Wills - LawDocs4All.com

Where to start when making your will:

"Before selecting the right template, you'll need to have a rough idea as to:

whether the value of your estate will exceed the inheritance tax threshold
whom you want to leave specific gifts of money and possessions
whom you want to leave the remainder of the estate after specific gifts

We provide an information article called Sorting the structure of your will that provides more detail as to the things you might like to consider before writing your will.

All our will templates (including the free ones) contain:

Extensive guidance on how to write your will. We have a full range of articles on writing your will on our site, but our guidance notes go further by giving you paragraph by paragraph help where we think you might need it. You may not need such detailed guidance all the time, but when you do, you'll find that we've provided it.
An example letter of intent to help you write your own.
Options for gift over in case the gift of the residual estate fails. These options allow you to specify other people to whom to leave your estate should the first person or group of people you choose die before you.
Options for leaving gifts to underage children (i.e. to a parent or guardian for safekeeping, or in trust).
Revocation of previous wills.
Appointment of executors and their remuneration.
Funeral wishes

All templates are suitable for men and women." Netlawman.co.uk

Law-Answers.com's help desk on Wills & Probate and our Wills Guide page.

Making a Will is an important part of arranging one’s affairs so that, when we pass on, loved ones and others who have shared our life have a clear direction on how we want our possessions, property and money to be handled.

You can write a Will at any time in your life. Most people consider a new Will when their financial circumstances change, or when relationships change. The Law Society recommends that you review you will every five years, and that you make a new will after a major life change such as having a child, marriage, separation or divorce. It is possible to change a Will without making a new one, but a new one is usually the better option.

A properly drawn up Will is one way you can help make your passing a less painful and complicated experience for the people you leave behind.

See our Wills Guide page for practical help with your Will and estate planning.

See also the LawDocs4All Death & Funerals Guide and our Probate Guide.

Template (free): Documents Checklist

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"The document acts as a prompt for you so you can list the location (and other details, passwords, codes and so on) of important documents and other information. You can add or delete information as you see fit. For example, you may not be comfortable recording Internet site passwords on a document. You could leave other instructions as to where your passwords may be kept, or you may ignore making them known at all." Netlawman.co.uk

Template (free): Letter requesting executor to act

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"Once you have drafted your Will, you should write to the people you would like to nominate as executors of your estate to ask them whether they would be willing to take up the role. Alternatively, since their appointment only becomes official after your death and if they agree at that time, you may simply want to tell them that you have nominated them. This is a template letter that you can use as a basis for your own request or notice." Netlawman.co.uk

Template (free): Simple Will with gift over

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This free template creates a simple last Will and Testament where the testator leaves all his or her assets to one other person (adult). If that beneficiary does not succeed you, then the estate is given to someone else, or to a charity, or shared between a group of people (such as your children, or your grandchildren, or your nieces and nephews). There are no provisions for individual gifts (bequests or legacies) to be made. Included with the template are extensive guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the document and how to sign the Will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors.

This Will template could be used in many different circumstances, but we envisage that it is most likely to be used by someone who is:

married without children, and leaving all possessions to a husband, wife or partner;
widowed, and leaving all assets to an adult son or daughter;
single without children, and leaving all assets to a family member or a co-habiting partner.

This template is suitable for a man or for a woman - it isn't gender specific. We follow normal, modern legal convention of using the masculine form of a word regardless of the gender of the person." Netlawman.co.uk

Template (free): Will: to one person after legacies and bequests

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This free template creates a last Will and Testament where the testator leaves all his or her assets to one person after making specific gifts of money and possessions. If your main beneficiary does not succeed you by a given number of days, you may choose either for your estate to be left to your children in equal proportions, or to other named people in percentage shares chosen by you. There are a number of options for giving to your children, including creation of a trust (using Net Lawman trust provisions), and passing the estate to a parent or guardian of your children. Also included with the template are extensive guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.

This Will template could be used in many different circumstances, but we envisage that it is most likely to be used by someone who:

is a parent or grandparent, leaving an estate to a husband, wife or partner after having made gifts to children, extended family members and/or charities;
wishes to leave specific amounts of money or possessions to family from a previous marriage or relationship, before gifting the rest to a current partner or spouse;
is a single person, who wishes to leave specific gifts to friends and family and the rest of the estate to one person, equally to his or her children, or to a charity.

This template is suitable for a man or for a woman - it isn't gender specific. We follow normal, modern legal convention of using the masculine form of a word regardless of the gender of the person." Netlawman.co.uk

Template (free): Will: half to wife, husband or partner and half to children

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This free template creates a simple last Will and Testament, but contains numerous options so that it will be suitable in many circumstances. After legacies and bequests it divides your remaining estate in proportions you choose between your wife, husband or partner, and your children or other benefactors. The key feature of this Will template is that you can set trust provisions in detail, giving you greater control of how the trustees should invest and manage your estate for any children. Also included with the template are extensive guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.

Most commonly, we envisage that this template would be used by someone who:

is a parent, leaving most of their estate to a husband, wife or partner and the remainder (after specific gifts) to their children (including those from other relationships) or others.

However, it could also be used by someone who:

is a widowed grandparent, leaving their estate to their adult children and to their grandchildren on trust;
is a single parent, who wishes to leave most of their estate to children or other family members but also leave some to charity or to a friend.

Template: Will template: lifetime beneficial interest for spouse, partner or dependant

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This Will template has been drawn to allow a testator to support someone (such as a spouse or partner) for the rest of his or her life or subject to certain conditions, before dividing the remainder the estate between ultimate beneficiaries. It can be used to help minimise the value of the estate of the main beneficiary (possibly reducing inheritance tax liabilities) or it can be used to control who ultimately benefits from the estate (for example, to ensure children from earlier relationships are not disinherited). As in other Net Lawman Will templates, you can set trust provisions in detail, giving you greater control of how the trustees should invest and manage your estate. Also included with the template are extensive guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the Will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.

Most commonly, we envisage that this template would be used by someone who:

wishes some of his or her estate to “skip a generation” to take full advantage of nil rate bands for inheritance tax, but still wishes to support a wife, husband or partner while he or she is alive (and possibly single);
wants to ensure that children from earlier relationships are not disinherited, but still wishes the estate to support a current wife, husband or partner during his or her lifetime;
wants the estate to support a dependent while help is needed before being distributed between a number of people.

This Will template is suitable for a man or for a woman - it isn't gender specific. We follow normal, modern legal convention of using the masculine form of a word regardless of the gender of the person." Netlawman.co.uk

Template: 'Young family' Will: to spouse or partner, gift over to children's trust

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This family Will has been designed for parents of young children. It could also be used by a grandparent leaving their estate to an adult son or daughter with a young family. The effect of the Will is simple: the estate passes entirely to one person or into a discretionary trust for young children if the beneficiary does not succeed you by a certain number of days. Also included with the template are guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the Will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.

This template is suitable for a man or for a woman - it isn't gender specific. We follow normal, modern legal convention of using the masculine form of a word (e.g. testator) regardless of the gender of the person.

This Will template can be used for basic inheritance tax planning (largely as illustrated by HM Revenue and Customs), but we do not provide guidance on the subject. If the value of your estate could exceed the nil rate bands (NRB), then you might like to seek advice from a qualified tax specialist before signing your Will." Netlawman.co.uk

Template: Will: home and part of estate into life trust for wife, husband or partner; other part into trust for other beneficiaries

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This Will template allows you to split your estate so that a proportion helps support someone (such as an unmarried partner or brother or sister) for the rest of his or her life and the remainder gives other beneficiaries (such as your children) income or capital value from your estate earlier. The main aim of the Will is to separate ownership of your estate from beneficial interest (for example, to ensure children from earlier relationships are not disinherited without disadvantaging a dependant), although it is possible that it could be used to minimise inheritance tax liabilities as well. The Will creates two trusts for a life beneficiary, placing your share of the house in one, and a proportion of the estate in the other. It also creates a third containing the rest of the estate for other beneficiaries. Once the life beneficiary dies (or other conditions are met) the trusts are distributed to these other beneficiaries. As in other Net Lawman last Will and Testament templates, you can set trust provisions in detail, giving you greater control of how the trustees should invest and manage your estate. Also included with the template are extensive guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the Will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.

Most commonly, we envisage that this template would be used by someone who:

wishes to take good care of a spouse or partner during his or her lifetime, but who also wants to make sure children or others ultimately have "something in the meantime";
wishes to provide for a dependant (such as a disabled adult child) without passing the share of the estate (and control of that share) to that person;
wants to ensure that children from earlier relationships are not disinherited, but still wishes the estate to support a current wife, husband or partner during his or her lifetime.

While the lifetime beneficiary doesn't inherit any of your residual estate, you could separately bequeath money or possessions to that person so that they do inherit something from you.

This isn't a gender specific template - it is as suitable for a man as for a woman. We follow normal, modern legal convention of using the masculine form of a word (e.g. testator) regardless of the gender of the person." Netlawman.co.uk

Template: Will: assets in trust: lifetime beneficial interest and discretionary trust

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This Will template allows the testator to place his or her estate, after specific gifts, into two trusts: one that has a life beneficiary (such as a wife or a husband), and another that is a discretionary trust. It also includes provisions for gifting a share in a private company or business partnership. By doing this, the Will allows beneficiaries to benefit from assets, without owning them. This may be desirable in situations of second marriages where the testator doesn't want to disinherit children from earlier relationships, or where there are young children, or where the testator wishes his estate to skip generations (perhaps to avoid being passed to the family of a second husband or wife of an adult child). As in other Net Lawman Will templates, you can set trust provisions in detail, giving you control of how the trustees should invest and manage your estate. Also included with the template are guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the Will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.

The most likely user of this will template is a business owner who has remarried, but who has children from earlier relationships who he or she does not want to disinherit. The use of a discretionary trust makes this template suitable if some beneficiaries (such as young children or dependents) are not yet financially responsible.

Of course, there is provision to leave some of the estate to charity or to extended family or friends.

As an example, using this template, the testator could:

leave his share of the family business to his brother (and business partner);
leave his collection of worthless antique maps to his friend;
place his share of the marital home and furniture, plus investment assets that should generate an income of at least £20,000 a year into a trust for his wife during her lifetime, and then to his children when she dies;
all other assets into a discretionary trust for the benefit of his young children from his first marriage.

Template: Will: business and value to nil rate band gifted separately

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This Will is suitable for someone who owns shares in a private company or who is a partner in a business partnership, and who wishes to have a straightforward will. After specific gifts have been made, business interests are gifted to one person or party such as a sibling or adult child. The remainder is further divided with assets with a value up to the nil rate band at the time of death gifted to one set of beneficiaries (such as children), and the rest gifted to another (such as a spouse or partner). There is provision for gift over if that person does not survive you. As in other Net Lawman Will templates, you can set trust provisions in detail, giving you control of how the trustees should invest and manage your estate. Also included with the template are guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the Will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.

This template is most likely to be used by someone who:

is married or in a civil partnership;
has a share in a business that trades through a private limited company or partnership structure (such as a family business).

Template: Will: value to nil rate band placed in discretionary trust

Read what Netlawman says about this template:

"This Will template is most likely to be used by someone with a young family and a share in a private company or business partnership. It aims to give you control over how your estate will be divided and also provide some basic IHT planning. It uses a discretionary trust to protect assets for beneficiaries until they reach a certain age. After specific gifts have been made, business interests are left as gifts to one person or party such as a sibling or adult child. The residual estate is divided so that assets with a value up to the nil rate threshold at the time of death are placed into a discretionary trust for one set of beneficiaries (such as your children), and the rest is proportioned between named beneficiaries (such as your spouse or partner and your children). There is provision for gift over if your spouse or partner does not survive you. As in other Net Lawman Wwill templates, you can set trust provisions in detail, giving you control of how the trustees should invest and manage your estate. Also included with the template are guidance notes, explaining clearly how to edit the template and how to sign the will correctly, and a short example letter of intent to your executors or trustees.T

his template could be used in quite varied situations. The use of a discretionary trust makes this template likely to be used by someone who has a young family or dependents who are not yet financially responsible. Since the residual estate is proportioned between different beneficiaries, the testator could choose to leave some of his or her estate to charity and some to extended family or friends." Netlawman.co.uk

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

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