Making a will online vs template wills

Writing an online Will is more popular than ever post-pandemic with many embracing this much cheaper and convenient way to make a Will in this complex, modern world.

And making an online Will UK could not be easier in the 21st century.

Using an online, professional Will writing service, you can make a legally binding Will in the comfort of your home with no risk of contracting an illness, inconvenient appointment times, travel or parking costs or worries.

What’s more, you can write a Will online for a fraction of the cost you would expect to pay most high street firms of solicitors and probate lawyers in the UK.

However, those seeking to make a Will online as cheaply as possible or for no fee at all may well be tempted to click on links in the search engine results that enticingly say something like ‘Will template UK free’ or ‘writing a Will template’.

BUT, before going down this DIY Will route we strongly recommend you read our guide in full so you can make a fully informed decision on whether to use a Will template UK or a professional online Will writing service.

Using a basic Will template UK: pros and cons

The glaringly obvious but ONLY benefit of using a free template to make a Will is that it is very cheap or completely free.

However, it could ultimately cost you and your family thousands of pounds in the future if your DIY Will is not well written and legally executed.

The many cons of using a template Will are:

  • Homemade Wills that are written without professional guidance are often contested by family members
  • It’s easier to contest a DIY template Will on the grounds that the person who wrote the Will did not have mental capacity or that the Will was written under duress
  • Handmade Wills that are incorrectly executed (i.e. not in the physical presence of two independent, non-inheriting witnesses) will be deemed invalid
  • If you store your Will at home it could easily be lost or destroyed
  • Your estate may not be distributed in accordance with your wishes
  • Many DIY Wills do not make necessary provision for a ‘substitute beneficiary’ (should a beneficiary die before you die) rendering a Will invalid should this happen
  • Inheritance Tax planning is often overlooked meaning you could end up paying 40% tax on your estate’s proceeds
  • Some template Wills make no reference to the age at which you would like your children to inherit - setting up a Will Trust is not something that can be covered by an inadequate do-it-yourself Will
  • Your loved ones could end up in a very stressful, drawn-out and costly court battle to try and hang on to the inheritance you desperately wanted them to receive, with big chunks of your inheritance being gobbled up by expensive lawyer and court fees

You might like: 6 things to consider when making a Will

Is a WH Smith Will kit valid?

If a Will is very simple and straightforward, and written and executed in a proper, legally binding manner then, yes, it might be valid.

However, even if a Will is legally valid, it can easily be challenged as not being valid simply because it’s a DIY (homemade) Will.

According to an article by thisismoney.co.uk, a legal probate professional took a look at a DIY Will written using the ‘Last Will & Testament’ kit (sold by WH Smith) and said that he was “not impressed” and that the Will “looks like something you might accidentally throw away. Someone vulnerable could be coerced into signing this - no one is checking the capacity of the person…” and “it could easily be challenged in the law courts”.

Are online Will services legal UK?

Yes, professional Will writing services such as ours are 100% legal in the UK and some of the many benefits of writing a Will online are:

  • it’s much cheaper than using a high street Solicitor
  • you can make a Will in the comfort of your own home
  • experienced, legal professionals will check your Will and if your needs are complex, professional guidance and assistance will be given to make your Will as watertight as possible
  • some online professional Wills services (such as ours) can additionally help you:
  • you can easily amend your Will online should your circumstances or wishes change

Whether a Will is a DIY effort or prepared by a professional online service or high street lawyer, there is always the potential for dispute. However, this risk is much lower when you use a professional online Will writing service such as Wills Services or a probate solicitor on the high street.

This is why you should avoid using a template Will to minimise this very real risk.

Make your will from only £29.99

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*You might also like to read: The risks of DIY probate

12 reasons why you should avoid using free templates to create your will

Inheritance disputes have spiralled in recent times with Inheritance Act claims increasing by a whopping 72 per cent in 2021 alone.

So just in case you’re still not convinced that a homemade DIY Will is a bad idea, we thought we’d share with you some hard-hitting statistics from IBB Law’s UK Inheritance Disputes Report 2022.

  1. 75% of people are like to experience a Will, probate or inheritance dispute during their lifetime
  2. 25% of inheritance disputes are raised by claimants purporting that the deceased was coerced when writing their Will
  3. Most Will disputes occur between siblings
  4. One-third of disputes were raised by a deceased’s colleague (so a non-relative)
  5. 22% of Will inheritance challenges came from a neighbour
  6. A quarter of the surveyed claimants said a Will was disputed because the claimant was dissatisfied with the inheritance they had been left
  7. A quarter of claims related to a purported lack of testamentary capacity
  8. A quarter of claimants said the estate was not being properly distributed
  9. 24% of claimants accused a person that was close to the deceased of coercing them into changing their Will
  10. The average cost of contentious probate fees among those surveyed was £12,775.40
  11. 60% of claimants who contested a Will and disputed their inheritance amount obtained additional money as a result with 2 in every 5 claimants receiving more than £300,000
  12. The average payout to claimants (from those taking part in the survey) was £190,793.50

Don’t have a will yet?

With Wills.Services, you can create or update your will at any time and rest easy knowing that it will be reviewed by a legal professional

Make Your Will From Only £29.99

Why use Wills Services to make an online Will?

Wills Services is the trusted and official Will writing service to ‘Unite the Union’ - the largest trade union in the UK.

We help thousands of people write their professionally prepared and legally binding Wills every year, and have the legal expertise to help with estate planning, inheritance tax planning, LPAs, guardianships and probate. We can even safely and securely store your original, executed Will for you.

If you’d like to know more about making a Will or would like to start drafting your Will straight away, click the button below to register and complete our online questionnaire.

Should you require any guidance or assistance, one of our experienced legal professionals will contact you to talk you through the Will-making process and will ultimately ensure your Will isn’t vulnerable to potential inheritance disputes and claims.

Our fee for a straightforward single Will is only £29.99 (or £49.99 for two mirror Wills - popular amongst couples).

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