The thought of sitting down and writing a will used to be daunting, but it need not be – as now you can do it online in 15-30 minutes.
A number of online will writing services have popped up over the years which they claim will save you fortune in solicitors fees, that’s the first big bonus but the second is its now quick and painless. In this guide we review the two best!
Almost 2/3rds (65%) of us Brits don’t have a will, that’s staggering! So if you’re one of those people who’s been putting off writing a will you don’t have too any longer. We are going to run through ‘The How, The Where and the What’ when it comes to writing your Will online.
But firstly…
Why do I need a Will?
If you wish to leave your estate to loved ones or a specific gift to someone you would do this in your Will. Without a Will if your family cannot agree on an executor then the government will have to decide but this process can be lengthy and if disputed, very costly! A Will written online doesn’t cost much but could really help you and your family.
Plus nearly a quarter (24%) of us would like to leave something to a charity like Cancer Research, the RNLI or Great Ormond Street.
How much does making a Will Online Cost?
Ok well let’s start with the question most people answered first. Online Will writing services claim to save people a fortune vs using a solicitor, let’s dig into that and see how much it really costs.
Best Online Will Writing Companies
We conducted hours of research to find the best online will writing companies that are even worthy of mentioning. From that Research we have been able to narrow it down to just 2 companies. These were ‘Kwil’ and ‘Beyond’. If both of these are ringing a bell, its because both of them have had adverts on the TV. So you may have already heard of them.
I mean going online and writing a Will in under an hour and saving some money is great. What’s not great is going online to write a Will but end up being ripped off. For this reason we have steered well away from anyone even remotely dubious to keep you safe and sound!
The Costs
OK so back to the costs of writing a will online, well both Kwil and Beyond charge a fixed transparent fee. They actually both charge the same fee for individual Wills but a different fee for couples Wills.
Beyond
£135 for a couple Will (i.e 2 people)
£90 for a individual Will (i.e 1 person)
Kwil
£120 for a couple
£90 for a individual
So for a couple you actually save money straight away with both Kwil & Beyond as you don’t have to purchase two individual Wills which would cost £180. Instead it only costs £120-£135.
The great thing is you can start writing it online for free and you only pay when you are happy with it so you can print it off!
How do you make a Will Online?
The process is simple, actually really simple. Its a 3 step process that looks like this:
- You answer some simple questions, don’t worry there is no legal jargon so there is nothing to get confused over. Just straight forward questions about your wishes.
- The next step is you do nothing. Using Beyond, their inhouse legal experts look over your Will for you and will let you know a few days later if you should make any tweaks. Perfect then for those unsure about what or how to write something.
- You then just need to print off your Will and sign it. Job done.
We told you it was simple to make a will online. Now compared to trips to the solicitor and lots of expensive revisions and legal stuff that only they understand – its a doddle.
Question: What about if you’re not sure about something can you contact an online company?
Answer: Yes, of course!
Beyond is open from 9am-7pm 7 days a week so you can phone them pretty much whenever you like. But the really great thing is the live chat. If you need a quick answer on something you can ask a question in the live chat and get a response within 60 seconds.
With Kwil you can actually make a Will over the telephone if you don’t have access to a computer. Their experts on the phone can guide you to create a Will for you, all you have to do is talk and they will listen.
Online Will Reviews
It’s the digital age – the internet era, nearly everything has ‘gone online’ and so it was only a matter of time before you could bypass expensive solicitors and make a Will online yourself. The benefit of the internet is you can then see the reviews of those companies. This can help us all make quick, informed decisions about companies and services.
The best way to review any company is by looking at their reviews but the best way to find their reviews is on TrustPilot.
Trust pilot allows thousands, even millions of people to review a company out of a scoring system 1-5. 1 being ‘Bad’ and 5 being ‘Excellent’.
So how did Kwil and Beyond score?
Very very highly. Both Kwil and Beyond have a trust score of 4.8+.
Sure there are other online Will writing companies that are actually £10-£15 cheaper than these two, but they have terrible reviews. We deemed it’s just not worth messing around when it comes to leaving your loved ones something, it needs to be spot on from the start with a reputable, safe company. Luckily that’s what you have with both Beyond and Kwil.
Can I change my Will after I make it?
Yes both Beyond and Kwil allow you to make unlimited changes to your Will. This was a big point we read about when sifting through the hundreds of reviews.
It is really important because as your life changes so should your Will. Changes like the elderly care you may require as your years progress. Or things like births, deaths and marriages in your family. The arrival of new children and grandchildren and then amending your Will to include these factors should be easy and hassle free. Well with Beyond and Kwil it really is easy and transparent too.
Free Online Wills
There are free online Will writing services available, just be sure if you’re using a free service that it is clear, precise and legally binding. You don’t want to find out that you have actually caused your loved ones undue stress if there is a problem and you are unable to sort it out.
Does my Will need to be witnessed?
Yes after creating a Will online and you have printed it off you will require two signatures from two different people. Both of whom need to be independent and as such cannot benefit from the Will.
Due to Covid related restrictions the government has actually made it easier to witness someone signing their Will. You can now witness virtually over a video call like a zoom chat or Facetime.
Are there any other services offered online?
Yes, apart from a great online Will service, both Beyond and Kwil offer extra services like, probate, power of attorney and even help with funerals. All for a fixed fee with no annoying sneaky hidden small print charges which no one likes! Its like the rules for making Wills have been re written [excuse the pun] and we now have access to super online Will services. Whereas prior to that for hundreds of years expensive solicitors have written Wills and nowadays that service is found to be clunky and very dated by most people.
Should I make my Will online?
If you are looking for a fast, fixed price service, where you can make unlimited revisions of your Will then yes. Need help? – Use the free phone number, email address or live chat on their websites. Writing your Will has never been as safe and easy as doing it online. Join the thousands of other people making provisions for their loved ones in their Wills by using services like Beyond today.