Where can you keep a will?
GOV.UK says you can keep your will at home or store it with your solicitor, your bank, a company that stores wills, or the Probate Service. Each has trade-offs:
| Option | Cost | Points to check |
|---|---|---|
| At home | None | Somewhere dry and fire-resistant that your executors know about and can reach. |
| Solicitor | Set by the firm | Ask about retrieval charges and what happens if the firm closes or merges. Tell your executors which firm. |
| Bank | Set by the bank | Ask how your executors would retrieve the will after your death. |
| Will storage company | Set by the company | Check fees, how the will is released and what happens if the company stops trading. |
| Probate Service (HMCTS) | £24 one-off, from 13 July 2026 | Send the will with a PA7ENV label; a lodgement certificate follows. See below. |
Is will storage the same as will registration?
No. Storage protects the original document; registration helps people discover where it is kept. A scan, a record of its location and the signed original serve different purposes.
| Option | What it provides | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Original-will storage | A place to keep the signed paper document. | Tell your executors who holds it and how to request it. |
| Will registration | A record that helps locate the original. | Keep the original safe and check the record if you replace or move it. |
| Digital copy or scan | A reference copy of the document. | Keep track of the signed original as well. |
Do you need to register a will, and what does it cost?
Registration is optional. The Ministry of Justice confirmed in a written answer to Parliament on 12 March 2026 that England and Wales has no compulsory will registration system. Paying for registration does not replace the signing and witnessing requirements.
The commercial National Will Register records who made the will, its date and where the original is held. Its public price is £30 including VAT, checked 30 September 2026. This is separate from HMCTS's £24 storage service. Ask a solicitor or will writer whether registration and storage are included before buying extras.
If someone has already died and you are looking for their document, use the separate guide to finding a will after a death. Searching the probate records is also different from registering your own will during life; see when a will becomes a public document.
How do you store a will with the Probate Service?
HM Courts and Tribunals Service will keep your will in safe custody for a one-off fee of £24. The fee rose from £23 on 13 July 2026 (Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026, article 3). According to GOV.UK, you:
- fill in form PA7ENV in block capitals, with your details and your executor's, signed by a witness;
- attach the label to the envelope containing the will, and put that inside another envelope;
- include a cheque or postal order for £24 payable to HM Courts and Tribunals Service;
- send it by recorded delivery to the Newcastle District Probate Registry.
GOV.UK says it takes around two weeks for the will to be lodged, after which you receive a lodgement certificate. Keep the certificate with your papers and tell your executors about it. Full guidance is on Store a will with HMCTS.
Does a copy count as your will?
No. Keep the signed original. A scan or photocopy is useful for reference, but it is not a substitute, and if the original is missing your executors may face questions about whether you destroyed it deliberately, which is one of the ways a will can be revoked (Wills Act 1837, section 20).
Who should you tell where the will is?
Tell your executor, and GOV.UK suggests also telling a close friend or relative. Write down where the original is and keep that note with your important papers. The executor handover template is a private way to record this.
Keep the storage provider's details or the location at home in your handover note. Review the note if you move house, change storage provider or sign a replacement will. If you registered the will, check that its location record is still correct too.
What should you not do with the original will?
- Do not write on it after signing. Changes have no effect unless signed and witnessed like a will (section 21). See changing your will.
- Do not staple, pin or clip anything to it, or remove staples. Marks that suggest something was attached can lead the probate registry to ask for an explanation (Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987, rules 14 and 15).
- Do not keep it anywhere only you know about.
If you make a new will, GOV.UK says to destroy the old one. Keep the new original with the same care, following the signing steps first.
Does SwiftWill store your will?
No. You print, sign and keep the original yourself. Under the privacy policy, encrypted answers are scheduled for deletion within seven days of checkout or an update, so SwiftWill is not a long-term store for your will or your answers. Keep the private recovery file you download: it is not encrypted, so store it securely, and you need it to prepare a replacement later.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Write your will (keep your will safe) and Update your will
- HMCTS: Store a will with the Probate Service (fee updated from £23 to £24 on 13 July 2026)
- HMCTS: Envelope label for storing your will or codicil, form PA7ENV
- Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026, article 3
- Wills Act 1837, sections 20 and 21
- Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987, rules 14 and 15
- National Will Register: public registration service and price
- Ministry of Justice: voluntary will registration, written answer of 12 March 2026 (the answer's historical storage fee has since changed)
Original guidance sources checked 24 September 2026. Registration sources and the HMCTS storage fee and process rechecked 30 September 2026.