Macmillan Free Will Service
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Free Will Service closure over the Festive Season
Our Free Will Service is closed 23 December 2024 to 3 January 2025. You will still be able to register for the Free Will Service over the festive season, but please be aware that there may be a slight delay in your chosen will writing partner contacting you.
If your requirement is urgent, we would advise contacting a local solicitor using the Law Society website for your nation; England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
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Register over the phone or register for an urgent Will
If you are having trouble completing the online form, you can call us on 0300 1000 200 to register over the phone (Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm, Saturday 9am – 1pm)
If your needs are urgent for health reasons, please call us to register and let the advisor know that you require an urgent will. If you are unable to call, please complete the online form and advise your will writing partner as soon as possible.
Please note, we are unable to provide urgent wills within 48 hours. If the Free Will Service is not suitable, we recommend getting in touch with a local solicitor through the Law Society (England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland).
How the Free Will Service works
In 2023 over 14,000 people used the Free Will Service to write their will
Benefits of the Free Wills Service
Ways to write your free will
Writing your will shouldn't be a hassle, so we have a variety of options available to suit your needs.
Please note that not all options are available in all parts of the UK.
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Online will writing services
Depending on where you live in the UK, you can write your will online through Co-op Legal Services, Farewill, Irwin Mitchell and Wilson Nesbitt. Once you register, you’ll be able to get started straight away by using the link on our registration page or your confirmation email. From there, you can fill out your instructions and our trusted will writing partners will handle the rest.
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Home visit will writing services
You can write your will via a home visit through The Goodwill Partnership and Octopus Legacy (in England & Wales) and Wilson Nesbitt (in Greater Belfast and North Down). Once you register, we’ll pass on your details on to your chosen will writing partner who will call you within 5 working days to arrange the best time to visit you. They will take your instructions when they visit you at home and then have your will written up before posting to you for signing.
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Telephone will writing services
Depending on where you live in the UK, you can write your will over the telephone with Co-op Legal Services, Farewill, Irwin Mitchell, Octopus Legacy and Wilson Nesbitt. Once you register, we’ll pass on your details or you can book your appointment directly with your chosen will writing partner. They will take down your instructions and have your will written up before sending the will to you for signing.
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Video call will writing services
You can write your will over a video call with Irwin Mitchell and Wilson Nesbitt. Once you register, we’ll pass on your details or you can book your appointment directly with your chosen will writing partner. They will take down your instructions and have your will written up before sending the will to you for signing.
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Postal will writing services
You can write your will through the post with Irwin Mitchell and Wilson Nesbitt. Once you register, we’ll pass on your details and Irwin Mitchell will send out their will writing pack to reach you within 5 working days (subject to postal delays). You can then fill out the forms and send back to Irwin Mitchell, who will have the will written before posting to you for signing.
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Local branch will writing services
You can write your will in branch with a solicitor through Jones Whyte, Octopus Legacy and Wilson Nesbitt. Once you register, we’ll pass on your details to the will writing partner who will call you within 5 working days to arrange the appointment at their offices. During the appointment they will take down your instructions. Then they will write up your will and send it to you for signing.
In branch locations include: Ashford, Bangor, Batley, Belfast, Birstall, Brighouse, Bristol, Cleckheaton, Conwy, Cornwall (Helstong & Three Burrows), Exeter, Glasgow, Glenrothes, Harrogate, Jersey, Kirkcaldy, Leeds, Leicester, Leven, London, Manchester, Merseyside, Monmouthshire, Morley, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Royston, St. Albans, St. Peter’s Port and Wrexham.
Our will writing partners
We understand how important it is to have high quality wills in place that meet your needs. To make sure you always receive the best service we have partnered with expert will writers who are either registered with or have staff registered with the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority. Find out more about each partner to see which one would work best for you.
Useful information
Leaving a gift in your will
Complex wills
Preparing wills for those living in care homes and hospices
Free Will Service FAQs
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Who pays for the will?
Macmillan covers the cost of simple standard wills sold as part of the Macmillan Free Will Service. If your needs are complex, please read the 'What if my needs are complex and unsuitable for a standard will?' FAQ.
We rely on gifts in wills for over a third of our income. While there is no obligation to include a gift in your Macmillan free will, we do hope that you will consider leaving a percentage of your estate to Macmillan, after taking care of loved ones. All gifts left to us will help fund Macmillan's services in years to come. We're very grateful for every gift that we receive, no matter its size. -
How do I ensure my will is valid?
For a will to be valid, there are certain conditions that must be met.
- The will must be made by a person who is 18 years old or over.
- Your will must be made voluntarily and without pressure from any other person.
- Your will must be on paper, a ‘soft’ copy on a computer is not valid.
- Your will must be signed by you, in the presence of two witnesses and signed by the two witnesses, in your presence.
- Witnesses can be anyone over 18. They cannot be a beneficiary of your will (someone who receives money or other benefits as a result of your will), nor can they be the spouse or civil partner of a beneficiary of your will.
- Witnesses do not need to read your will or be aware of its contents.
More information on ensuring that your will is valid can be found on the Citizens Advice website.
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Does Macmillan get a copy of my will?
Macmillan does not receive a copy of the will.
During the will writing process, you will be asked whether you are happy for your chosen partner to share certain information with Macmillan. This includes whether you have left Macmillan a gift in your will and the value of this gift. Having this information helps us to plan for a future where more people than ever are living with cancer.
Several of our partners offer will storage facilities and you may choose to store your will free of charge with Irwin Mitchell, Jones Whyte and Wilson Nesbitt.
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What if I need an urgent will?
If you need a will urgently, please contact your chosen partner as soon as possible to discuss the options available to you. Please note, The Goodwill Partnership cannot provide urgent wills.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that any of our partners will be able to complete a will in exceptionally urgent circumstances. In these instances, we recommend you get in touch with a local solicitor through the Law Society (England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland). -
What if I want to leave a gift for Macmillan?
To leave a gift to Macmillan in your will, you need to include the name of our charity, our address and registered charity number, all of which you can find below. It is then as simple as writing:
• ‘I leave 20% of my residual estate to…’
• ‘I leave £5000 to..."
• ‘I leave my valuable collection of teddy bears to…’
If you choose to leave a residuary gift, the value of the gift is maintained by default. If you choose to leave a pecuniary gift, we would appreciate if you would consider index linking the gift, as this means its value is maintained for the future.
Macmillan Cancer Support
3rd Floor, Bronze Building
The Forge
105 Sumner Street
London
SE1 9HZ
Registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). For other regions of the UK, we do not have a registered charity number but you can use any of the above to identify us.
Macmillan Free Will Service Reviews
Find out what some of the people who used our Free Will Service had to say:
- "I am really grateful for the service because I was prompted to write a will. And on top of that, it was for free. This was one part of the ongoing support I am receiving from Macmillan. Thank you very much."
- "Made an error on my first draft but company replied promptly with new draft and will resubmitted correctly and accepted and now stored. Excellent service."
- "Very easy to register and to start the will. I haven't yet completed it but there isn't any pressure from Macmillan or the legal team to complete. Highly recommend using the Macmillan Will Service."
- "Advisor was very helpful and at no point did we feel pressured into anything. Given advice that changed how our wills were written as it was something we hadn’t thought about. Would highly recommend."
- "This is a great service and a nice way to provide a donation towards a great cause in our passing."