Making a Will is one of the most important things you can do for your family, yet over half of UK adults still don't have one. One of the biggest reasons people put it off is uncertainty about cost. How much should you actually pay? Is a cheap DIY kit good enough, or do you need to spend hundreds with a solicitor?
In this guide, we break down every option available in 2026, what you get at each price point, and where Plan My Estate fits in. By the end, you'll know exactly what to expect and how to choose the right route for your situation.
Option 1: DIY Will Kits (£10–£30)
Walk into WHSmith or search Amazon and you'll find blank Will templates for as little as £10. These kits give you a printed form with spaces to fill in your wishes, name executors, and list beneficiaries. They come with basic instructions and, once completed, you sign in front of two witnesses.
On the surface, this looks like a bargain. But there are serious risks.
The problems with DIY kits:
- No legal guidance. The form cannot tell you whether your wishes are actually achievable under current law. For example, many people don't realise they cannot simply disinherit a financially dependent spouse or child without risk of a court challenge under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
- Ambiguous language. Courts regularly see contested Wills where the wording is open to interpretation. A solicitor knows exactly how to phrase clauses so they hold up. A blank template does not.
- Witnessing errors. If your witnesses are beneficiaries, or if the signing process is flawed, the entire Will can be invalidated. DIY kits mention the rules in small print, but mistakes are extremely common.
- No provision for complex situations. If you own property jointly, have children from a previous relationship, run a business, or hold assets abroad, a basic template simply cannot cover your needs.
- No Islamic or faith-based compliance. If you need your Will to follow Sharia inheritance principles, a generic kit has no mechanism for that whatsoever.
Verdict: DIY kits are cheap, but the cost of getting it wrong can be enormous. A contested or invalid Will can lead to tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees for your family, and your wishes may never be carried out. For most people, this is a false economy.
Option 2: Online Will Services (£90–£300)
Online Will-writing services have grown rapidly in recent years. You answer a series of questions on a website, and the platform generates a Will document for you. Some services let you download and print it immediately; others post a printed copy to you.
What you typically get:
- A guided questionnaire that covers standard scenarios
- An auto-generated Will document based on your answers
- Instructions on signing and witnessing
- Some services include phone or chat support
What you typically don't get:
- Solicitor review. Most budget online services use software to generate the document. No qualified solicitor reads your specific Will to check for errors, conflicts, or missing provisions. Some premium tiers do include solicitor review, but these usually cost £200 or more.
- Personalised advice. The questionnaire follows a fixed path. If your situation doesn't fit neatly into the standard options, the system may produce a Will that doesn't actually reflect what you need.
- Ongoing support. Life changes — marriages, divorces, births, property purchases — all require Will updates. Many online services charge again for every change.
Verdict: Online services are a decent middle ground for people with straightforward estates and no complicating factors. However, without solicitor oversight, there is still a meaningful risk of errors that only become apparent after your death, when it is too late to fix them.
Option 3: High Street Solicitors (£200–£500+ for Simple Wills)
The traditional route is to book an appointment with a local solicitor. You sit down, explain your wishes, and they draft the Will for you. For a simple, single Will, most firms charge between £200 and £500.
For more complex estates, costs escalate quickly:
- Mirror Wills for couples: £300–£700
- Wills involving trusts: £500–£1,500
- Complex estates (business assets, overseas property, blended families): £1,000–£3,000+
- Lasting Powers of Attorney: £500–£1,000+ per LPA (and you typically need two — one for health and one for finance)
What you get:
- Face-to-face advice from a qualified professional
- A bespoke document drafted specifically for your situation
- The solicitor takes responsibility for the accuracy of the Will
- Storage options (many firms will store the original)
The downsides:
- Cost. For many families, £500 or more is a significant expense, especially when you add LPAs on top.
- Time. Booking an appointment, attending in person, waiting for the draft, reviewing, and signing can take weeks.
- Intimidation factor. Many people find solicitor offices intimidating, which is part of why so many delay making a Will in the first place.
- Hourly billing surprises. Some firms quote a fixed fee but then charge extra for "additional complexity." Always ask for a fixed, all-inclusive price upfront.
Verdict: Solicitors offer the highest level of legal protection, but the cost, time commitment, and formality put many people off. If your estate is genuinely complex, a solicitor is essential. But for the majority of people, there is a better balance between quality and affordability.
Option 4: Plan My Estate (£250 for a Will, £350 for LPA, £500 for the Bundle)
Plan My Estate was built to fill the gap between cheap online generators and expensive solicitor appointments. We combine the convenience of an online service with the legal rigour of solicitor review, at a price that's accessible to most families.
Here's what our pricing looks like:
- Will only: £250
- Lasting Power of Attorney only: £350
- Will + LPA Bundle: £500 (saving £100)
And crucially, you don't pay everything upfront. We use a phased payment model, so you pay in three stages as we deliver each part of the service. You're never paying for something you haven't received yet.
What You're Actually Paying For
When you use Plan My Estate, your fee covers a complete, end-to-end service. Here's exactly what's included:
- Guided online form. Our questionnaire walks you through every decision you need to make, in plain English. No legal jargon, no confusing options. It covers executors, guardians for children, specific gifts, residuary estate, funeral wishes, and more. For Islamic Wills, the form includes specific sections on Sharia-compliant distribution.
- Solicitor review. Every single Will we produce is reviewed by a qualified solicitor. This is not an automated check — a real person reads your document, checks for legal issues, and ensures everything is properly drafted. This is the step that separates us from most online services.
- Islamic scholar certification. If you choose an Islamic Will, it is additionally reviewed and certified by a qualified Islamic scholar to confirm it meets Sharia inheritance principles. This dual review (solicitor + scholar) is something you simply cannot get from a DIY kit or standard online service.
- Professional printing and posting. Your completed Will is printed on high-quality legal paper and posted directly to your door. No need to print anything yourself or worry about formatting.
- Support throughout. If you get stuck at any point in the form, our team is available to help. You're not left on your own to figure things out.
How Phased Payments Work
We know that estate planning can feel like a big financial commitment, so we've structured payments around delivery milestones:
- Phase 1: You pay the first instalment when you submit your completed form.
- Phase 2: The second payment is due when your draft is ready for review.
- Phase 3: The final payment is taken when your completed documents are posted to you.
This means you're always paying for value you've already received or are about to receive. There's no large upfront cost and no commitment until you're ready.
Why the Cheapest Option Isn't Always the Best
It's tempting to go for the lowest price. A £15 Will kit feels like a sensible saving compared to spending £250 or more. But consider what's really at stake.
Your Will is the document that determines:
- Who inherits your home, savings, and possessions
- Who looks after your children if something happens to you
- Whether your family faces a lengthy, expensive probate dispute
- Whether your wishes are carried out at all
A poorly drafted Will doesn't just fail to protect your family — it can actively cause harm. Ambiguous wording leads to family disputes. Missing clauses can trigger unexpected tax liabilities. Witnessing errors can invalidate the entire document, meaning you die intestate (without a Will) despite having tried to make one.
The Law Society regularly warns that the cost of contesting a poorly drafted Will dwarfs the cost of having it done properly in the first place. Probate disputes in England and Wales routinely cost £10,000 to £50,000 or more in legal fees, and they can take years to resolve.
The real question isn't "how much does a Will cost?" It's "how much could it cost my family if I get this wrong?"
A Quick Comparison Table
| Option | Cost | Solicitor Review | Islamic Option | Posted to You |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY Kit | £10–£30 | No | No | No |
| Online Service | £90–£300 | Sometimes | Rarely | Sometimes |
| High Street Solicitor | £200–£500+ | Yes | Rarely | Usually |
| Plan My Estate | £250 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Who Is Plan My Estate Best For?
Our service is designed for people who want the security of solicitor-reviewed documents without the high cost and formality of a traditional solicitor appointment. You might be a good fit if:
- You want a properly drafted, legally valid Will but don't want to pay solicitor rates of £500+
- You need an Islamic Will that's certified by both a solicitor and an Islamic scholar
- You'd prefer to complete the process from home, at your own pace
- You want the reassurance of phased payments rather than a large upfront fee
- You also need a Lasting Power of Attorney and want to save by bundling
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late
Every year, thousands of UK families face unnecessary stress, expense, and heartbreak because a loved one didn't leave a valid Will. The intestacy rules — the default rules that apply when someone dies without a Will — rarely match what most people would actually want. Unmarried partners inherit nothing. Stepchildren are excluded entirely. And the process of administering an intestate estate is longer, more expensive, and more emotionally draining for everyone involved.
Making a Will doesn't have to be expensive, complicated, or stressful. With Plan My Estate, you can get started today, complete the process at your own pace, and pay in stages as we deliver. Every Will is solicitor-reviewed, professionally printed, and posted to your door.