Your will, done properly.
Not all online wills are equal. Ours are backed by a fully regulated proate firm. The same professional standard you’d get on the high street, from the comfort of your home.
Will complexity check
Answer 8 quick questions before we unlock your online will.
Single will
£149
Online, self-guided
Mirror wills
£229
For couples – Save £69
Simple. Fast. Professional.
From compatibility check to signed will – in as little as 24 hours.
Every will starts with a free five-minute compatibility check. This tells you which service tier is right for your circumstances, and flags any issues worth addressing before you begin.
Step
One
Complete the free compatibility check
Five minutes. No account needed. Eight questions about your estate, family and circumstances. You receive a recommended tier and a summary of any issues – IHT exposure, trust considerations, overseas complications – flagged for your attention.
Step
Two
Choose your tier and complete the questionnaire
Select your service tier and complete the Arken questionnaire online. Arken is the professional will-drafting platform used by UK law firms. Save and return at any time – most people complete it in 20–40 minutes.
Step
Three
We will review your will
For Tier 2: your completed will is reviewed by our practitioner for legal validity, consistency and adequacy – usually within 24–48 hours. For Tier 3: a full IHT and planning review is carried out and a written planning memo produced – within 2–3 working days.
Step
Four
Sign your will
You receive your will with a step-by-step execution guide – exactly how to sign, witness requirements, what to avoid. Sign in front of two independent witnesses and your will is legally valid.
Step
Five
Store your will safely
Store the original somewhere secure. Our will storage service holds it on your behalf – your executor can contact us directly on your death. Annual review reminders included.
Free
2 minutes
No obligation
Is online right for your situation?
Answer 8 questions and we’ll tell you honestly to proceed online, speak to a Beacon adviser, or whether you need a solicitor first.
Question 1 of 8
What is your current relationship status?
Question 2 of 8
Do you have children or stepchildren?
Question 3 of 8
Do you own property?
Question 4 of 8
Do you have any business interests?
Question 5 of 8
Is the total value of your estate likely to exceed £325,000?
Question 6 of 8
Do you want to include a trust, or do you have a vulnerable beneficiary?
Question 7 of 8
Do you have connections outside England and Wales?
Question 8 of 8
Does any of the following apply to your situation?
Your will can be completed online
Based on your answers, your situation is well-suited to our online will service. You can proceed now. Your will is backed by Beacon Wills and Probate Ltd – a fully regulated solicitor firm.
What you get
- A legally valid will drafted in your name
- Step-by-step guidance – no legal knowledge needed
- Name your executors, guardians and beneficiaries
- Download, sign and witness to make it binding
- Backed by Beacon Wills and Probate Ltd – ICAEW member firm
We recommend speaking with a Beacon adviser
Your answers suggest your situation has elements that go beyond a standard online will. Professional guidance will ensure your wishes are properly protected – first time.
What we identified
Why this matters
- A professionally drafted will handles these issues correctly from the start
- Beacon can advise on trusts, IHT and estate planning alongside your will
- Fixed fees – you will know the full cost before committing
or, if you still wish to proceed online at your own discretion
Continue with the online willAn online will is not right here
Your circumstances require specialist legal advice before a will can safely be prepared. Using an online will in your situation carries a real risk of the document being challenged or failing to reflect your true wishes.
The specific issues we identified
Why we are telling you this
- A challenged will costs far more to resolve than professional advice upfront
- Beacon advisers handle exactly these situations every day
- We would rather lose an online sale than see your estate unprotected
Three ways to get your will
Choose the level of review your estate needs
Not sure which tier is right for you? Start with our free compatibility check – five minutes, no account needed. We’ll tell you exactly what your situation requires.
Online will
£
149
£229 for mirror wills (couples) – save £69
A professionally drafted will on the Arken platform, the same system used by UK law firms. No professional review. Right for straightforward estates.
- Arken-drafted will
- Legally valid with correct execution
- PDF with full execution instructions
- 30-day amendment window
- Secure storage available
Personalised Will
£
295
£445 for mirror wills (couples) – save £145
Your will drafted and then personally reviewed for legal validity, consistency and adequacy by an ICAEW regulated probate practitioner. The professional assurance a DIY service cannot provide.
- Arken-drafted will
- Professional validity and adequacy review
- Written confirmation of review
- Execution guidance
- 60-day amendment window
- Priority support
Will with IHT review
from £
349
For estates with IHT exposure, business interests, overseas assets or complex family circumstances.
- Arken-drafted will
- Full IHT analysis memo
- NRB / RNRB review
- Trust structure assessment
- Business / agriculture relief check
- Overseas and cross-border flag
- 90-day amendments
- Referral to FCA-authorised independent financial adviser available
All prices include VAT. Online will requires the free complexity check to be completed first.
Why choose us
Professional expertise. Online convenience. Nobody else offers both.
Unlike comparison-site will services, we are a regulated professional practice that uses technology to deliver a service efficiently, not a technology company that happens to offer wills.
Complex probate, estate administration & trusts
For estates with IHT complexity, overseas assets or business interests, we can refer you to specialist tax and financial planning support.
ICAEW regulated probate
We are regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for probate activities. We can administer your estate after death – the full lifecycle under one roof. Most online will services refer probate out.
Independent financial advice
Where pension nominations, life assurance in trust or investment planning are needed alongside your will, independent financial advice is available from our FCA directly authorised IFA.
International specialists
Overseas property, non-UK domicile, foreign nationals, EU succession regulation – decades of experience with cross-border estates that most UK will services decline to handle or disclaim entirely.
Arken professional platform
Your will is drafted on Arken, the same professional platform used by UK law firms and regulated practitioners. Not a basic consumer questionnaire. A properly built, properly validated legal document.
Personal accountability
You are not dealing with a call centre or an anonymous online process. The person reviewing your will is personally qualified, personally regulated, and personally responsible for what they sign off.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know
Yes, provided it is correctly executed. A will is legally valid in England and Wales under the Wills Act 1837 if it is made in writing by a person aged 18 or over with mental capacity, signed by the testator, and witnessed by two independent adults who are both present at the time of signing and sign the will themselves in the testator’s presence.
The way a will is drafted, whether online, by a solicitor, or by a professional will writer, does not affect its legal validity. What matters is the content and the execution. Our wills are drafted using Arken, the same professional platform used by UK law firms, and are fully compliant with the formal requirements of the Wills Act.
Our execution guide, provided with every will, explains exactly how to sign your will correctly. We recommend reading it carefully before you sign.
You don’t have to – you can go straight to the questionnaire if you prefer. But the compatibility check takes five minutes and can save you time, money and, most importantly, the consequences of a will that doesn’t do what you intend.
The check asks ten questions about your estate, family and circumstances. At the end, it tells you which service tier is right for your situation and flags any issues worth addressing – IHT exposure you may not have considered, a property tenure point that affects how your estate passes, or a family situation that needs careful will drafting.
Most people who complete the check are surprised by at least one thing it identifies. A five-minute check that prevents a £50,000 IHT problem is worth doing.
OnlineWills.co.uk is part of the Beacon Wills and Probate Ltd family. Every reviewed will is personally checked by a chartered certified accountant with over 50 years’ experience in UK and international tax, who is also an ICAEW regulated probate practitioner and an FCA directly authorised independent financial adviser.
We are not a technology company that happens to offer wills. We are a regulated professional practice that uses technology to deliver our services efficiently and accessibly.
Our ICAEW regulated firm reference is 4733812 and can be verified on the ICAEW website.
Your will should be reviewed whenever your circumstances change in a way that affects your estate or your intentions. Common triggers include: marriage or civil partnership (which automatically revokes a will in England and Wales), divorce or separation, the birth of a child, the death of a named executor or beneficiary, a significant change in asset values, or the acquisition of overseas assets.
We offer a will amendment service and a will review service. If you have purchased our storage service, we send you an annual reminder to check whether anything has changed.
If your situation changes and you are not sure whether your will needs updating, contact us. We will advise you quickly and at no charge whether a review or amendment is needed.
Both use the same Arken professional drafting platform and produce a legally valid will.
The Online Will (Tier 1) is completed by you without professional review. It is right for straightforward estates – single person, modest assets, no IHT exposure, no complex family circumstances.
The Personalised Will (Tier 2) includes a professional review by our practitioner. We check the will for legal validity, internal consistency, and adequacy, ensuring your executors are correctly named, your substitution provisions are in order, and there are no obvious gaps. We flag anything that warrants attention.
The Will with IHT Review (Tier 3) goes further: a full written planning memo covering your IHT position, NRB and RNRB analysis, trust structure recommendations, and financial planning considerations. This is the right choice for any estate where IHT is a live concern.
Not sure which is right for you? The free compatibility check tells you in five minutes.
If you die without a valid will – known as dying intestate – your estate is distributed under the intestacy rules of England and Wales. These rules take no account of your wishes, your relationships, or your family circumstances. They apply a fixed formula based on marital status and whether you have children.
The key points of the intestacy rules: your spouse or civil partner does not automatically inherit everything if you have children (they receive personal possessions plus the first £322,000, with the remainder split); your unmarried partner receives nothing regardless of how long you have been together; stepchildren are not recognised; friends and charities you wished to benefit receive nothing; and the court appoints an administrator rather than an executor of your choice.
No guardian is named for minor children – the court decides.
The intestacy rules are not designed to be punitive. They are simply a generic set of rules that take no account of your actual life. Making a will is the only way to ensure your estate reflects your intentions.
Yes, we are available by phone and email throughout.
If you have a question about the compatibility check, the questionnaire, or any aspect of the service, call us on 01582 761121 or email us at wills@onlinewills.co.uk. We aim to respond to emails within one working day and to answer calls during business hours.
For Tier 2 and Tier 3 clients, our practitioner personally reviews everything you submit and will contact you directly if any question or clarification is needed before the review is finalised.
We have been advising clients on their estate affairs for over 50 years. There is no question too simple or too complex.
What our clients say
Trusted by thousands across England & Wales
“The complexity checker gave me real confidence that my situation was straightforward enough. The whole process took under 30 minutes and the guidance was excellent throughout.”
Sarah M.
Trustpilot – February 2025
“The checker flagged that I needed advice because of my business interests. The Beacon team handled everything – succession, IHT planning, the lot. Money very well spent.”
David K.
Trustpilot – January 2025
“Brilliant! Straightforward, well-explained, and knowing a [regulated legal practice] was behind it made all the difference. My wife and I did mirror wills in under an hour.“
Robert & Anne T.
Trustpilot – March 2025