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Several schemes allow you to have a simple will written for free by a qualified solicitor in the UK. The main options are Free Wills Month (March and October), Will Aid (November), and free will services offered by individual charities. You are never legally required to leave anything to the charity in return, though a legacy is always welcomed.
Making a will is one of the most important things anyone can do, yet surveys consistently show that more than half of UK adults do not have one. The cost of instructing a solicitor — typically £150 to £300 for a straightforward will — puts some people off. But there are genuine, high-quality free alternatives that allow you to have a proper solicitor-drafted will at no cost. This guide explains each option clearly.
Free Wills Month is an annual campaign run twice a year — in March and October — by a consortium of major UK charities including Age UK, Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, RNIB, and many others. During these months, participating solicitor firms across the UK offer to write simple wills free of charge for people aged 55 and over.
Key things to know about Free Wills Month:
Free Wills Month has helped hundreds of thousands of people make or update their wills. The solicitors involved are qualified professionals and the resulting wills carry exactly the same legal weight as one you paid for at the full rate.
Will Aid runs every November and operates on a slightly different model. Participating solicitors agree to waive their normal fee for writing a basic will during November, and clients are instead asked to make a suggested donation to Will Aid’s charitable partners — currently a group that includes Comic Relief, ActionAid, Age UK, and others.
The suggested donation amounts for 2026 are:
These are suggested rather than required amounts — you are free to give more or less. The donation is tax-effective if you gift aid it and are a UK taxpayer, meaning the charities receive an additional 25p for every £1 donated.
Will Aid is open to people of all ages and covers simple wills. To participate, visit the Will Aid website (willaid.org.uk) from around October each year to search for a participating solicitor near you and book an appointment.
Many individual charities offer free will-writing services throughout the year, funded by the charity as a way of encouraging legacy giving. These are genuine free services and you are under no legal obligation to leave a gift to the charity, although the charities naturally hope you will consider doing so.
Examples of charities with such schemes include:
Some of these schemes are available online and can be completed remotely; others require an in-person appointment with a solicitor. The will produced is a fully valid, professionally drafted legal document in all cases.
You are never legally required to leave a legacy
Regardless of which free will scheme you use, you are under no legal obligation whatsoever to leave a gift to the sponsoring charity. The will is yours and reflects your own wishes. The charities fund these services in the hope that participants will choose to include a bequest, but choosing not to does not invalidate the will or entitle the charity to pursue any claim against the estate.
Age UK (the national charity for older people) offers advice and can signpost to will-writing services, and some local Age UK branches arrange free or low-cost will-writing appointments for older residents. The availability varies significantly by area — contact your local Age UK branch to find out what is offered in your region.
Citizens Advice can provide general information about making a will and signpost to local free or subsidised services. They do not generally write wills themselves, but their advisers can confirm which schemes are currently active in your area.
Some local authorities and housing associations also offer subsidised will-writing services for residents, particularly older tenants in social housing. Contact your local council’s social care or housing team to ask whether any such scheme operates in your area.
Given the availability of free solicitor-drafted wills through the schemes above, there is little reason to use a DIY will kit, an online will-writing service, or an unregulated will writer. The risks of DIY wills are substantial and well-documented:
Given that free, professionally drafted wills are available through multiple well-established schemes, the smartest choice for most people with straightforward circumstances is to use one of the legitimate free options above rather than risking the validity of their estate plans on a DIY document.
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