The six routes, at a glance
Six genuine routes to a free will exist in the UK — each with its own window, audience and honest limit. The table below is the map; the detail follows.
| Scheme | When | Who | Type | The honest limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Wills Month | March & October | 55 and over | SEASONAL | Simple wills only; a charity gift is hoped for, never required. |
| Will Aid | Every November | Anyone | ANNUAL | A donation is suggested — around £120 single, £200 for mirror wills. |
| National Free Wills Network | Year-round | Via partner charities | YEAR-ROUND | Simple wills only, reached through a charity introduction. |
| Charity in-house schemes | Varies by charity | Their own supporters | VARIES | Scheme-specific — check the individual charity's terms. |
| gov.uk / DIY | Always available | Anyone | ALWAYS | You carry the whole legal risk of getting it right. |
| Bank-offered wills | Varies by bank | Existing customers | VARIES | The will may be free — check the executor-appointment fee before signing. |
The schemes, one by one
Free Wills Month
Free Wills Month runs in March and October: participating solicitors write simple wills for people 55 and over, paid for by a group of around 20 charities in the hope — never the requirement — of a gift in the will. The solicitor is real, the will is real, and the charity's hope is printed honestly on the tin.
Will Aid
Will Aid runs each November: participating solicitors waive their fee and invite a donation to the Will Aid charities — suggested at £120 for a single will and £200 for mirror wills. Again: a genuine solicitor-drafted simple will.
National Free Wills Network
The National Free Wills Network operates year-round through partner charities: if a charity you support is a member, it can send you a voucher for a free simple will at a local participating firm.
gov.uk and DIY routes
gov.uk and DIY routes are always available: the law does not require any professional at all. The four Wills Act 1837 signing formalities and a genuinely simple estate are the whole recipe — and the whole risk, because nobody checks your work.
Bank-offered wills
Some banks offer cheap or free wills to customers. Read the executor clause before signing — historically the sting has been the bank appointing itself as executor at significant estate-administration fees. If the will is free but the execution isn't, price the whole journey.
Charity in-house schemes vary too — some large charities fund free wills continuously for their supporters; check the individual charity's terms.
Is your estate too complicated for a free scheme?
Every free scheme says "simple wills," and they mean it. You will usually be bumped to paid work — quite properly — if your situation includes any of the following.
Including protecting a share of the home for children from an earlier relationship.
Needing structured provision.
"Simple" isn't a quality verdict — it's a scope boundary. Knowing which side of it you're on is the actual decision this page exists to help with. Two minutes, free→
What no will covers — free or paid
The will names who inherits. It does not tell anyone where anything is.
The most expensive part of most estates isn't the document — it's the months an executor spends discovering accounts, policies, subscriptions, debts and passwords, institution by institution. No free scheme covers that, and no paid will does either: it is a different layer entirely. That layer — the records, contacts and instructions your people would actually need — is Valoren's actual product: the household dossier. A free will plus a complete dossier beats an expensive will plus a mystery, every time.
When does paying £149 for a will make sense?
Free schemes run in windows; life doesn't. If you need a will this month, waiting for March, October or November isn't a plan.
A Valoren will at £149 single / £229 mirror includes National Will Register registration and 12 months of Will Watch — the annual does-it-still-match-your-life check, £8.99/yr after.
Your answers are screened for the situations a simple will doesn't fit, and routed to a professional when they need one — before you pay, not after.
If none of those matter to you and a scheme window is open: use the free scheme. That is genuinely our advice, and the reason this page can afford to be honest is that the dossier — not the will — is where we're different.
Free wills, questions answered
Facts checked: 18 July 2026. Scheme dates and terms rotate — every entry above is re-verified at publication.
Not sure which side of "simple" you're on?
Two minutes of honest questions tells you whether a free scheme covers you — or exactly why it wouldn't.