UK Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2025

The UK Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2025 report contains an analysis of the results of the latest consumer survey of the wills and probate market. This follows previous reports and surveys in 2024, 2023, 2020, 2019 and 2018. Where relevant, the latest results are compared with previous years. Based on sample of 680 adults with wills, 270 involved in estate administration and 978 without a will.  

Key Insights

• Year-on-year up to 2024, the percentage of adults with a will hardly changed but in 2025 ownership increased to over 40% of adults for the for first time in our survey series. The volume market is also expanding as the size of the UK adult population grows every year.  
• The volume wills market, characterised by many low-cost fixed-fee options for clients, offers limited margins for most providers but there are opportunities to increase margins in related services such as advice on setting up lasting powers of attorney (LPAs), living wills, retirement planning services, funeral plans, and tax planning. The latest survey results show that consumer use of these services, plus interest in these services, is growing.
• Will writing and probate advice services from a range of suppliers means that the market is highly competitive with traditional advisers, i.e. law firms and solicitors, coming under increasing pressure from others. The percentage turning to law firms and solicitors for will writing advice slipped to below 50% (49%) for the first time in 2025.
• For most, probate is seen as a simple process but the percentage experiencing delays has increased in the latest survey.
• Over eight-out-of-ten (85%) using a wills adviser paid for their will using a fixed fee model. A majority taking professional probate advice also paid via a fixed fee.  
• Over one-in-four adults are under the false impression that all will writing services are regulated.