Mirror Wills — Two Matching Wills, £129 Total

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What Mirror Wills are — and are not

Mirror Wills are two independent Wills made by a couple, containing matching terms. The most common structure is simple: each partner leaves their estate to the other, and on the second death everything passes to the same named beneficiaries — typically the children. Because the instructions are essentially identical, both Wills are drafted from one questionnaire, which is why Mirror Wills are priced lower than two separate Single Wills.

Mirror Wills are not joint Wills. A joint Will is a single document signed by both parties and is rarely used in modern UK practice because it is difficult to change after one partner dies. Mirror Wills are two separate documents — and each partner retains the legal right to change their own Will at any time.

Who Mirror Wills are for

• Married couples with shared children who want to leave everything to each other and then to the children.
• Civil partners with the same structure.
• Unmarried long-term partners, especially those with shared property or children, who need to protect each other against the Intestacy Rules.
• Couples with children from previous relationships — Mirror Wills can work here, but if you want different provisions for each side of the family, or a trust to protect a share for your own children, that needs bespoke drafting — we will flag it and suggest a solicitor rather than proceed.

What Mirror Wills include

Every ClearLegacy Mirror Will pair includes:

• Two fully-drafted Wills, written to the Wills Act 1837.
• Matching primary beneficiary (each partner) and secondary beneficiary (children or named individuals) structure.
• Named executors — typically each other, with a replacement executor for the second death.
• Guardianship provisions for any minor children.
• Specific gifts or legacies if required.
• Both Wills checked before they are issued — an automated review against the Wills Act 1837, and it is issued once it has passed ClearLegacy’s checks.
• Clear signing instructions for each partner — witnesses must not be beneficiaries or their spouses.
• One free update each after payment.
• Secure digital storage.

How the process works

1. One of you completes the questionnaire for both — names, executors, guardians, gifts and who inherits on the second death. About 15 minutes.
2. Pay £129 for both. No subscription, nothing added at checkout.
3. Your first drafts arrive by email straight after payment, one for each of you, so you can check every name and wish.
4. Both Wills are checked before they are issued; the signing-ready PDFs usually follow within 24 hours, with signing instructions.
5. Each of you signs your own Will in the presence of two independent witnesses (who must not be beneficiaries of either Will, or married to one).

For couples with genuinely complex circumstances — significant inheritance tax exposure, foreign assets, business interests, or trust requirements that go beyond the Wills Act framework — we will flag this during review and recommend a solicitor referral rather than proceed.

How much do Mirror Wills cost in the UK?

Mirror Wills cost £129 for both at ClearLegacy — £64.50 per person, one fixed price, nothing added at checkout. For comparison, a high-street solicitor typically charges £250–£600 for a pair of straightforward Mirror Wills, and more where trusts are involved. Among online services we checked in October 2026, Farewill charges £160 for couples and Co-op Legal Services from £249 inc. VAT. The full breakdown, with sources, is in our guide to what a Will costs in the UK.

Why the gap? Mirror Wills are two documents drafted from one set of instructions. A solicitor bills the time twice; an online questionnaire captures both Wills at once, so the second Will costs very little extra to produce.

Mirror Wills vs joint Wills vs mutual Wills

These three are often confused, and the difference matters:

• Mirror Wills — two separate Wills with matching terms. Either partner can change theirs at any time. This is what almost every couple wants.
• Joint Will — one document signed by both people. Rare in England and Wales and generally discouraged: it is awkward to administer and hard to change after the first death.
• Mutual Wills — Mirror Wills plus a binding agreement not to change them. After the first death the survivor is locked in, even if circumstances change. Courts treat this seriously, so it should only be done with legal advice. ClearLegacy Mirror Wills do not include a mutual Wills agreement.

Two Single Wills are also an option (£89 each). Choose those if you want genuinely different provisions — for example, each partner leaving their own share to children from a previous relationship rather than to each other.

What happens when one partner dies?

The first Will is proved (through probate if needed) and the estate passes to the survivor. The survivor’s own Will is untouched and still leaves everything to the beneficiaries you agreed — usually the children. Because Mirror Wills are independent, a surviving spouse or partner can change their Will after the first death. That flexibility is usually a good thing (the survivor may remarry, move, or need care), but if you want to guarantee that a share reaches your own children whatever happens later, you need a trust or a mutual Wills agreement, which is solicitor territory.

Note that marriage or a civil partnership revokes an existing Will in England and Wales, so a survivor who remarries without making a new Will would die intestate.

Pros and cons of Mirror Wills

Mirror Wills, stepchildren and blended families

Mirror Wills leave everything to the survivor, who then decides what happens next. If both of you have children from earlier relationships, that can mean one side of the family inheriting everything and the other nothing, depending on who dies first and what the survivor does afterwards. Stepchildren are also not included when a Will says “my children” — they must be named. If your family looks like this, Mirror Wills can still work when you both name all the children as beneficiaries, but a life-interest trust is the usual way to protect each side. We flag this during review and will point you to a solicitor rather than issue a Will that does not fit.

Mirror Wills and inheritance tax

Anything left to a spouse or civil partner is exempt from inheritance tax, and the unused nil-rate band (£325,000) transfers to the survivor, giving up to £650,000 tax-free on the second death — or up to £1 million where a home passes to direct descendants and the residence nil-rate band applies. Mirror Wills fit this neatly because the estate passes spouse-to-spouse first. The exemption does not apply to unmarried partners, so cohabiting couples with larger estates should read our inheritance tax guide.

Do I need a Mirror Will template?

Downloadable templates exist, but a template cannot check that the executors, guardians, gifts and residuary clauses in two documents actually match, or that the signing was witnessed correctly — and mistakes only surface after someone has died. ClearLegacy drafts both Wills from one questionnaire, checks every Will before it is issued, and gives you signing instructions, for £129. If you would rather do it yourself, our guide to writing a Will explains what every valid Will must contain.