Free Wills Month: who qualifies, what is free and what is not

How Free Wills Month works

Free Wills Month (freewillsmonth.org.uk) brings together a group of charities to offer people aged 55 and over the chance to have a simple will written or updated free of charge by participating solicitors in selected locations. The campaign runs in March and October each year, and the next campaign starts in October 2026. It is a charity funded arrangement rather than a government scheme or a legal aid service, and the participating charities pay for the will writing itself.

Availability depends on location. Only solicitors in selected areas take part, so the first practical step is to check whether any firm near you is on the participating list. Appointments are limited, offered first come first served, and the campaign closes in an area once they are taken. The organisers advise contacting a participating solicitor as early as possible after the campaign opens, because popular locations can fill quickly and there is no waiting list once a firm has used its allocation.

Most appointments are face to face at the solicitor's office. Some firms offer remote appointments or home visits, but this varies by firm and is not guaranteed. The appointment is with a qualified solicitor, and the will produced is a normal solicitor drafted will, not a template completed by the client alone. The campaign is designed for straightforward instructions, so the time allocated to each appointment is usually enough for a simple will and no more.

Who qualifies at 55

The age rule is the starting point: the service is open to people aged 55 or over. There is no means test, so income, savings and property ownership do not affect eligibility. What matters is age, location and whether the will needed is simple enough for the campaign to cover. A person who is 55 or over and lives near a participating solicitor can ask for an appointment during the campaign month.

For couples making mirror wills, it is sufficient that one partner has reached 55. Mirror wills are matching wills, usually leaving assets to each other and then to the same beneficiaries, and the age rule applies to the pair rather than to both individuals separately. This means a couple where one partner is 55 or over and the other is younger can still use the campaign for a pair of mirror wills, provided the instructions stay within the simple will scope.

Eligibility does not extend to every type of estate. The campaign covers simple wills, and a solicitor may decide that the instructions are too complex for the free service. In that case the solicitor may ask the client to pay for the extra work, or may decline to act within the campaign. Being 55 or over therefore opens the door to an appointment, but it does not guarantee that a particular will can be written free of charge.

What a simple will covers and what it does not

A simple will typically deals with the core decisions. It names the executors who will administer the estate, sets out who inherits what, appoints guardians for children where needed, and records basic gifts of money or specific items. For many people with straightforward finances, a home, some savings and no unusual assets, this covers the main points and produces a valid, workable will.

Other matters fall outside the free service. Trusts, business assets, overseas property, tax planning and estates that need more work are charged for by the solicitor. A will that needs trust drafting, that deals with a share of a business, that covers property in another country, or that is intended to reduce inheritance tax requires more time and specialist input than the campaign funds. The solicitor may quote a separate fee for that additional work, and the client can decide whether to proceed.

The boundary is not always obvious in advance. An estate that looks simple can raise questions once a solicitor takes instructions, for example where there is a previous marriage, a dependent relative, a jointly owned property, or a beneficiary who may need protection. The campaign pays for the simple will, not for the wider advice that a complex estate may need. Anyone unsure which category applies can raise it with the participating firm before the appointment so that the likely scope and any extra cost are clear.

Booking and the charity question

Booking starts with the Free Wills Month site. Checking by postcode from the start of the month shows which firms are taking part locally and how to contact them. Appointments are then booked directly with the firm, not through the campaign organisers, and the firm controls its own diary. Because appointments are limited and first come first served, early contact matters, and the campaign closes in an area once the available slots are taken.

Most appointments are face to face at the solicitor's office, with some firms offering remote appointments or home visits. The format is confirmed by the firm at booking. The Free Wills Month phone line listed by Age UK is 0333 022 0396 for general enquiries about the campaign. Charities taking part include Age UK, Mind and others, and the list of participating charities can change between campaigns.

The charity question is straightforward. Participating charities fund the service by paying for the will writing, and selecting a charity does not oblige anyone to leave a gift. A person can use the campaign, choose a charity, and leave nothing to it in the will. The invitation to leave a gift is exactly that, an invitation, and the will is written and completed in the same way whether or not a legacy is included. There is no requirement to disclose intentions to the solicitor or to the charity.

If you are under 55 or miss the window

Will Aid is a separate annual campaign in November in which participating solicitors waive their fee in return for a voluntary donation shared between partner charities. It is not the same scheme as Free Wills Month and has its own participating firms and its own suggested donation. It can suit people who are under 55, or who are 55 or over but cannot get an appointment in March or October.

Some charities, including Macmillan, run their own free simple will services all year for adults aged 18 and over. These operate on their own terms, with their own eligibility rules and their own panel firms, and they are not tied to the March and October campaign months. For anyone who does not qualify for Free Wills Month, or who needs a will outside those months, these year round services are one route, and paid options through a solicitor or an online will service are another.

Cost is the main difference between the routes. A paid will through a solicitor is priced by the firm, and the cost varies with complexity and location. Related guides cover the cost of a will and lasting powers of attorney, which are separate documents. A will does not cover lasting power of attorney, and a person who wants someone to make decisions if they lose capacity needs a separate lasting power of attorney for finances and for health and welfare.

Keep it valid

A will in England and Wales must be signed in the presence of two independent witnesses to be valid. The witnesses should not be beneficiaries or the spouses or civil partners of beneficiaries, because that can affect gifts to them. The same signing and witnessing rules apply to a will written through Free Wills Month as to any other will, and the solicitor supervising the appointment will normally arrange the signing correctly.

A will should be reviewed after major life changes. Marriage, divorce, the birth of children, and house moves can all affect whether an existing will still does what was intended, and in some cases a marriage can revoke an earlier will. A will written in one campaign year may need updating later, and Free Wills Month allows a simple will to be written or updated, so a later campaign can be used for a straightforward update if the person still qualifies and a local firm is taking part.

A will does not cover lasting power of attorney. A will deals with what happens after death, while a lasting power of attorney deals with decisions during life if capacity is lost. The two documents sit alongside each other, and having one does not provide the other. Anyone arranging a will through the campaign can ask the solicitor about lasting powers of attorney at the same appointment, though that work is separate and is not part of the free will service.

Source: Free Wills Month official site.

Related coverage on Kael Tripton: How to Make a Will Online UK 2026 - Costs, Legal Requirements and What to Include, Make a Will Online UK Review 2026: Solicitor-Checked Wills from £39.99, Lasting Power of Attorney UK: How to Set One Up and What It Covers, Revoking a Lasting Power of Attorney UK 2026, Writing life insurance in trust: how it avoids inheritance tax and probate delays.

Frequently asked questions

Who qualifies for Free Wills Month?

People aged 55 or over who live near a participating solicitor in a selected location. There is no means test. For couples making mirror wills, it is sufficient that one partner has reached 55.

When does Free Wills Month run?

It runs in March and October each year. The next campaign starts in October 2026. Appointments are limited, offered first come first served, and the campaign closes in an area once they are taken.

Is the will really free?

Participating charities fund the service by paying for the will writing, so a simple will is free to the client. If a will is more complex, or an estate needs additional work, the solicitor may ask the client to pay for the extra work.

Do I have to leave a gift to charity?

No. Selecting a charity does not oblige anyone to leave a gift. The invitation to leave a legacy is voluntary and the will is completed in the same way whether or not a gift is included.

What if I am under 55 or miss the appointments?

Will Aid runs in November with a voluntary donation shared between partner charities. Some charities, including Macmillan, run their own free simple will services all year for adults aged 18 and over. Paid options are also available.