Add a beneficiary to an existing will.

tomg35

as the title, I just want to add an additional beneficiary to an existing will. Contacted one solicitor and he wants £750 plus vat. I think he wants to draft a new will, but I don't believe this is needed.

Sussex-Tanzanite

have you reviewed some of the cheaper Will options. Martin’s team posted this article recently, as it’s the start of Will Aid period and there are additional charity options too. I know Will Aid supports both creating a new basic Will and updating existing Wills. There’s some good details on the Will Aid website T&Cs.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/free-cheap-wills/

hope that helps.

Savvy_Sue

You can do it via a Codicil, but 'best practice' would be review and re-write the will - especially if it was written some time ago. Legislation changes, and so does your position. Does the original will cover all the 'what if' questions, like beneficiaries dying before you, etc?

GrubbyGirl_2

My parents wanted to add a new person to their will. It was a very simple will leaving named possessions to individuals and the rest divided equally between 4 people. All they did was copy word for word the existing will and added the extra name, got it all signed and witnesses and destroyed the previous will. There was no problems when they died

Savvy_Sue

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82147979#Comment_82147979

Indeed, this is a possibility if the will is sufficiently recent, covers all the What If bases, and the OP can accurately follow the instructions for signatures in a timely fashion.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6684417/add-a-beneficiary-to-an-existing-will

A solicitor will want to review the whole thing as ultimately if it doesnt operate the way its intended they are on the hook and "I just copied what the last guy wrote" doesnt tend to go down so well.

If you want everything else the same could you not just copy it yourself and insert the extra point?

tomg35

Thanks, but doesn't a codicil do that. I get your point, but £750+ just to add one name to the list of people (all of whom will get equal share) is too much

MEM62

Unless it is complex, a new will should not cost anywhere near £750. Was the solicitor wearing a face mask and stripey jumper when he quoted you?