Making a will online: how it works

Online wills are legally valid and suit a lot of people. The document still has to be printed, signed and witnessed in person — which is where people slip up.

What's on this page

How the process works#

1. Answer guided questions about your family, assets and wishes — usually 15 to 30 minutes.
2. The service drafts the will from your answers using standard clauses.
3. A human check, on most reputable services, before the document is finalised.
4. You print it. This step is not optional — there is no valid fully digital will in England & Wales.
5. You sign it in front of two witnesses, both present at the same time, neither a beneficiary nor married to one. They then sign.
6. You store the original and tell your executors where it is.

What to check before you buy#

• Who is behind it? Some services are run by SRA-regulated firms, others by IPW members, others by neither. This determines your recourse if something goes wrong.
• Is a human review included, or is it purely automated?
• What is the total price? Watch for subscriptions, storage fees and charges for updates.
• Does it appoint the provider as executor? If so, ask what their probate fees would be — this is where cheap wills become expensive.
• Can you speak to someone if a question does not fit your situation?
• Where will the original be stored, and at what cost?

Where online wills work well#

• Single people leaving everything to family or friends;
• First-marriage couples wanting mirror wills;
• Parents whose main concern is naming guardians;
• Estates comfortably inside the inheritance tax allowances;
• Anyone who currently has no will at all — something correct and simple beats nothing.

Where they fall down#

Automated drafting works from the answers you give. It cannot notice what you did not think to mention. Avoid the online route if:

• You have been married before, or there are stepchildren or children from different relationships;
• You want a property protection trust or any other trust;
• You are planning around care fees — which usually requires severing a joint tenancy first, a step no questionnaire prompts;
• Your estate is over the allowances or near the £2,000,000 taper;
• You own a business, farmland or property abroad;
• A beneficiary is disabled, vulnerable or on means-tested benefits;
• You are excluding someone who might contest the will.

Getting the most out of an online service#

• Prepare before you start. Have a rough valuation of what you own, the full legal names of your beneficiaries and executors, and their addresses. Guessing at a spelling is how gifts end up ambiguous.
• Deal with the residue deliberately. Specific gifts are the easy part; the question that matters is who gets everything left over, and what happens if they die before you.
• Name a replacement for every executor and every major beneficiary.
• Read the draft properly before printing. It is generated from your answers, so an answer you misread produces a will that says something you did not mean.
• Write a letter of wishes separately for anything personal or sensitive. It stays private and does not become a public document at probate.
• Diarise a review for five years' time, and redo it sooner if you marry — marriage automatically revokes an existing will.

Online vs the alternatives#

	Online	Solicitor	Free scheme
Cost	From £90	£150–£400	£0 or a donation
Speed	Same day	1–3 weeks	Depends on appointments
Tailored advice	Limited	Yes	Yes, for simple wills
Handles trusts	Rarely	Yes	No
When available	Always	Always	March, October, November

See free will options and our DIY versus solicitor comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Are online wills legally valid in the UK?

Yes, in England & Wales, provided the printed document is signed by you and witnessed by two people present at the same time who are not beneficiaries. Validity depends entirely on execution, not on how the wording was produced.

Can I sign my will electronically?

No. English law still requires a wet-ink signature on a physical document, witnessed in person. Electronic wills have been considered by the Law Commission but are not currently valid. Print it and sign it.

Do online will services store the original for me?

Many offer storage, sometimes free for a period and then annually. You are never obliged to use it — a fireproof box at home is fine as long as your executors know where to look. What matters is that the original, not a copy, can be produced after your death.

What if my situation does not fit the questions?

That is the signal to stop and speak to someone. Forcing an unusual situation into a standard questionnaire is how online wills go wrong. Most reputable services will tell you when your circumstances fall outside what they cover — and a service that never says this is one to be wary of.

This is general information, not legal advice. Everyone's situation is different — speak to a qualified adviser before acting. KeepTheLot is an independent information service covering England & Wales. We are not a law firm.

Part of our guide to wills.