A guide to writing your Will: Easy Read

A guide to writing your Will

A woman pointing to one person in a poster of lots of different people

What is a Will?

A Will lets you choose who gets your money and the things you own after you die (when you don’t need them anymore).

A solicitor sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper. Behind her is her framed qualification certificate

A Will is written on paper with the help of a legal professional.

A legal professional is a person who is an expert and can give advice about the law .

A hand holding a pen signing a piece of paper with the title Will on it and a picture of two hands shaking each other in agreement

A Will is a legal piece of paper which means that people must carry out what you have asked for in the Will.

A man in the foreground signing a piece of paper on a clipboard. Two people are behind him at a table also signing a piece of paper.

You must sign the Will in front of 2 people who must also sign the Will.

Pictures of; money, a house, a car, furniture, a bike, books and jewellery

What kind of things can you leave in a Will?

You can leave anything you own in a Will.

For example, you can say who you want to have your:

Money
House
Jewellery
Furniture
Books
Car
Bicycle

A picture of a Will being signed with a red cross over it. Above that picture is a picture of the houses of parliament and rule books. Next to that picture are 3 people looking sad around a table.

Why should you make a Will?

If you don’t make a Will, there are rules the government needs to follow. The government will decide who in your family will get your money and your things after you die.

This means that friends, supporters or carers may not get the things you want them to.

Two people looking shocked next to a picture that has a red cross over it of possession's like a car, bike, money and a house

For example:

If you don’t make a Will, your friends or partner will not get anything.

A man with his hand on his chin and a thought bubble above his head

Think about what you have before you make a Will. If you have a lot of money or things then it is sensible for you to make a Will.

If you do not have a lot of money or things, you may not need to make a Will.

Instead everything will go to your family.

Who can you include in your Will?

You can choose to leave some money or any of your things to any named person.

For example you could include:

Family
Friends
Charities.

To make a Will:

You must be 18 years old or over

A man in a suit is pointing to a checklist which has green ticks on it

You must know what things belong to you

A woman with her thumbs up and a green tick next to a piece of paper that has the title Will

You must understand what a Will is

You must choose who should get the things you own when you die.

A man is sitting at the desk of a solicitor who is writing on a piece of paper with him.

When you have decided who you want to leave your things to after you die you should ask a legal professional to write the Will for you.

A legal professional writing a Will for you will cost you money.

A picture of a Will next to an 'Update' stamp

It is also important that if you make a Will, you look at it and update it if you have any life changes.

A man on a phone and another man using a laptop

To find a legal professional you can use the following:

The Law Society has a ‘Find a Solicitor’ helpline which you can call on 0207 320 5650 or visit online at: https://www.solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk.
The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners is an organisation for Wills and Trusts specialists (but not all members are solicitors). You can call them on 0203 752 3700 or visit their website at https://www.step.org.