How Much Does It Cost to Make a Will in the UK? | Everlasting Legacy
Cost is the single biggest reason people put off making a will, often because they assume it costs far more than it actually does, or far less than it should, given what is at stake. Here is what a will genuinely costs in the UK in 2026, broken down by route.
DIY will kits: roughly £0 to £30
A printed template, available from stationers, supermarkets, and online retailers, with guidance notes and nothing else. There is no checking, no legal advice, and no support if something goes wrong with the wording or the witnessing. This is the cheapest option and also carries the highest rate of disputes and errors, ambiguous wording and witnessing mistakes are the most common cause of contested wills in the UK. One small error, a beneficiary used as a witness, for example, can invalidate an entire gift, sometimes without anyone realising until it is too late.
Online will-writing services: roughly £70 to £300
These have grown rapidly in recent years and now make up over half the market for new wills written in the UK. A guided online questionnaire takes you through the key decisions, explains the legal implications as you go, and produces a properly drafted document along with clear execution and witnessing instructions. For straightforward estates, married or in a civil partnership, leaving everything to a partner and then children, this level of service is genuinely sufficient, and the document carries exactly the same legal validity as one a solicitor would produce, provided it is signed and witnessed correctly.
Specialist will writers: roughly £100 to £500
A step up from a purely online service, typically including a conversation with someone who talks through your specific circumstances before drafting. Not all will writers are legally qualified or regulated in the same way solicitors are, so it is worth checking a provider's credentials and what redress is available if something goes wrong.
Solicitors: roughly £150 to £900 for a straightforward will
Solicitor pricing varies considerably by region and firm, with London firms typically charging 20 to 40% more than those elsewhere. Mirror wills for couples usually cost somewhere between 1.4 and 1.6 times the price of a single will, rather than double, since much of the drafting work is shared. All practising solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and carry professional indemnity insurance, meaning there is recourse if a genuine mistake is made.
Complex estates: £500 to several thousand pounds
If your estate involves a trust, business assets, overseas property, or a genuinely complicated family situation, expect costs to rise accordingly, sometimes considerably. This is where paying for proper, tailored advice tends to be worth every penny, the cost of getting a complex will wrong, in disputes, delays, or unintended tax consequences, almost always exceeds the cost of getting it drafted properly in the first place.
What actually drives the price up
It is rarely the will itself that adds cost, it is the complexity behind it: a blended family, assets held overseas, a business interest, a desire to set up trusts for vulnerable beneficiaries, or potential Inheritance Tax exposure. A simple, single-person estate with clear wishes rarely needs to cost more than a modest, fixed fee.
Is a more expensive will automatically a better one?
No. The Wills Act 1837 sets out exactly the same legal requirements regardless of price: the will must be in writing, signed by you, witnessed by two independent adults who also sign, and made while you have the mental capacity to understand what you are doing. A £5,000 will and a £70 will are equally valid if both meet those four conditions. What changes with price is the level of guidance, advice, and checking you receive along the way, not the legal standing of the final document.
What we would actually recommend
For most people with a straightforward estate, a guided online or fixed-fee service is genuinely appropriate and represents excellent value. If your situation involves a blended family, a business, overseas assets, or significant Inheritance Tax exposure, it is worth paying for proper, tailored advice. The honest answer to "how much should my will cost" depends entirely on what your situation actually needs, not on the lowest or highest price you can find.
Get a clear, fixed-fee quote for your situation. Book Consultation with Everlasting Legacy and we will tell you exactly what you need, and what it will cost, before you commit to anything.
This article provides general information about the law in England & Wales and is correct at the time of writing. Prices are typical market ranges and may vary by provider and circumstances. It is not a substitute for advice tailored to your individual circumstances.
