Questions about GetWill

Yes. One executor can request a quote through GetWill and share it with the others. Requesting or receiving a quote does not instruct Fifty Six Law to administer the estate. Before chargeable work begins, we confirm who is instructing us, check their authority and obtain the necessary agreement to the service and fees.

Start with what you know: the approximate estate value, whether there is property, the banks or investment providers involved, any known debts, the number of people and charities inheriting, and anything needing particular care. A copy of the will and any codicils helps us check the scope, but you can enquire before you have every document. We ask about what is missing rather than making you start again.

Our fee guide starts with the gross value of the estate and whether it includes property. We also consider the tax work, assets, beneficiaries and any other work needed. Our fees include VAT. The written quote sets out the service, assumptions and exclusions, with anticipated court and other outside costs shown separately. Those costs are paid to the relevant provider at cost, on top of our fee.

Yes, within the scope agreed in your quote. Full administration covers the agreed asset and debt enquiries, the appropriate grant and inheritance tax forms, final-period income tax and estate income tax and capital gains tax reporting where required, HMRC correspondence, collecting funds, paying agreed debts and tax, preparing estate accounts and distributing to verified beneficiaries. Disputes, property sales, separate trust administration and specialist tax advice need to be expressly included or separately agreed.

For full estate administration, our fee is normally paid from estate funds when funds are available. If an upfront payment is needed, we explain the amount and reason in your written quote before you decide whether to go ahead. Court fees and other outside costs are shown separately.

Tell us the approximate numbers and how the gifts are divided. More beneficiaries can mean more correspondence, identity and payment checks, and work preparing the accounts. Charitable gifts need the correct recipient and wording checked and can affect the tax position. We assess the actual work when quoting and explain any additional cost. Let us know if anyone is under 18, missing or inheriting through a trust.

We can assess challenges to a will, Inheritance Act claims, executor misconduct, trust disputes and claims about ownership or promises of property. A concern does not by itself establish a claim. Fifty Six Law has a dedicated specialist team for contentious probate and contentious trust disputes. If a concern arises about a will, an inheritance or how an estate is being administered, we can assess what help is appropriate. Specialist work outside the administration service needs a separate agreement and fee. We first check whether the firm can advise, including any conflict of interest. Fifty Six Law offers a free initial consultation and agrees any further terms separately.

We explain the proposed work, why it is needed and its fee or estimate in writing before it begins. Where executors instruct us together, we agree with them how instructions and approvals will be given and obtain the necessary agreement before additional chargeable work. An invitation to view information in GetWill is not authority to instruct the firm or approve costs.

You can provide information and copies through GetWill, correspond by email and arrange a call when useful. Living in Scotland does not, by itself, make an estate in England and Wales a Scottish estate. We check the estate’s circumstances and agree what each executor needs to do before taking on the work. We explain any identity checks, signatures or original documents needed; the probate application normally requires the original will. Do not post originals until we ask for them.

A straightforward online questionnaire usually takes about 15 minutes. After payment and once your identity is confirmed, 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 and Mirror wills are £225 in total, including VAT. These fixed prices are for a straightforward will. Anything more starts with a professional consultation. A professional consultation costs £150, including VAT. Afterwards we send you a written fee estimate for your will. If you go ahead, the £150 is deducted from that price. If you decide not to proceed after the consultation service is completed, the consultation fee remains payable. Your statutory cancellation rights are unaffected.

The £150 online service includes a solicitor-reviewed will for straightforward instructions, including executor appointments, beneficiaries, cash gifts and who receives the rest of your estate. It also includes one round of changes before final issue, printing and delivery, signing guidance and copies in your Will Vault. The price includes VAT.

Substantive company document review, business succession advice, advice on wills in different countries, specialist tax advice and bespoke trust planning need a separately agreed scope and fee. Even where the final wording is simple, reading the documents and advising on their implications is professional work. We explain what needs review before you commit to further work.

Owning shares in your own company does not automatically mean you need an elaborate will or a particular higher fee. We do need to read the company’s articles and any shareholder agreement to check restrictions, compulsory sale terms and who can manage the company during the administration. That review falls outside the £150 online will service. A gift of the shares may be straightforward once those checks are complete; the fee reflects the review and advice as well as the drafting.

An English will limited to particular assets may be appropriate, with separate advice for assets abroad. We need to check which assets it covers, the wording that revokes earlier wills and any relevant succession law issues. A will prepared abroad later also needs to preserve the English arrangements. Limiting the will to English assets does not remove the need for that advice. We agree the scope and price of any further review or liaison with an overseas adviser before undertaking it.

A professional consultation costs £150, including VAT. Afterwards we send you a written fee estimate for your will. If you go ahead, the £150 is deducted from that price. The consultation covers a legal professional’s review of your circumstances and advice on the approach. We agree its scope first, including which documents can be considered within it. More extensive company document analysis or specialist advice is identified and priced before it is undertaken. The written estimate for preparing your will sets out the necessary review and drafting. No further chargeable work starts until you agree the scope and fee. If you decide not to proceed after the consultation service is completed, the consultation fee remains payable. Your statutory cancellation rights are unaffected.

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.

It starts with a professional consultation instead of the fixed price. You might need one if, for example, you live outside the UK; you own property abroad, or have a will in another country; you own a business or farm; you want to provide for someone who is disabled or vulnerable; or you want a trust beyond a straightforward children’s trust, such as a life interest or a right to live in your home. You can choose a consultation when you start, or begin with the same questions and we’ll tell you if your answers need it.

You check your answers and make payment. Fifty Six Law then reviews your instructions. If the matter is suitable, your will is printed and posted to you to sign in front of two witnesses, and your Will Vault has a copy marked COPY. If the solicitor needs anything else, the question and your reply stay in your account.

We print your will on premium paper and post it to you with clear signing instructions. Fifty Six Law can keep the signed original in safe storage, free for life: post it back in the envelope we include (you pay only the postage), and we check it, bind it and make your custody confirmation and certificate available in GetWill. We email you when they are ready. You can instead deposit it with HMCTS yourself for £24 using the form we fill in for you, ask us to check it and send it to HMCTS for £74, or keep it yourself. You can ask for your original back at any time, and your executors can collect it when it is needed. They are always free to choose who deals with the estate.

One round of changes is included before final issue. After your will has been finalised, later changes cost £25 per will, including delivery, 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.