National Will Register Reaches 10 Millionth Will

The National Will Register has reached a huge UK milestone, announcing they have over 10 million Wills registered on their system.

A study from 2021, carried out by the insurance provider Canada Life, discovered that 2 in 5 UK adults had registered a will. This figure is equivalent to roughly, 21 million people, meaning almost half of the population has a Will written registered to the National Will Registers system.

Who Are the National Will Register?

The National Will Register was founded in 2006, to tackle the personal challenges faced when trying to find the Will of a loved one who has passed away.

Before the National Will Register existed, there was no central record of Wills written in the UK. Therefore, the process of finding a Will was much more difficult. Family members would be left having to cold-call solicitors and Will writers, resulting in a long and difficult process that could be distressing at times.

Since being founded, the National Will Register has grown to become the trademarked National Will Register for the UK. They provide Will registration and Certainty Will Search services to the public and Wills and probate professionals. Their mission is to ensure that no Will is left unknown, untraced, or unused at a time when it is needed.

In 2021, The National Will Register became a part of Advanced, which are a leading provider of solutions for the legal market.

One in Five Located Wills Impact Estate Administration

The National Will Register registers the locations of Wills into their system so that if a loved one passes away and you are entitled to do so, you can search for and locate the document at a time when it is needed.

In 2022, one in five instances, where a Will was located through a Certainty, Will Search impacted the way in which an estate was administered. This is because a Will was found in instances where a Will was unknown to the executor, or where the executor only had knowledge of a Will made prior to one located.

A Comment from the Managing Director for Legal and Education at Advanced:

Doug Hargrove, Managing Director for Legal and Education at Advanced, spoke of the importance of the 10 million Will milestone for accuracy in the sector: “The National Will Register is a key tool for anyone involved in handling the affairs of a loved one after their passing.”

“By having a register of over 10 million Wills available to search, and additional services to locate unregistered Wills with other law firms and will writers, we come closer to protecting the wishes of everyone who has made a Will, and those who are looking to do right by them through what is an already difficult process.”

“We’re delighted to have reached 10 million Wills in the system as we are now able to help so many more people. With every Will registered, we get closer to ensuring that every Will made in the UK can be found and acted upon when it is needed.”

Wills and Probate Solicitors

Setting up a Will properly and ensuring it is stored in a secure place is vital if you want to make sure the wishes are carried out without complications. Three out of five adults still do not have Wills in place, with many adults believing that you must reach a certain age before considering a will. However, a Will is important to procure even if you are a younger adult. This is because a will not only ensures that your wishes are documented, but it also provides financial protection for your loved ones after you’ve gone. A Will can also determine what will happen to any young children you have in the event of your death. This often means appointing legal guardians to care for them.

Whether you need help with will writing or want to know how setting up a trust could help you, Cartwright King’s Wills and Probate solicitors are available to give you the advice, guidance, and support you need.

Our Wills and Probate solicitors can help with some of the following:

• Setting up a Trust
• Probate Solicitors
• Will Writing Solicitors
• UK Inheritance Tax
• Intestacy
• Deed of Variation
• Lasting Power of Attorney

The National Will Register Free Registration

The National Will Register is offering free Will registration between now and the New Year to highlight the importance of not only writing a Will but registering it too. To register your Will, log on to www.nationalwillregister.co.uk/register-a-will/ and use code 10M until December 31st.