How Much Do Will Writers Earn in the UK?
The course adverts imply one number. The job ads imply another. Neither describes what a self-employed practitioner actually takes home, so here is the arithmetic.
Project Will · Published 14 September 2026
Employed will writer roles in the UK average around £26,561 a year, with an interquartile range of roughly £20,465 to £34,474. Some commission-based roles advertise on-target earnings of £55,000 to £60,000.
Those numbers describe employment. Most people asking this question are thinking about working for themselves, where the arithmetic is completely different.
The self-employed maths#
Income is fee level multiplied by volume, minus fairly small overheads.
Typical fee levels, 2026#
| Work | Common range |
|---|---|
| Single will | £150–£400 |
| Mirror wills (couple) | £250–£600 |
| Single LPA | £200–£400 |
| Pair of LPAs | £400–£700 |
| Will with a property protection trust | £600–£1,500 |
| Full estate planning package | £1,000–£3,000 |
| Severance of joint tenancy | £150–£300 |
What that becomes annually#
| Clients a month | At £400 average | At £900 average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | £19,200 | £43,200 |
| 8 | £38,400 | £86,400 |
| 12 | £57,600 | £129,600 |
| 20 | £96,000 | £216,000 |
Average fee is the lever that matters more than volume. Moving from wills-only to wills plus LPAs plus a trust roughly doubles the average without doubling the number of appointments — which is why trusts are where most will writers should be heading, and where most of them stall.
The overheads, realistically#
| Annual | |
|---|---|
| Software (Willo, one drafter) | £1,800 |
| Professional indemnity insurance | £400–£1,200 |
| ICO registration | £40–£60 |
| Accountancy | £500–£1,200 |
| Website and marketing | £500–£3,000+ |
| Training and accreditation (Project Will) | £0 |
| Typical total | £3,500–£7,500 |
Low, compared with almost any other professional practice. Nobody fails at this on overheads.
The honest shape of the first three years#
Year one is usually poor. You have no reputation, no referrals and no repeat business, and the marketing you do in month two produces enquiries in month six. Budget for it or keep other income running.
Year two is where referrals start. A client who was properly looked after tells their sibling and their neighbour, and estate planning clients are unusually well connected to other people in the same life stage.
Year three is where a well-run practice either becomes a decent living or plateaus — and the difference is almost always whether you kept in touch with the clients you already had.
Where the money is actually lost#
Not on fees. On follow-up. The quote that never got chased, the will that sat unexecuted, the review promised in five years that nobody diarised. A practice doing eight cases a month is usually leaving two or three on the table — that is £10,000 to £30,000 a year in the same postcode with the same marketing.
Which is the argument for a system that chases for you rather than a spreadsheet.
Related#
How to become a will writer · Starting a will writing business · Marketing ideas · Pricing
Before you ask.
What is the average salary for a will writer in the UK?
Around £26,561 a year for employed roles, with a typical range of roughly £20,465 to £34,474. Some roles with commission quote on-target earnings of £55,000 to £60,000. Self-employed practitioners vary far more widely, because income depends on volume and fee level rather than a salary band.
How much should I charge for a will?
In 2026, single wills commonly range from around £150 to £400, mirror wills from £250 to £600, and full estate planning packages including LPAs and a trust from £1,000 to £3,000. Charge for the advice, not the typing.
Is will writing profitable?
It can be, because overheads are genuinely low — you can run it from home with software, insurance and a phone. The constraint is client acquisition, not margin. Practitioners who fail almost always fail on the marketing, not the maths.
See it draft one of your cases.
Book a walkthrough with someone who drafts in Willo every day. They will open your kind of case, not a demo script, and you can stop them and ask anything.
Or call 0333 049 5033 — Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm.