There’s a strange category of adulting tasks that everyone agrees are important and almost nobody actually does. Getting a will sorted sits right at the top of that list, somewhere between “start investing properly” and “actually read the terms and conditions.” It’s one of those things that feels like a problem for future you, right up until it isn’t.
Part of the hesitation comes down to cost. Nobody wants to spend money on a document they hope not to need for decades. The other part is just avoidance, because writing a will means sitting with some uncomfortable questions for an afternoon. The good news is that once you actually look into what’s involved, both the process and the price tag are a lot less intimidating than most people assume.
Why So Many People Keep Putting It Off
Ask around and you’ll hear the same handful of excuses. “I don’t have enough assets to bother.” “I’m too young for this.” “I’ll sort it out once I buy a house or have kids.” All of these feel reasonable in the moment, but none of them hold up particularly well once you think it through. A will isn’t only about splitting up wealth. It’s about who makes decisions if you can’t, who looks after your pets, and who gets left sorting through the mess if nothing’s written down. Age and income really don’t factor into any of that.
There’s also a quieter reason people avoid it. Thinking about your own mortality for even twenty minutes isn’t exactly fun weekend activity. But most people who’ve actually gone through the process describe it as far less heavy than expected, more admin than existential crisis.
What Actually Goes Into the Cost of a Will
This is where a lot of the hesitation comes from, mostly because people assume there’s only one path: an expensive meeting with a solicitor. In reality there are a few different routes, and the right one depends on how complicated your situation is.
A basic DIY will kit is the cheapest option, and fine for very simple, uncomplicated estates. Online will platforms sit in the middle, usually guided, template based, and a reasonable choice for straightforward situations like a single property and a couple of beneficiaries. A solicitor-drafted will costs the most, but makes sense once things get complicated, blended families, a business, overseas assets, or anyone you want to specifically exclude, since a poorly worded will in these situations tends to cause exactly the kind of family disputes it was meant to prevent.
Breaking Down the Cost to Write a Will in 2026
Prices vary more than people expect once you start comparing options side by side, and the gap between the cheapest and most thorough route can be significant depending on what your estate actually looks like. Mercy Ships Australia put together a genuinely useful breakdown of the cost to write a will in 2026, covering everything from basic online options through to full solicitor-drafted documents, along with what tends to push the price up. It’s worth a read before you commit to any particular route, since knowing roughly what you should expect to pay makes it a lot easier to spot when a quote feels off.
One thing worth knowing before you start comparing prices: cheaper isn’t automatically worse, and expensive doesn’t automatically mean thorough. The right choice really comes down to how simple or complicated your own situation is, not just the number on the invoice.
Free and Low-Cost Ways to Get Started
If cost has genuinely been the thing holding you back, there are more free and discounted options available than most people realise. Community legal centres often run free will-writing clinics for people who meet certain criteria. Several charities also partner with legal services to offer free or heavily discounted wills during dedicated campaigns, sometimes called Free Wills Week, usually in exchange for considering a gift to that charity in your will, though there’s no obligation to do so.
These programmes exist precisely because organisations know cost is one of the biggest reasons people delay, and they’re a genuinely good option if your situation is fairly simple.
What Happens If You Die Without One
Dying intestate, which is the legal term for dying without a valid will, means state law decides how your estate gets divided rather than you. That process can take longer, cost more in legal fees than a will would have, and doesn’t always match what you would have actually wanted. Unmarried partners, for example, often have far fewer automatic rights than people assume, and blended family situations tend to get messy fast without clear instructions in writing.
None of this needs to be a scare tactic. It’s simply a practical reason the task is worth crossing off sooner rather than later.
Getting Started This Week
You don’t need a perfect plan before you begin. Start by listing your assets and debts, deciding roughly who you’d want to inherit what, and thinking about who you’d trust as an executor. From there, decide which route fits your situation, a simple online will, a community legal service, or a solicitor if things are more complex, and set aside an hour to actually do it.
Writing a will isn’t the most exciting item on anyone’s to-do list, but it’s one of the few tasks that gets easier the moment you stop avoiding it. A single afternoon now can save the people you care about a lot of stress later, and once it’s done, it’s genuinely one less thing to think about.