Mirror Wills for Couples, Made Online and Checked by a Solicitor

Mirror wills explained

What are mirror wills?

Mirror wills are two separate wills for a couple that mirror each other, leaving your estates to one another and then to the same final beneficiaries. Each partner gets their own last will and testament, with matching instructions for how the estate is distributed.

They suit married couples, civil partners and unmarried partners who share the same wishes. Typically each will names the other as the main beneficiary, so when one of you dies everything passes to the survivor. Without a will, the intestacy rules decide who inherits instead, and an unmarried partner can be left with nothing, which is why couples put mirror wills in place. Both wills then say the same thing about what happens after you have both died, usually that the estate is shared between your children or chosen people.

Because the two documents match, they are quicker and cheaper to prepare than two unrelated wills, which is why a couple can complete a pair online rather than booking two separate appointments.

Simple, honest pricing

How much do mirror wills cost?

A pair of mirror wills costs £29.99 online, both checked by a solicitor, against £200 to £600 for the same pair at a high-street firm. The work overlaps heavily for a couple, so paying separate full fees twice rarely makes sense for a straightforward estate.

For comparison, one leading legal services brand lists mirror wills at £249, and many firms charge £400 to £600 plus VAT.

The £29.99 covers both documents, solicitor review, and 28 days of free changes after they are finalised. Small updates later can be made by a codicil or by making a new will. Optional will storage is available for £30 a year if you would rather not keep the originals at home.

How it works

How do mirror wills work?

You answer one set of questions together, each will is prepared and solicitor-checked, then you each sign your own document in front of two witnesses. The process is the same online flow as a single will.

Step one, you work through the guided questions covering your executors, your beneficiaries, guardians for any children, and any specific gifts. Step two, you review both drafts and pay the £29.99 only when you are happy. Step three, a qualified UK solicitor checks both wills, then each of you signs your own will in front of two independent witnesses to make it legally valid.

Each will is a separate legal document. You sign yours, your partner signs theirs. They are not a single shared document.

Compare the options

Mirror wills vs joint wills vs mutual wills

Mirror wills are two documents either of you can change. Joint wills are one shared document. Mutual wills bind you both permanently. The differences matter.

A joint will is a single will made by two people. They are now rare and generally not advised, because the surviving partner is usually locked out of changing it.

Mutual wills are separate documents, but with a legally binding agreement that the survivor will not change their will after the first partner dies. That protection comes at the cost of all flexibility, and disputes over mutual wills are common.

Mirror wills, the standard choice, keep each partner in control of their own will throughout their life. The trade-off is the flip side of that freedom, covered next.

Good to know

Can the surviving partner change a mirror will?

Yes. Once one partner dies, the survivor is legally free to change their own will, which means the original shared plan is no longer guaranteed. This is the most important thing to understand before choosing mirror wills.

Mirror wills do not bind the survivor to the original plan. If the surviving partner remarries or falls out with a beneficiary, they can rewrite their will and redirect the estate. For many couples in a stable first marriage with shared children, that risk is small and acceptable.

For others it is a real concern, which leads to the next question.

Being straight with you

When mirror wills are right for you, and when they are not

Mirror wills suit couples with a straightforward, shared situation. Blended families and larger estates often need more protection. Being honest about this matters more than making a sale.

Mirror wills are a good fit if you are in a stable first marriage or partnership, you both want the same people to inherit, and your estate is reasonably simple. That is most couples, and £29.99 online is the sensible answer.

Take fuller advice, and look at a will with a trust instead, if any of these apply:

• You have children from a previous relationship and want to guarantee they inherit. A surviving partner who remarries could otherwise redirect everything away from them.
• You want to protect the family home from care home fees.
• Your estate is large enough to need inheritance tax planning.
• You want certainty that the survivor cannot change the plan.

In those cases a life interest trust within your wills can ring-fence assets for your chosen final beneficiaries while still providing for the survivor. That is more involved than mirror wills, so it is worth speaking to a solicitor. If incapacity rather than death is the worry, a lasting power of attorney is the document you need.

When to write separately

When do you need two separate wills instead of mirror wills?

Mirror wills only work when both wills say substantially the same thing, so couples whose circumstances differ need two wills written separately. Blended families, unequal estates and sole-name assets are the usual reasons.

Mirror wills are built on a shared plan, with each will a near-copy of the other. Where that shared plan does not hold, forcing your wishes into a mirrored pair means one of you ends up with a will that does not say what you want. Two separately written wills cost more and take longer, and for the situations below they are the honest answer.

Blended families are the most common case. If you each have children from a previous relationship, your beneficiaries are different people, so your wills cannot mirror each other on the point that matters most to you.

Unequal estates are the second. Where one partner brings substantially more into the relationship, or owns a business, that partner often wants provision the other does not need.

Sole-name assets are the third. A property, a business share or an inheritance held in one name only may need specific wording in that partner’s will alone.

There is also the point covered above, that the survivor can rewrite their own will once the first partner has died. Two separate wills do not fix that on their own. If certainty about who finally inherits is what you are after, a trust within your wills is the mechanism, not simply unmirroring them.

What’s included

What your mirror wills cover

Each will names your executors and beneficiaries, appoints guardians for children, and sets out specific gifts, in full detail. They are full last wills, not templates.

You each choose who carries out your wishes and deals with probate, who inherits your money, property and belongings, and who looks after children under 18. You can leave gifts to named people, charities, or make provision for a pet, and record any specific legacy you want to leave. The service comes with a money-back guarantee, and every document is checked by a qualified UK solicitor. Add secure storage for £30 a year if you would rather not keep the originals at home.

If only one of you needs a will, a single online will costs £19.99.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Are mirror wills legally binding?

Each mirror will is fully legally binding in England and Wales once signed and witnessed correctly under the Wills Act 1837. What is not binding is any promise about the future, the surviving partner can still change their own will after the first death. Two independent witnesses are required, and they cannot be beneficiaries.

Can we change our mirror wills after one of us dies?

Yes. The surviving partner can change their own will at any time after the first death. Mirror wills, unlike mutual wills, place no legal obligation on the survivor to keep the original plan. If you need that certainty, ask a solicitor about a trust arrangement instead.

What happens to mirror wills if we divorce?

Under English law, divorce or dissolution automatically cancels any gift to a former spouse and removes them as an executor. You should still rewrite your will after a divorce, because other parts may no longer reflect your wishes once your circumstances change.

Do we each need our own will?

Yes. Mirror wills are two separate documents because a will is personal to one person. You answer the questions together, but you each get and sign your own will. That is why the pair is £29.99 rather than two full separate fees.

How are mirror wills different from a single will?

The content is the same, the difference is that two people make matching wills at once. A single online will is £19.99, a mirrored pair is £29.99. The pair makes sense when a couple want to provide for each other and then the same final beneficiaries.