Free Will Writing Service FAQs

The process is simple:

1. You choose one of the four services we offer:

- Online

- Over the phone

- At home

- With a local participating solicitor

1. Start your free Will - select your chosen option and provide your contact details.
2. A representative of our Will writing partner will get in touch with you and assist you in creating your Will within the next three weeks.
3. If you choose the solicitor route, we will send you a personalised list of local participating solicitors for you to contact. Details of how you can take advantage of our free service with them will be included.

For more information on your chosen route, download our free Gifts in Wills guide.

Yes, it does. If you live in England and Wales, all three services are available to you.

If you live in Scotland, the only available service is the local solicitor option. If you’re not using our Free Will service and want to leave a gift to Oxfam, we recommend consulting a solicitor in Scotland to ensure your Will complies with the Scottish legal system.

If you live in Northern Ireland, you can access Oxfam Ireland’s free Will writing service.

Once you’ve made key decisions about where you want your money and belongings to go, our Will writing service is surprisingly easy.

For help getting your affairs in order download our free Will Planner.

To find out the step-by-step process of our Free Will service download our free Gifts in Wills Guide or request a postal version.

Our Free Will offer is all-year round and never expires.

If your Gifts in Wills guide is more than two years old, however, some information may be out of date. We recommend that you download the new version of the guide or request to receive it in the post.

Yes, you and your partner can make mirror Wills using our Free Will Service. Or, if you would like, you can write your Wills separately.

Mirror Wills are the standard Wills a couple (married or not) may make which simply mirror each other. Instead of making two separate Wills with identical provisions, a mirror Will is a more cost-effective option for couples if they both want the same things.

If you and your partner would like mirror Wills, only one of you need apply for the service.

Please let your provider know this is your intention at first contact or when providing your Will instructions. If you would like to make separate Wills, however, then both of you will need to make a request.

If you remember Oxfam in your Will, we may be able to act as your executor. What people usually do, however, when they are unable to find executors, is appoint a solicitor. Oxfam’s in-house capacity to execute Wills is limited so we advise that you appoint a solicitor to administer your Will.

If this is not possible, however, Oxfam may be able to act as your executor. But we have to ask you to leave us at least £5000 in your Will to cover the cost of staff time, qualified legal advice and completion of the probate process. Our executorship is also dependent on your personal circumstances because we’re not always able to cover the cost of administering complex estates. If you’re thinking about this, please email executorsandwills@oxfam.org.uk.

We can offer this service for free because Oxfam take on the cost of Will writing. And while there’s no obligation to leave Oxfam a gift, 65% of people do choose to.

We rely on gifts in Wills for a quarter of our public unrestricted funding. So, we hope you consider leaving a percentage of your estate to Oxfam after taking care of your loved ones.

Your gift, large or small, is one of the most powerful ways you can ensure that future generations get the opportunity to live in a fairer, more just, and more equitable world. Find out why other supporters, like Neil, have chosen to leave a percentage of their estate to Oxfam.

We usually ask people not to specify where they want their gift to go. That’s because the projects and countries we work in are always changing. And ultimately, a gift in your Will is a long-term promise to invest in Oxfam’s work, wherever it’s most needed.

However, if you do specify a region as the beneficiary of your gift, we will work hard to honour that request.

If you are having trouble contacting our providers or the free Will process has stalled, please call us on 0300 200 1331 or email giftsinwills@oxfam.org.uk and we will resolve this issue on your behalf.

Some of our services include call-backs from our providers. If you’re waiting on a call-back, please check that you have confirmed your call-back time via text or email.

If you have missed, or fear that you have missed a call back from one of our service providers please call us on 0300 200 1331 or email giftsinwills@oxfam.org.uk and will resolve this issue on your behalf.