Optional fields. Your notes are not sent to SwiftWill. Your browser may restore them when you return; use Clear my notes when finished. The download is an unencrypted text file: keep it private and share it only with people you choose.
Location and who can arrange access. Do not include an alarm code or safe combination.
Executors, a solicitor or other useful contacts. Only add information you are comfortable including in a downloaded file.
Record the location of records for banks, pensions, insurance and property, rather than passwords or full account numbers.
Refer to a secure password manager or provider legacy-contact settings. Do not enter passwords, recovery codes or wallet keys.
Tell family about time-sensitive wishes separately; the will might be read after the funeral.
Add a private calendar event. Review sooner after marriage, a birth, separation or other major changes. This does not subscribe you to emails.
If you have animals, include where to find pet-care contacts and instructions. Someone may need to arrange food, medication and temporary care immediately.
What does the handover record?
It records five things your executor usually needs first, as locations and contacts rather than secrets:
| Field | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Where the signed original will is | GOV.UK says the probate application needs the original will, not a photocopy. |
| Who to contact | Co-executors, a solicitor or other advisers, so the executor knows who else is involved. |
| Where the asset records are | The executor must value everything you owned and owed at the date of death. |
| Where digital legacy instructions are | Points to a password manager or a provider's legacy-contact settings, without recording passwords. |
| Where funeral wishes are | The will may not be read before the funeral, so wishes need to be findable separately. |
What does your executor need to find?
Start with the location of the signed original will and any codicils. Add where to find financial records and the contact details of any adviser involved. A scan can help with reference, but keep the original safe. GOV.UK recommends telling your executor where your will is kept, and lists places to keep it, including with a solicitor, a bank, a storage company or the national probate registry in Newcastle.
What should you leave out?
Leave out anything that would let someone access your accounts: passwords, PINs, recovery codes, wallet keys, full account numbers and identity document numbers. The downloaded file is plain text and not encrypted. Record where information is kept instead. For online accounts, see digital legacy.
How should you share the handover?
Ask your chosen executor whether they are willing to act, then tell them where the information is kept. Do not attach this checklist to the signed will or treat it as an amendment: changing a will needs a new will or a properly witnessed codicil. Keep the files separate. Check that an executor can actually access the storage location when needed.
When should you revisit it?
Update the handover when you move, change financial providers or alter who should be contacted. Review your will after significant life changes and at least every five years, following GOV.UK guidance on reviewing a will. Import the optional calendar file above to choose your own reminder.
What will your executor do with it?
Use it as a starting point. After a death, the executor finds the original will, keeps the estate safe, values it and applies for probate if needed. The executor checklist sets out those tasks, and what is an executor? explains the role. If you have not made a will yet, start with the will planner.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Making a will, writing your will (keeping your will safe)
- GOV.UK: Update your will
- GOV.UK: Applying for probate if there is a will
- GOV.UK: Value the estate of someone who has died
Sources checked 24 September 2026.