Letter of Wishes Template — Free UK PDF (2026) | Valoren
Printed 18 September 2026
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G-02 · Free DownloadEngland & Wales
Letter of Wishes
Personal guidance for your executors, trustees, and the people acting for your family. Non-binding — but in practice, usually followed. No account required.
"To my executor, trustees, and the people acting for my family..."
PERSONAL ITEMS
Who I hope receives each item,
and why I have chosen them.
GUARDIAN NOTES
Practical guidance for those
caring for my children.
TRUSTEE PRINCIPLES
How I hoped the trust would
be used — education, housing.
Signed: ______________________
Understand this before you write it
A letter of wishes does not change your will. It is personal guidance — for your executors, trustees, and the people acting for your family.
It carries no legal force, and no executor is bound to follow it. In practice, most do — because families want to honour what you wanted, and a clear letter makes that possible.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. For anything binding, consult a solicitor.
§1
What it is
A will is a legal document. A letter of wishes is a human one. Where the will sets out what you own and who should receive it, the letter of wishes carries everything a will cannot: the background to a decision, the story behind a possession, the things you want the people acting for your family to know and consider.
It has no legal force. An executor is not bound to follow it; a trustee has discretion. In practice, most do — because families want to honour what the person wanted, and a clear letter makes that possible.
Its power is not legal but human: it is one of the few ways you can speak to the people who will be acting on your behalf after you are gone, at a time when they will be glad to hear from you.
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§2
What to include
Six things worth writing down — and the reasoning behind each
Context you want understood
Background a will cannot carry — family history, why certain decisions were made, the texture of relationships. A will is a legal instrument; a letter of wishes is a human one. Use it for anything the will leaves unexplained.
Personal and sentimental items
Who you hope receives each item, and why. This is guidance, not a binding gift — the will controls the legal transfer of property. But a clear statement of who you wanted to have your mother's ring, or the books on the top shelf, is something most families will honour.
Guidance for guardians
If you have named a guardian in your will for young children, this is where you pass on the practical detail they will need: routines, schooling preferences, health information. The guardian has discretion — but a clear letter makes that discretion better informed.
Principles for trustees
If money is held in trust for a child or dependant, your letter can state how you hoped it would be used — education, housing, independence, not consumption. Trustees are not bound by this, but most give it significant weight.
Explaining decisions that may look unequal
If one person receives more than another, or someone receives nothing, silence can become suspicion. A brief, honest explanation written for the reader on a hard day can prevent a grievance from becoming a dispute.
A reference to your funeral wishes
Point to the separate document where your funeral preferences are recorded. Do not repeat them in full here — two competing documents create confusion rather than clarity.
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§3
What doesn't belong
Four things that undermine the letter — or create problems the will cannot fix
1
"I leave" / "I give"
Language that sounds like a gift belongs in the will. A letter of wishes has no legal effect for property — writing "I give my watch to James" in a letter of wishes does not give James the watch. If it matters legally, it goes in the will.
2
Anything that contradicts the will
The letter explains and supports the will; it never pulls against it. If the two documents are in tension, the will governs — but the conflict can cause confusion and distress for the people trying to act on both.
3
Settling scores or blame
Write for the reader on a hard day, not for the record. A letter of wishes read at a difficult time should help the people who receive it — not add to what they are carrying. If you have something difficult to say, a conversation while you are alive is almost always better.
4
Language that sounds binding — "I instruct", "I direct"
The letter is guidance, not command. "I hope", "I would like", "my wish is" — these are the right register. Language that sounds like an instruction creates false expectations about what executors or trustees are legally required to do.
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§4
Sign and store it
Four practical rules — because a letter no one can find has helped no one
Sign and date it — but do NOT witness it like a will.
A letter of wishes does not require witnesses. Witnessing it is not required and can confuse its legal status — some courts have treated a witnessed letter of wishes as a failed attempt at a testamentary document. Keep it simple: your signature and the date.
Do NOT staple it to the will.
Courts can infer meaning from documents that are attached to — or detached from — a will. Keeping your letter stapled to the will can, in certain circumstances, affect how the will is interpreted. Keep them together in the same location, but separately.
Keep it with the will but separately — labelled clearly.
Store both documents in the same known location — a fireproof safe, a solicitor's strongroom, or a named folder. Label the letter clearly so it is not confused with the will itself.
Tell your executor it exists and where it is.
A perfect letter of wishes that no one can find has helped no one. The single most important thing you can do after writing it is tell your executor that it exists and exactly where to find it.
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Download
FreeA4 PDFEngland & WalesEdition 2026
Letter of Wishes
Institutional Valoren aesthetic. Copper-ruled structure. Covers context, personal items, guardian guidance, trustee principles, and funeral reference. Fillable fields. YMYL disclaimer included. No account required.
Starting point only. Not legal advice. Not a substitute for a solicitor.
Take it with you
Take the letter of wishes template with you.
We'll email you the letter of wishes template as a PDF — for when you're at a printer, or to pass to the person who'll need it. The download above stays free either way.
Working for a hospice, charity, council or carers' service? You're welcome to link the template, print it, or put it in a bereavement pack — free, no permission needed, nothing expected in return. See everything that's free→
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Go further
What a static letter cannot do — and what the portal adds
Succession Plan
Your beneficiaries and distribution thinking are held in the portal's Succession Plan record — consistent with the will, findable by your executor, and flagged when it needs updating.
Funeral Wishes
Funeral preferences live separately — not mixed into the letter of wishes, which is the right approach. Your executor briefing references both, so nothing has to be looked for.
No. A letter of wishes is personal guidance — it carries no legal force. Executors and trustees are not bound to follow it; they have discretion.
In practice, most do follow it, because families want to honour what the person wanted and a clear letter makes that possible. But it is guidance, not a legal instruction.
No. Only the will itself can do that.
A letter of wishes provides context, explains decisions, and passes on personal knowledge — it cannot override, alter, or add to the legal gifts and appointments in the will. If something matters legally, it belongs in the will.
No. Unlike a will, a letter of wishes has no execution formality — no witnesses are required.
In fact, witnessing it formally is better avoided, as it can create confusion about the document's legal status. Your signature and the date are sufficient.
The will takes precedence. The letter of wishes explains your decisions; it cannot override them.
If the two documents are in tension — for example, the letter names someone who is not named in the will — the will governs the legal outcome. Try to keep the two consistent.
With the will, but separately — not stapled to it. Store both in the same known location (a fireproof safe, a solicitor's storage, or a folder your executor knows about).
Label it clearly so it is not confused with the will itself. Tell your executor it exists and where to find it.
The letter is a personal document — it lives on paper.
The portal's Succession Plan and Funeral Wishes records make the underlying decisions findable, consistent, and referenced in your executor briefing. Nothing has to be discovered by searching; the executor knows where every record is and what it says.
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