Mirror Wills

This is our Mirror Wills template. This document is for use when you want to create a pair of wills that mirror each other. (These types of will are often referred to as “joint wills” or “mutual wills” – they all mean the same thing.)

The template was created by experienced solicitor and Legalo co-founder, David. It is designed to be completed by you, without your needing to have any specialist knowledge. Also you can do it all without needing a solicitor, thus saving you both time and money. We provide detailed guidance notes with our template to make it really easy for you. This makes the job of preparing your will from it, quick and simple.

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These mirror wills can be used in any part of the UK – Scotland, England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

Creating a pair of Mirror Wills

Our online set up enables you to purchase your template and then download in Word format to customise to your requirements.

We have designed the will template to give you a pair of joint wills that match each other.

Included with the download are our detailed instructions that take you through completing your mirror wills. Drafting time is approximately fifteen minutes.

Once downloaded, you then simply need to print the final wills and sign them.

David’s many years of experience as a solicitor means that you get a document that you can rely on and will meet your requirements.

This is a cost effective way to create a pair of joint wills, without the cost normally associated with a high street solicitor or will writing service.

Is it time to revise your Will and that of your spouse or significant other? Perhaps you have not drafted a Will before. You and want to ensure that you have a Will in place to make sure your wishes are performed in the event of your death.

The process can take no longer than ten minutes from drafting online to the printing for your signatures when you have pre-prepared all your information. You will not find anything this easy and affordable with a high street solicitor. Take advantage of our easy-to-use template and receive peace of mind instantly.

FAQs

Below we answer a number of popular questions on mirror wills from the Internet.

What are Mirror Wills?

You may have heard the term, but be unfamiliar with what it means. A Mirror Will is a set of joint Wills where you leave all your earthly possessions to your spouse and they leave their possessions to you in the event one of you outlives the other.

This type of Will also works for partners that are not married or have had a civil ceremony and want to make financial provision for each other.

You can also include your children in these Wills if you and your partner have agreed to deal with that.

Our standard Will template has been customised to create the Mirror Will template and is one of a number of document templates available in our wills and probate templates section.

You may use this template more than once. So if at any time you and your spouse wish to change your Will, you can do so.

There will be no extra costs for using the template again. This means you can edit your Will many times over, without having to re-purchase the Will template again.

What are the Pros and Cons of Mirror Wills?

Pros:

• Mirror Wills are ideal where you want a pair of joint wills that each reflect the other.
• Each of the two individuals leave everything to each other. You can include a provision to make any children the beneficiaries.
• Suitable for either married or unmarried Couples

Cons:

• Either party can change their own Will at any time.
• If your life circumstances change, it is important that you make sure to update your Will if necessary.

What is the difference between a joint will and a mirror will?

They mean the same thing. They are also sometimes called mutual wills.

Is a mirror will two separate wills?

Mirror wills require 2 separate wills. A couple sets them up to “mirror” the other’s provisions, in the sense that:

• the Wills leave the half of the estate of the spouse that dies first to the surviving spouse (so they then own 100% on their own), and
• then, on the second death, the survivor leaves all of the assets to the children, etc.

Can I write my own mirror will?

You can do this. You don’t need a solicitor to help you when you use a Legalo template. With our great template, you can each make a mirror will and only pay once for it.

How much does a mirror will cost in the UK?

Our template only costs £34.95 for a pair of mirror wills for a couple. A solicitor will charge you in the region of £300 plus VAT for this.

Are mirror wills cheaper?

Usually buying any 2 wills for a couple at the same time will mean they are cheaper than buying them separately at different times. However, the best way to make savings on your legal costs is by using the expertly-drafted templates that Legalo provides.

Are mirror wills legally binding?

If properly made and signed, all wills are legally binding. You have to be careful to sign them properly and our guide tells you exactly how to do this.

What should be included in a mirror will?

You should include all the usual provisions of a will (our template does). In addition, the key clause with a mirror will is that initially you leave all (or substantially the whole of) your assets to your spouse, but, if they pass away before you, then you leave your whole estate to your children (or however you want), including whatever you have inherited from your spouse.

Are mirror wills a good idea?

Mirror wills are a great idea.

Can a mirror will be changed after one spouse dies? What happens if you have a mirror will after one person dies?

Either spouse, or both, can change their mirror will at any time. The survivor can also change their mirror will after the first spouse has passed away.

What are the disadvantages of a mirror will? What are the dangers of mirror wills?

While there is a tacit understanding that (a) you will leave your assets to your spouse and vice versa and (b) then the last to die leaves it to the children or otherwise as you agreed, either can change that at any time. That’s the only risk you are running. You need an element of trust here if you use mirror wills.

Alternatively, you can make a better provision for your children in your own will. For example, you can leave your half of the house to your children, but make it subject to a life interest trust in favour of the other spouse. In this way you make it secure that half your house will go to your children eventually. You do not disadvantage the surviving spouse by this. They get the life interest in their partner’s half of the house: this is a right to live in the house for the rest of their life, rent-free.

So this is an improvement on the traditional mirror will set-up. There’s a second advantage with the life interest trust: your half of the house cannot be made liable for care home fees if your spouse survives you and then ends up in a care home. The care home can only be paid out of their half of the house. So in this situation, you know that you can pass on at least half the house eventually to your children.

Do mirror wills have inheritance tax?

Yes. Your normal inheritance tax exemptions apply and, for most people, this means that you don’t pay any inheritance tax on the death of the first spouse in the couple and then work out the tax when the second spouse passes away.

When to create this type of Joint Wills

A Mirror Will generally leaves everything:

• firstly, to the surviving spouse;
• secondly, if there is no surviving spouse, then to the children; or
• thirdly, if there are no children, to a named beneficiary/ies.

It is the easiest form of a Will that a married couple or lifetime partners can draft. This simple template makes writing your Will fast and easy.

If you would like more information on creating a will, then this page on Advice Guide provides a lot of useful information. Also for more information have a look at our guide on completing the mirror wills template, which you can view here.

A Fast, Low Cost Online Service

With our online service, you get fast access. Our reliable template enables you to create your own pair of joint or mirror wills. We have written and rewritten the guidance notes based on customer feedback. They will guide you through your editing with ease.

If you have questions about how to use the template, then we are available via email or telephone to assist.

For Married and Unmarried Couples

Married couples and also unmarried couples can use the joint wills template. What is key for this type of joint will is that each partner wants their will to be identical to their partner’s. It is very common for each party to leave all of their assets to their partner.

You can include a provision so that if one of the members of the couple dies, then any children that they share will inherit the deceased partner’s estate. This makes this type of will very popular as a joint will for a married couple. Alternatively if you are a couple with children and wish the children to inherit first then use the will for couples with children template.

Cost of Our Mirror / Joint Wills Template

Our set of joint Wills are just £34.95. Once purchased the Word document template is yours for life. If you ever want to update or change your Joint Will you can do so without any additional cost.

If you are not looking for a joint / mirror wills template then you can see our full range of will templates here: click on this link.