Free Will Service FAQs

To leave a gift to Macmillan in your will, you need to include the name of our charity, our address and registered charity number, all of which you can find below. It is then as simple as writing:

• ‘I leave 20% of my residual estate to…’
• ‘I leave £5000 to..."
• ‘I leave my valuable collection of teddy bears to…’

If you choose to leave a residuary gift, the value of the gift is maintained by default. If you choose to leave a pecuniary gift, we would appreciate if you would consider index linking the gift, as this means its value is maintained for the future.

Macmillan Cancer Support
3rd Floor, Bronze Building
The Forge
105 Sumner Street
London
SE1 9HZ

Registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). For other regions of the UK, we do not have a registered charity number but you can use any of the above to identify us.

Find out more about what a residuary gift and pecuniary gift is by viewing our glossary.

Everyone should have an up to date will. A will is a way of looking after the people, causes and charities that you care about after you’ve died; it’s the only way to ensure your wishes are carried out. If someone dies without having a will, they are said to have died 'intestate'. This can make the process of dealing with your estate more complicated. It can cause added stress for your loved ones and may come at a financial cost.

Check out our blog 5 Reasons to use the Macmillan Free Will Service which may help you understand how our Free Will Service can help.

The Macmillan Free Will Service is open to UK adults (18+).

The Macmillan Free Will Service is available in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Lundy Island, Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney Islands. However, some of our will writing partners are unable to offer their services in every location.

We will endeavour to highlight partners who can provide services in your location through our online form or over the telephone. If you are a resident of the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, the only partner we currently work with who covers these locations is Octopus Legacy.

For a will to be valid, there are certain conditions that must be met.

• The will must be made by a person who is 18 years old or over.
• Your will must be made voluntarily and without pressure from any other person.
• Your will must be on paper, a ‘soft’ copy on a computer is not valid.
• Your will must be signed by you, in the presence of two witnesses and signed by the two witnesses, in your presence.
• Witnesses can be anyone over 18. They cannot be a beneficiary of your will (someone who receives money or other benefits as a result of your will), nor can they be the spouse or civil partner of a beneficiary of your will.
• Witnesses do not need to read your will or be aware of its contents.

More information on ensuring that your will is valid and can be found on the Citizens Advice website.

We understand that wills cannot always be written within a short timeframe. In order to benefit from the free will offer, your will must be completed six months after you register for the service.

To meet this deadline, we highly recommend that you book your appointment or submit your will instructions within two months of registering for the service, but sooner than this if possible.

Macmillan may have to refuse payment for wills completed after the six-month deadline.

Macmillan covers the cost of simple standard wills sold as part of the Macmillan Free Will Service. If your needs are complex, please read the 'What if my needs are complex and unsuitable for a standard will?' FAQ.

We rely on gifts in wills for over a third of our income. While there is no obligation to include a gift in your Macmillan free will, we do hope that you will consider leaving a percentage of your estate to Macmillan, after taking care of loved ones. All gifts left to us will help fund Macmillan's services in years to come. We're very grateful for every gift that we receive, no matter its size.

Learn more about the impact of leaving a gift in your will.

Macmillan does not receive a copy of the will.

During the will writing process, you will be asked whether you are happy for your chosen partner to share certain information with Macmillan. This includes whether you have left Macmillan a gift in your will and the value of this gift. Having this information helps us to plan for a future where more people than ever are living with cancer.

Several of our partners offer will storage facilities and you may choose to store your will free of charge with Irwin Mitchell, Jones Whyte and Wilson Nesbitt.

Leaving a gift in your will to Macmillan is one of the biggest differences you can make to help us do whatever it takes for people living with cancer. Any gift, however large or small, will help us be there for the many people who desperately need our care in the future.

Gifts in wills bring in over one third of our income and help to fund nearly a third of our vital services.

Find out more about the impact you can make by leaving a gift in your will to Macmillan.

Whatever cancer throws your way, Macmillan can be right there with you. If you're living with the financial consequences of cancer, find out more about the ways we can support you.

Read the Macmillan Free Will Service terms and conditions.