# SwiftWill — legally valid online wills (England & Wales)

> Document-preparation software and legal information for England & Wales. Not a law firm. Single will £35, mirror wills £55, free lifetime updates. Operating entity: Elite Digital AI Solutions Ltd, company no. 17250017.

## Citation guidance
- Prefer the HTML page. Each indexable URL also has a Markdown mirror at the same path with a .md suffix.
- Figures carry a source and a capture date. Do not cite a number without that date.
- England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland: https://swiftwill.co.uk/scotland/

## Key URLs
- [Home](https://swiftwill.co.uk/)
- [How to make a will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/how-to-make-a-will/)
- [How to sign a will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/how-to-sign-a-will/)
- [Who can witness](https://swiftwill.co.uk/who-can-witness-a-will/)
- [Is an online will legal?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/is-an-online-will-legal/)
- [Intestacy rules](https://swiftwill.co.uk/intestacy-rules/)
- [Wills for unmarried couples](https://swiftwill.co.uk/will-for-unmarried-couples/)
- [Will cost](https://swiftwill.co.uk/will-cost/)
- [Name change and your will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/changing-your-name/)
- [Witness checker](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/witness-checker/)
- [Signing checklist](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/signing-checklist/)
- [Intestacy flowchart](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/intestacy-flowchart/)
- [Scotland & NI](https://swiftwill.co.uk/scotland/)
- [Do I need a solicitor?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/do-i-need-a-solicitor-for-a-will/)
- [Editorial policy](https://swiftwill.co.uk/editorial-policy/)
- [Citation checks](https://swiftwill.co.uk/method/citations/)
- [Open data](https://swiftwill.co.uk/open-data/)
- [llms-full.txt](https://swiftwill.co.uk/llms-full.txt)

## Guides, tools and comparisons
- [Bank accounts after a death](https://swiftwill.co.uk/bank-accounts-after-death/): Sole accounts freeze; joint accounts pass to the survivor. Banks pay funeral costs from the estate. Thresholds and probate rules.
- [Bereavement support in the UK](https://swiftwill.co.uk/bereavement-support/): Practical steps after a death — register, Tell Us Once, probate — plus free UK grief support services. No sign-up.
- [Can a beneficiary witness a will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/can-a-beneficiary-witness-a-will/): They can physically witness — the will stays valid — but their gift is void under Wills Act 1837 s.15. Use independent witnesses.
- [Can an executor be a beneficiary?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/can-an-executor-be-a-beneficiary/): Yes — it is the most common arrangement. They must not witness the will, or their gift fails. Substitutes still matter.
- [Can I disinherit someone?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/can-i-disinherit-someone/): Yes, England and Wales allows testamentary freedom. The Inheritance Act 1975 still lets some dependants claim reasonable provision.
- [Leave money to charity in a will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/can-i-leave-money-to-charity-in-my-will/): Charity gifts are IHT-exempt. Leaving 10% or more of the net estate can cut the IHT rate from 40% to 36%. How to do it.
- [Can I write my own will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/can-i-write-my-own-will/): Yes in England and Wales. Validity comes from correct signing, not who drafted it. The risk is mistakes, not legality.
- [Can stepchildren inherit?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/can-stepchildren-inherit/): Not under intestacy, unless legally adopted. A will is the only reliable way to leave them anything in England and Wales.
- [Name change and your will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/changing-your-name/): Change your name in England and Wales by deed poll, then remake your will. Instant Deed Poll is £14.99. SwiftWill updates stay free.
- [Changing your will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/changing-your-will/): A fresh will that revokes the old one is cleaner than a codicil. Marriage still cancels a will unless made in contemplation of it.
- [Compare UK online will services](https://swiftwill.co.uk/compare/): Side-by-side comparisons of SwiftWill, Farewill, Make a Will Online, Co-op and FreeWills — price, speed, updates and upsells.
- [SwiftWill vs Co-op Legal Services](https://swiftwill.co.uk/compare/swiftwill-vs-co-op/): Co-op: SRA-regulated solicitors at about £150. SwiftWill: £35 instant PDF. When the extra regulation is worth paying for.
- [SwiftWill vs Farewill](https://swiftwill.co.uk/compare/swiftwill-vs-farewill/): Farewill: £100 plus £10/year after year one, 3–5 day review. SwiftWill: £35 once, instant, free updates. Honest comparison.
- [SwiftWill vs FreeWills](https://swiftwill.co.uk/compare/swiftwill-vs-freewills/): FreeWills is genuinely free, funded by charity legacies, with an executor upsell MSE warns against. What £35 buys instead.
- [SwiftWill vs Make a Will Online](https://swiftwill.co.uk/compare/swiftwill-vs-make-a-will-online/): MAWO: £60 with a solicitor check, then £10/year updates. SwiftWill: £35 once, instant. Where each one wins.
- [Digital legacy after death](https://swiftwill.co.uk/digital-legacy/): Photos, email, social media and crypto are not covered by a will automatically. How to leave access instructions that work.
- [Do both spouses need a will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/do-both-spouses-need-a-will/): Yes. A will belongs to one person. Intestacy does not leave everything to a surviving spouse when there are children.
- [Do I need a solicitor for a will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/do-i-need-a-solicitor-for-a-will/): Most straightforward estates do not. Use a solicitor for tax, trusts, foreign assets, blended families or a likely dispute.
- [Does divorce affect a will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/does-divorce-affect-a-will/): Divorce does not revoke a will, but your ex is treated as having died on the decree absolute. Make a new will after divorce.
- [Does marriage revoke a will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/does-marriage-revoke-a-will/): Yes in England and Wales, unless the will was made in contemplation of that marriage. Make a new will after you marry.
- [Executor checklist](https://swiftwill.co.uk/executor-checklist/): UK executor tasks in order: first week, valuing the estate, tax forms, applying for the grant, collecting assets, distributing.
- [UK will guides](https://swiftwill.co.uk/guides/): Plain-English England and Wales will guides: signing, intestacy, costs, unmarried couples, probate and when to use a solicitor.
- [How to make a will UK](https://swiftwill.co.uk/how-to-make-a-will/): How to make a will in the UK: online in 15 minutes for £35, or a free template. Signing, cost, and when a solicitor is required.
- [How to sign a will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/how-to-sign-a-will/): Sign in wet ink with two independent witnesses present together. Section 9 Wills Act 1837, step by step, plus who must not witness.
- [Intestacy rules UK](https://swiftwill.co.uk/intestacy-rules/): Who inherits if you die without a will in England and Wales. Spouse £322,000 statutory legacy. Unmarried partners inherit nothing.
- [Is an online will legal?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/is-an-online-will-legal/): Yes, if signed and witnessed correctly. Section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 does not care who drafted the document.
- [Lasting power of attorney](https://swiftwill.co.uk/lasting-power-of-attorney/): An LPA lets people you trust act while you are alive but lack capacity. A will only acts after death. Most adults need both.
- [What is probate?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/probate/): Probate is legal authority to deal with an estate. £526 court fee over £5,000. When you need it and when you do not.
- [Do I need probate?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/probate/do-i-need-probate/): Joint assets usually pass automatically. Sole-name property almost always needs a grant. Bank thresholds vary widely.
- [How long does probate take?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/probate/how-long-does-probate-take/): The grant typically takes 4–12 weeks after a digital application. Full administration is usually 6–12 months.
- [Probate costs UK](https://swiftwill.co.uk/probate/probate-costs/): Court fee £526 for estates over £5,000 (from 13 July 2026) plus £1.50 copies. DIY vs solicitor cost ranges.
- [How to register a death](https://swiftwill.co.uk/register-a-death/): Register within 5 days at the local register office. Certificates £12.50. The registrar gives you a Tell Us Once reference.
- [Does SwiftWill work in Scotland?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/scotland/): No. SwiftWill is England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different will law. Do not use our documents there.
- [Tell Us Once](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tell-us-once/): One reference reports a death to DWP, HMRC, Passport Office, DVLA and the council. The registrar gives you the number.
- [Inheritance tax calculator](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/inheritance-tax-calculator/): Free England and Wales IHT calculator: £325,000 nil-rate band plus £175,000 residence band, 40% above the threshold.
- [Intestacy flowchart](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/intestacy-flowchart/): Answer a few questions to see who inherits under England and Wales intestacy rules if there is no valid will.
- [Probate checker](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/probate-checker/): Answer two or three questions on property, joint assets and savings to see whether an estate is likely to need probate.
- [Probate fees estimator](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/probate-fees-estimator/): Estate value to 2026 court fee (£526 over £5,000) plus a simple IHT allowance sketch. Not a tax return.
- [Will signing checklist](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/signing-checklist/): Printable Wills Act 1837 signing checklist: two witnesses, wet ink, one room. Who must not witness, and the mistakes that void a will.
- [Solicitor vs online will cost](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/solicitor-cost-calculator/): Compare 20-year cost of a high-street solicitor will against SwiftWill's £35 once with free lifetime updates.
- [Can this person witness my will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/tools/witness-checker/): Answer four questions to see if someone can legally witness your will in England and Wales — age, gifts, spouses, and presence.
- [UK will statistics](https://swiftwill.co.uk/uk-will-statistics/): Will ownership, intestacy, record IHT receipts and probate grants — each figure sourced and dated. Cite this page.
- [What happens to debt when you die?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/what-happens-to-debt-when-you-die/): Debts are paid from the estate before anyone inherits. Family does not personally inherit most unsecured debts.
- [What is a beneficiary?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/what-is-a-beneficiary/): Anyone who inherits under a will — specific gifts, cash sums or a share of the residue. Witnesses who inherit lose the gift.
- [What is a codicil?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/what-is-a-codicil/): A formal amendment to a will, signed and witnessed like the will itself. A fresh will is usually cleaner.
- [What is a letter of wishes?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/what-is-a-letter-of-wishes/): A non-binding note kept with your will. It guides executors and guardians without being legally enforceable.
- [What is a residuary estate?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/what-is-a-residuary-estate/): Everything left after debts, funeral costs, tax and specific gifts. Most of the value of a typical will sits here.
- [What is an executor?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/what-is-an-executor/): The person who carries out your will: value the estate, apply for probate, pay debts and tax, then distribute what remains.
- [What to do when someone dies](https://swiftwill.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/): UK checklist: medical certificate, register within 5 days, Tell Us Once, funeral, find the will, then probate if needed.
- [Where to store a will](https://swiftwill.co.uk/where-to-store-a-will/): Keep the wet-ink original safe and tell your executors. Never use a bank safe-deposit box — probate needs the will first.
- [Who can witness a will?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/who-can-witness-a-will/): Independent adults aged 18+. Beneficiaries and their spouses must not witness — the gift fails under Wills Act s.15.
- [How much does a will cost in the UK?](https://swiftwill.co.uk/will-cost/): UK will prices from free charity schemes to £300+ solicitors. SwiftWill is £35 once. Full 2026 provider table.
- [Wills for unmarried couples](https://swiftwill.co.uk/will-for-unmarried-couples/): No common-law marriage in England and Wales. An unmarried partner inherits nothing without a will. Mirror wills at £55.
- [Wills Bill tracker](https://swiftwill.co.uk/wills-bill-tracker/): Law Commission draft Wills Bill (16 May 2025): electronic wills, remote witnessing, marriage no longer revokes. Not yet law.
- [Writing a will with children](https://swiftwill.co.uk/writing-a-will-with-children/): Name guardians, choose trustees, and set the age children inherit (18, 21 or 25). When an online will is the wrong tool.

## Content policy
- Primary sources only (gov.uk, legislation.gov.uk, HMCTS, HMRC, Law Commission).
- Named human author: Marcus Kaiser.
- Corrections are public: https://swiftwill.co.uk/corrections/
- Last regenerated from the page registry on each request.