Questions about GetWill

A straightforward online questionnaire usually takes about 15 minutes. After payment, Fifty Six Law aims to complete its review by the end of the next working day. If anything needs clarification, the team will contact you first.

A Single will is £150. Mirror wills are £225 in total. A Complex will starts with a £150 consultation fee for solicitor review, advice and a quotation. The amount paid is credited towards the final will fee if you proceed. The completed consultation remains chargeable if you decline further work, subject to your statutory cancellation rights. Prices include VAT; will drafting and delivery are separately agreed for a Complex will.

GetWill is the technology platform and a trading name of Ailex Ltd. Fifty Six Law Ltd, an SRA-regulated law firm, provides the legal service and solicitor review.

A Single will covers familiar wishes such as leaving an estate to a partner, children or other named people. Business interests, overseas connections, specialist trusts, tax planning or a difficult family position may need a Complex will. The questionnaire helps the solicitor identify that.

You check your answers and make payment. Fifty Six Law then reviews your instructions. If the matter is suitable, your will is prepared for you to print, sign and have witnessed. If the solicitor needs anything else, the question and your reply stay in your account.

One round of changes is included before final issue. After your will has been finalised, you can ask about a replacement if your wishes or circumstances change.

You arrange your own two witnesses. We provide clear signing instructions so you, and both witnesses, know what to do and in what order.

The will service is for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different legal requirements.

You can appoint an adult you trust, such as a partner, relative or friend. You can also ask about appointing Fifty Six Law as a professional co-executor.

A person's lineal descendants through all generations. This includes children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on. It is a broader term than 'children'.

A person's immediate offspring (the first generation). Under modern English law, this is presumed to include children who are adopted, illegitimate (born outside marriage), or legitimated, unless the Will expressly states a contrary intention. It is presumed NOT to include step-children unless they are explicitly included by a declaration in the Will.

A method of distributing property, meaning 'by the branches' or 'by the roots'. If a gift is made to a group of beneficiaries and one of them has died, their share is divided amongst their own children (or issue). This ensures each branch of a family receives an equal share. This is the most common and usually intended method for substitutional gifts.

The remainder of the testator's estate after all debts, funeral and testamentary expenses, inheritance tax, and all specific and pecuniary legacies have been paid. It is the 'what's left' part of the estate.

The person or institution appointed in the Will to be responsible for administering the deceased's estate. Their duties include collecting in all assets, paying all debts and liabilities, and distributing the net estate to the beneficiaries in accordance with the Will.

The person or institution that holds the legal title to assets on behalf of the beneficiaries of a trust. They are responsible for managing the trust assets and distributing the income and capital according to the terms set out in the Will.

The failure of a specific gift (a legacy of a particular item) because the asset specified in the Will is no longer part of the testator's estate at the time of their death (e.g., it has been sold, given away, or destroyed). The beneficiary receives nothing in its place.

The failure of a gift because the intended beneficiary has died before the testator. The gift 'lapses' and, unless there is a substitutional gift, will fall into the residuary estate. A specific statutory exception (Wills Act 1837, s.33) prevents lapse for gifts to the testator's children or remoter issue, unless excluded.

A legal term defined in the Administration of Estates Act 1925, s.55(1)(x). It means tangible, moveable property, but excludes property used mainly for business purposes, property held solely as an investment, and money or securities for money. It typically includes items like furniture, cars, jewellery, and household items.

A present right to the present enjoyment of property. In the context of a Will trust, this typically means the right to receive all the income generated by the trust fund for a specific period, usually for life. An 'Immediate Post-Death Interest' (IPDI) is a type of interest in possession created by a Will that qualifies for certain favourable inheritance tax treatments, such as the spouse exemption.

A trust where the trustees are given the discretion to decide which of a class of potential beneficiaries should receive payments from the trust, how much they should receive, and when. No beneficiary has a fixed entitlement to any of the trust's income or capital.

A legal concept, distinct from nationality or residence, that identifies the country a person considers their permanent home. A person's domicile determines the legal system that governs the succession of their moveable assets (e.g., bank accounts, shares) and their liability to UK Inheritance Tax on worldwide assets.

The legal rule (from the Law of Property Act 1925, s.184) that applies when two or more people die in circumstances where it is impossible to determine the order of death. The rule presumes that the deaths occurred in order of seniority, so the younger is deemed to have survived the elder. This presumption is overridden by a survivorship clause in a Will.

The amount of an estate that is subject to Inheritance Tax at a rate of 0%. For deaths after October 2007, any portion of the nil rate band unused on the death of the first spouse or civil partner can be transferred to the survivor's estate, potentially doubling the NRB available on the second death.

An additional nil rate band available for Inheritance Tax when a qualifying residential interest (a home) is passed on death to direct descendants. Like the standard NRB, any unused portion is transferable between spouses and civil partners.