give you all the basic information about your Will.

Do you need guidance or can you write your Will by yourself?

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You can write your own Will, without any help or legal guidance and as long as it is properly signed and witnessed it should still be legally valid in the UK. It’s just not recommended for a number of reasons: The problems with going it alone A Will is a legal document where errors can cause it to be invalid or ambiguity means costly mistakes are made after your death. The main problems are: * You may not know or include all of important clauses which need to be used. * By not using wording

Reasons why you might want to consider using a solicitor

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There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor to make your Will. Most people’s affairs are relatively simple and straightforward and in most cases you can make a Will without the help of a solicitor. If your affairs are more complex Of course, if things are more complicated then using a solicitor might be something you should consider. Complicated arrangements could include: * Being responsible for a person who will need ongoing care and financial support after your death, for example

Can making a will save on inheritance tax?

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Making a will is always a good way of making the best available use of your inheritance tax (IHT) allowance and minimising the amount of IHT payable when you die. Planning What a will can’t do though is reduce the value of your estate available for taxation, this will instead need some forward planning and this is something a financial advisor may be able to help you with. There are a number of options available to you, which may include disposing of some of your wealth while you’re still aliv

Do I need a solicitor to sign or witness my Will?

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No. In fact a solicitor doesn’t need to have any involvement at all in your Will to make it legally valid. Your witnesses You can choose your own witnesses (you’ll need two of them) and they can be pretty much anyone as long as they understand what they are doing and are able to see your signature. In practice it a good idea to choose someone who is an adult and somebody whom you expect can be traced after you die, in case they have to give evidence about the signing of the Will. You should a

How much does it cost to write a Will?

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Writing a Will with Affio can cost nothing. With other providers the costs involved, much like anything, depends on a number of factors – how you have your will written, who does it and how complex your circumstances are. Typically having your will written by a solicitor starts at about £150 but people often use an unregulated will-writer and this is cheaper.  A recent survey found that most people pay between £50 and £150: Amount paid for a willPercentage of survey£0-£5014%£51-£15047%£151-£30