The biggest time-waster when making a will isn't the form itself — it's stopping halfway through to look up someone's full name or address.
If you gather everything in advance, completing your will takes about 10 minutes. Without preparation, you'll be stopping and starting, hunting for details, and losing momentum.
Here's every piece of information you might need, organised by category. Print this page, gather the details, then make your will at CheapWills for £9.99.
The Quick Checklist
Tick off each item as you gather it:
- Full names and addresses of your beneficiaries (who inherits)
- Full names and addresses of your executors (who handles the estate)
- Full names and addresses of guardians for children under 18
- A rough list of your assets (property, savings, investments, pensions)
- Details of any specific gifts (items or cash to named people)
- Names and registered numbers of any charities you want to benefit
- Your funeral wishes (burial or cremation, any specific requests)
- Full name and address of a backup executor
- Full name and address of a backup guardian (if applicable)
That's it. You don't need account numbers, policy numbers, or property valuations. Just a clear picture of what you own and who you want to have it.
Detailed Breakdown
1. Your Personal Details
You'll need your own:
- Full legal name (as it appears on official documents)
- Current address
- Date of birth
- Marital status (single, married, civil partnership, divorced, widowed)
If you've been known by different names (maiden name, previous married name, preferred name), note these too. Your will should use your current legal name but may reference other names to avoid confusion.
2. Your Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries are the people (or organisations) who inherit from your will. For each beneficiary, you need:
- Full legal name (first name and surname)
- Relationship to you (spouse, child, friend, etc.)
- Address (current residential address)
Common beneficiaries include:
- Spouse or partner
- Children (including stepchildren if you want to include them)
- Grandchildren
- Parents
- Siblings
- Other relatives
- Close friends
- Charities
Don't forget:
- Children from previous relationships (if you want to include them)
- A residuary beneficiary — who gets everything that isn't specifically gifted. This is usually your main beneficiary (spouse/partner) or your children equally
- Backup beneficiaries — who inherits if your main beneficiary dies before you
3. Your Executors
Executors are the people who carry out the instructions in your will. They handle probate, pay debts, collect assets, and distribute the estate.
For each executor, you need:
- Full name
- Address
- Relationship to you
How many executors?
Name one or two. More than two can make decision-making slow. Having two means one can take over if the other can't act.
Who makes a good executor?
- Someone you trust to be organised and reliable
- Someone emotionally capable of handling paperwork during a difficult time
- Executors can also be beneficiaries (this is very common — most people name their spouse)
- They should ideally be younger than you
Name a backup executor in case your first choice can't or won't act when the time comes.
4. Guardians (If You Have Children Under 18)
If you have children under 18, naming a guardian is the most important thing your will does. For each guardian:
- Full name
- Address
- Relationship to your children
Before choosing guardians:
- Ask them. Never name someone without their knowledge and consent
- Discuss your expectations — education, religion, lifestyle
- Consider practical factors — location, age, existing family commitments
- Name a backup guardian in case your first choice can't act
Both parents should name the same guardians. Conflicting guardian nominations create court battles — exactly what you're trying to avoid.
Full guide to choosing guardians
5. Your Assets
You don't need exact valuations or account numbers. A general overview is enough:
Property:
- Your home (address and approximate value)
- Any other properties (buy-to-let, holiday home, inherited property)
- Whether each property is owned solely or jointly (and whether joint ownership is as joint tenants or tenants in common)
Money:
- Savings accounts (approximate balances)
- Current accounts
- Cash ISAs
- Premium Bonds
Investments:
- Stocks and shares ISAs
- Investment accounts
- Stocks or shares held directly
Pensions:
- Workplace pensions
- Personal pensions
- State pension entitlement
- Note: Pension death benefits are usually handled by a nomination form with your pension provider, not your will. But it's worth knowing what you have.
Life insurance:
- Policies and approximate values
- Note: Like pensions, life insurance payouts are often determined by nomination forms, especially if written in trust. Check with your provider.
Vehicles:
- Cars, motorcycles, etc.
Valuable possessions:
- Jewellery
- Art or antiques
- Collections (coins, stamps, etc.)
Digital assets:
- Online accounts, cryptocurrency, digital content
- Note: Consider leaving login details or access instructions in a letter of wishes (separate from your will)
Debts:
- Mortgage balance
- Loans
- Credit card balances
- Note: Debts are paid from your estate before beneficiaries receive anything. You don't need to worry about specifying this — it happens automatically.
6. Specific Gifts
Specific gifts are particular items or cash amounts you want to leave to named individuals. Think about:
Cash legacies:
- "£5,000 to my sister Jane Smith"
- "£1,000 to Guide Dogs for the Blind"
Specific items:
- "My engagement ring to my daughter Emma"
- "My watch collection to my son James"
- "My books to my friend Sarah"
For each gift, note:
- What the gift is (described precisely enough to be identified)
- Who receives it (full name and relationship)
- What happens if the recipient dies before you (does the gift go to their children, or back into the residuary estate?)
Don't over-specify. Long lists of individual items often cause more problems than they solve. Consider leaving a "letter of wishes" alongside your will for minor personal items — it's not legally binding, but executors usually follow it.
7. Charity Gifts
If you want to leave money or a percentage of your estate to charity:
- Charity name (the full official name)
- Registered charity number (find this on the Charity Commission website)
- What you're leaving — a specific cash amount, a percentage of your estate, or a specific item
Tax benefit: If you leave 10% or more of your estate to charity, the inheritance tax rate on the rest drops from 40% to 36%. This is worth factoring in for larger estates.
8. Funeral Wishes
Your will can include your funeral preferences:
- Burial or cremation
- Specific location (a favourite churchyard, natural burial ground)
- Religious or non-religious ceremony
- Music or readings
- Organ donation wishes (though registering on the NHS Organ Donor Register is more reliable)
- Any specific instructions (scatter ashes in a particular place, etc.)
Important: Funeral wishes in your will are not legally binding. Your executors should try to follow them, but they're not obliged to. If your wishes are particularly important to you, tell your family directly and put them in writing in a separate letter as well as in your will.
9. Trusts (Optional)
If you have children under 18, you'll likely want a simple trust provision in your will:
- At what age should children inherit? (default is 18; most people choose 21 or 25)
- Who should be trustees? (the people who manage the money until children reach that age)
- What can trustees spend the money on before the children inherit? (education, housing, maintenance)
CheapWills' questionnaire handles simple trust provisions as part of the standard process.
10. Information You DON'T Need
Don't waste time gathering:
- Account numbers or sort codes — your executors will find these
- Property valuations — exact figures aren't needed in a will
- Policy numbers — for life insurance or pensions
- National Insurance number — not needed
- Tax reference numbers — not needed
- A solicitor's appointment — you don't need one for a straightforward will
Got Your List Ready?
If you've gathered the information above, you're ready. The CheapWills questionnaire takes about 10 minutes. Your answers are applied to solicitor-approved templates. You pay £9.99, download your will as a PDF, and print and sign it.
No appointment needed. No jargon to decode. No weeks of waiting.
Make your will today for £9.99 — it takes 10 minutes.
Join the Waitlist — Wills from £9.99Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to list all my assets in my will?
No. A well-drafted will includes a "residuary clause" that covers everything not specifically mentioned. You only need to list specific items or cash amounts if you want them to go to particular people. Everything else goes to your residuary beneficiary.
Do I need exact property valuations?
No. Valuations are needed for probate (after you die), not for writing the will. A rough idea of what you own is enough.
What if I forget to include an asset?
The residuary clause catches it. Any asset not specifically mentioned goes to whoever you've named as your residuary beneficiary. This is why the residuary clause is one of the most important parts of a will.
Should I include my pension in my will?
Pension death benefits are usually determined by a nomination form with your pension provider, not your will. However, it's useful to know what pensions you have so your will reflects your overall plans. Check your pension nomination forms are up to date.
Do I need to list my debts?
No. Debts are automatically paid from your estate before anything is distributed to beneficiaries. Your executors handle this during probate.
How long does the whole process take?
If you have all the information listed above, the CheapWills questionnaire takes about 10 minutes. Allow another 10 minutes to read through the generated will and check everything is correct. Then you need to arrange signing with two witnesses — the practical part most people put off. Do it this week.