How Much Does a Will Cost?

This will vary, depending on how you choose to write your Will. But if you want to protect your wealth and the people closest to you, it’s crucial you make a Will

It should state your wishes for your estate clearly and accurately. The cost of getting a solicitor to write a legally-binding Will for you should not deter you from using this service.

What you’re paying for is something that’s the right fit for you. This is where high quality, professional Will writing counts. It’s like the difference between a cheap, off-the-peg suit and something tailor-made for you.

Having a good, clear Will is worth the price.

In theory, you could write your Will in any kind of format on any piece of paper. You don’t need a legal expert to do it for you.

But a will only works if it makes sense. It must be clear and coherent.

If you were to write your own Will, would you be confident that it was legally binding and wouldn’t cause arguments or conflict after your death?

It would be the loved ones you leave behind having to deal with any issues concerning your Will if it was unclear.

Avoiding the potential stress of a contested Will begins with contacting a solicitor to write your Will for you.

Solicitors’ fees vary, depending on how complex the Will is.

However, some Wills involve more details than others, just as some families are larger, with more complicated relationships than others.

If you’re a married couple, you can have mirror Wills. These duplicate each other. Each individual leaves their estate to the surviving partner. Typically, this will cost less than if the solicitor drafts two separate Wills.

The key thing here is that the cost of your Will reflects what’s in it. Some more specialist Wills can cost more because they must capture the clear intentions of the person for the disposal of their complex estate.

You need to be clear with the solicitor writing your Will what you wish your Will to achieve.

However professionally it’s written, a Will can only work if it achieves what you want it to for your estate.

Therefore, think about whether any of these things apply to you:

• You have an estate that will probably have to pay inheritance tax
• You have complicated family arrangements, such as former partners or children from different marriages
• You want to appoint guardians for young children in the event of your death
• You have assets that may come under complex rules, such as overseas property.

Your solicitor will go through these things with you, to make sure you’re clear about who you want to leave your estate to. This may include any residuary gifts.

Residuary gifts are the assets not dealt with elsewhere in the Will. These come from the residue of the estate remaining after payment of any debts, taxes, probate fees and other costs.

You will also need to appoint an executor and name them in your Will. You can have more than one. You can also have your solicitor as an executor. It is the executor’s role to deal with your estate.