Where to Keep Your Will in the UK, and How to Make Sure It’s Found
In shortKeep the original will somewhere safe and tell your executor where it is. In England and Wales you can deposit it with the Probate Service for a one-off £24 fee, leave it with your solicitor or will-writer, or keep it at home in a fireproof box. Registering where it’s kept, for example with the National Will Register, helps it be found.
Your options
- With your solicitor or will-writer. Common and simple. Make sure your family knows which firm, as firms merge and close.
- With the Probate Service (England and Wales). A one-off £24 fee to deposit it, and you can withdraw it at any time. You keep a copy.
- At home. Free, but at risk of fire, flood or being lost. Use a fireproof box and tell your executor exactly where.
- A bank. Some banks store documents, but access can be slow after a death.
Make sure it can be found
Registering a will records where it’s kept (it doesn’t store the will itself), so a search can find it later. The National Will Register is the best-known service in the UK.
Most importantly, tell your executor where the original is, and keep the details up to date if you move it.
Don’t
- Don’t staple, unstaple or attach anything to the original: it can raise questions about whether pages were changed.
- Don’t rely on a photocopy: the original is normally needed for probate.
How Successionly Helps
Successionly records where your will is, who holds it and who your executor is, and gives that to the people you choose, when it’s needed. It never holds a copy of the will itself.
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