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Buy and save7 things to know before taking advantage of Free Wills Month
Plus, how to get a free or cheap will if you can't use the scheme
Grace is Money editor at Which?, on the hunt for ways to help people save with smart tips and deals. She was named personal finance journalist of the year 2025.
Holly covers personal finance topics from credit cards to wills. She enjoys turning complex money matters into clear, practical advice.
If you've been putting off writing your will, you're not alone.
Almost three in five UK adults – more than 30 million people – don't have a will in place, according to research commissioned by the Co-Op earlier this year.
But with Free Wills Month kicking off this week, it's a great time to start getting your affairs in order.
Here, we explain seven things you need to know about using Free Wills Month and how else you can keep costs down.
1. It runs twice a year
Free Wills Month runs twice a year, in March and October, and gives those aged over 55 the chance to have a simple will drawn up or updated by a solicitor for free.
The scheme started in 2005 and has raised more than £550m in future income for charities.
- Find out more: how to make a will for free
2. More than 20 charities take part
Charities cover the solicitors' fees in the hope that participants will consider leaving a gift in their will.
Some of the national charities taking part include Alzheimer's Research UK, British Heart Foundation, Mind, the NSPCC and the Stroke Association. You can find a full list on the Free Wills Month website.
There's no obligation to leave a gift to charity in your will if you take part in Free Wills Month, but it's hoped that you will.
Many charities rely on legacies as a key source of funding. Gifts in wills provide, on average, 30% of fundraised income among the top 1,000 charities that receive legacy income, according to research by Legacy Futures and Smee & Ford.
3. Different areas participate in different months
Hundreds of solicitor firms and charities take part, but different areas of the UK participate in different months.
In October, the following areas are taking part: Aberdeen, Ayr, Birmingham, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Chester, Chesterfield, Cornwall, Cumbria and Lancaster, Derbyshire, Dundee, East Cheshire, Edinburgh, Essex, Exeter, Fife, Glasgow, Gloucestershire, Greenock, Hampshire, Huddersfield, Hull, Inverness, Ipswich, Kent, Kilmarnock, Leeds, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Mid and West Wales, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, North Wales, Northern Ireland, Norwich, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Perth, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Scarborough, Sheffield, Shropshire, Southampton, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Torquay, Wakefield, Wirral and York.
You can put your postcode into the Free Wills Month website to find out which solicitors near you are taking part.
- Find out more: what to put in your will
4. Appointments get booked up fast
Appointments with participating solicitors are limited and arranged on a first-come, first-served basis from 1 October.
Once all the available appointments are booked, the campaign will close – which may be before the end of the month.
To sign up, enter your postcode on the Free Wills Month website to find your nearest participating solicitor.
You'll then need to contact the solicitor to arrange the appointment and mention the Free Wills Month scheme.
5. Couples can get mirror wills
Couples can get a pair of simple mirror wills as part of the scheme.
In this case, only one partner needs to be over the age of 55.
Mirror wills are almost entirely identical wills created by married couples or partners.
6. It may not suit complex cases
Charities will cover the cost of a simple will, so it may not be suitable if you have complex affairs.
The solicitor will decide whether your will is considered simple based on your particular requirements.
If your will is considered to be more complex, you may have to pay for it yourself.
It's a good idea to seek a few quotes to compare prices.
- Find out more: will and lifetime trusts
7. You can update an existing will
Even if you already have a will, you can still use the scheme.
As well as creating a new will, solicitors will also update an existing simple will for free.
It's a good idea to review your will every three to five years to ensure it's still valid and in line with your wishes.
Reasons you may need to update your will include marriage or divorce, the death of a beneficiary or executor, or significant changes in your assets.
- Find out more: when to update your will
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What if you're not eligible to use Free Wills Month?
There are plenty of other ways to get a professionally written will for free or at low cost.
1. Check out other free will schemes
Will Aid offers free appointments with solicitors across the UK throughout November.
Participating lawyers will waive their fees for a simple will or a pair of basic mirror wills.
Instead, you're encouraged to make an upfront donation to Will Aid of £120 or £200 (depending on the type of will you write).
Donations support the work of Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Crisis, the NSPCC, Shelter, SCIAF and Trócaire.
The list of participating solicitors goes live on the Will Aid website on 1 September each year. It’s recommended that you book an appointment early to secure a place.
Will-writing firm Octopus Legacy offers people in England and Wales the chance to write or update their will for free twice a year, in the spring and autumn. It hopes that you'll leave a legacy to one of its partner charities in return.
You can write your will online, by phone or in person, and have it reviewed by a will writer.
2. Get referred to the Free Wills Network
The National Free Wills Network is a partnership between more than 300 charities and 1,000 solicitors, offering free, simple solicitor-drafted wills.
The scheme runs year-round. To take part, you need to be referred by a participating charity. You can find participating organisations at nationalfreewills.net.
It's hoped that you'll leave a donation to the charity in your will, but there's no obligation to do so.
3. Look at year-round charity schemes
Many charities provide their own free will-writing services year-round, in partnership with solicitors or professional will-writing services.
The charity will generally cover the cost of a simple will in the hope that you'll leave it a gift – although you don’t have to.
Charities that offer this type of scheme include Amnesty International, the British Red Cross and Cancer Research.
4. Go through your employer or trade union
If you're a member of a trade union, you could get your will written for free or for a low cost.
Unison and the Public and Commercial Services Union are among those that partner with solicitors to provide members with a free will-writing service.
Your employer may offer you a free will as an employee benefit, so it’s worth checking with your HR department.
5. Use a will-writing service
Using a will-writing service is typically cheaper than using a solicitor, with prices typically starting from around £50.
You’ll usually get some guidance on how to draft your will, and many offer the option to have your will reviewed by a solicitor or paralegal.
Take care, as will-writing is an unregulated industry, meaning you may not have the same protections you would if you used a solicitor.
Some will-writing firms, like Co-Op Legal Services, are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales. These firms have to follow the regulator's code of conduct, and you can escalate your complaint to the ombudsman if something goes wrong.
Most will-writing firms aren't regulated, although some may be part of voluntary trade bodies with their own rules and standards, or supervised by regulated individuals, like a solicitor.
The team at Which? Wills is supervised by a solicitor regulated by the SRA.
Why not write my own will?
Writing your own will is one way to cut costs, but it's easy to make mistakes that could invalidate it.
Typical errors include leaving out important assets, using vague or ambiguous language or not executing the will properly.
There’s no need to take the DIY route to save money: there are lots of schemes that will allow you to write a professionally drafted will without breaking the bank.
