Will Writer Earnings: Self-Employed vs Employed Income Comparison

Let's break down what employed will writers actually earn in the UK:

Salary-based roles:

• •Junior will writer (0-2 years): £22,000-£28,000
• •Experienced will writer (2-5 years): £28,000-£35,000
• •Senior will writer (5+ years): £32,000-£42,000
• •Team leader/manager: £35,000-£50,000

Commission-based roles (self-employed for a company):

• •Typical commission: 25-50% of fees charged
• •Average fee per will: £300-£500
• •Average take per case: £75-£250
• •Monthly income (10-15 cases): £750-£3,750
• •Annual income: £18,000-£45,000

What employers don't tell you:

• •Your work generates £60,000-£120,000+ in revenue for the company
• •Your salary represents 25-40% of the value you create
• •The company's "overheads" (marketing, insurance, software) cost them far less than the margin they keep
• •You're effectively paying 50-75% of your fees for services worth a fraction of that

Benefits you DO get (and their actual value):

• •Holiday pay: worth ~8% of salary
• •Pension contributions: typically 3-5% of salary
• •PI insurance coverage: worth £300-£600/year independently
• •Software access: worth a few hundred/year independently
• •Lead generation: varies hugely by company
• •Training: often minimal after initial induction

Total true value of employment benefits: £3,000-£6,000/year

The question: Is £3,000-£6,000 in benefits worth giving up £30,000-£80,000 in potential additional income? For most experienced will writers, the answer is clear.

Here's what independent estate planners actually earn at different levels:

Part-time (15-20 hours/week):

• •Cases per week: 3-5
• •Average case value (wills + LPAs): £700
• •Weekly income: £2,100-£3,500
• •Annual income: £50,000-£85,000
• •After expenses (~£3,000/year): £47,000-£82,000

Full-time (30-40 hours/week):

• •Cases per week: 8-15
• •Average case value: £700-£900
• •Weekly income: £5,600-£13,500
• •Annual income: £90,000-£160,000
• •After expenses (~£5,000/year): £85,000-£155,000

Premium practice (trusts + IHT planning):

• •Cases per week: 5-10 (higher value, fewer needed)
• •Average case value: £1,200-£2,500
• •Weekly income: £6,000-£25,000
• •Annual income: £120,000-£250,000+
• •After expenses: essentially the same (expenses are tiny relative to income)

Year-by-year growth trajectory:

| Year | Cases/Week | Avg Value | Annual Income |

|------|-----------|-----------|---------------|

| 1 | 5-8 | £600 | £40,000-£65,000 |

| 2 | 8-12 | £750 | £75,000-£115,000 |

| 3 | 10-15 | £900 | £110,000-£150,000+ |

Important context:

• •These figures assume you offer wills + LPAs + trusts (not just wills)
• •Our free training covers all services needed to reach these levels
• •WILLO software handles the document drafting efficiently
• •Part-time figures are based on 3 meeting days per week
• •Many practitioners work term-time only and still earn six figures

Let's put employed and self-employed side by side for someone doing the SAME amount of work:

Scenario: 10 cases per week, mix of wills and LPAs

As an employed will writer:

• •10 cases × £400 average fee = £4,000 generated/week
• •Your salary: ~£30,000/year = £577/week
• •Company keeps: £3,423/week (£178,000/year)
• •Your effective hourly rate: £14-£18/hour
• •Your percentage of fees generated: 14%

As an independent estate planner:

• •10 cases × £700 average fee (wills + LPAs) = £7,000/week
• •Your costs: ~£60/week (insurance, software, expenses)
• •You keep: £6,940/week (£361,000/year)
• •Your effective hourly rate: £150-£200/hour
• •Your percentage of fees generated: 99%

That's not a typo. The same work, the same clients, the same number of hours — but independently you earn 10-12x more than employed.

"But I can't do 10 cases a week independently!"

• •Why not? You already do it for your employer
• •The only difference is: who finds the clients?
• •With referral partnerships and basic marketing, 10 cases/week is achievable within 6 months
• •Even at 5 cases/week, you earn more than your employed salary

"But what about the security of a salary?"

• •Your salary can be taken away (redundancy, dismissal)
• •Your OWN clients can't be taken away
• •Diversified income (multiple referral sources) is MORE secure than a single employer
• •Estate planning demand is constant — people always need wills

Bottom line: If you're an experienced will writer earning £25,000-£35,000 employed, you could be earning £70,000-£150,000+ doing exactly the same work independently. The maths is overwhelming.

Here's a realistic timeline for an experienced will writer going independent:

Month 1: Getting Started

• •Source of clients: Personal network, friends, family, social media announcement
• •Cases completed: 8
• •Average value: £450 (mostly wills, starting to offer LPAs)
• •Income: £3,600
• •Expenses: £500 (PI insurance, software setup, marketing materials)
• •Net: £3,100

Month 2: Building Momentum

• •Source: Word of mouth, first referral partner sending work
• •Cases completed: 14
• •Average value: £550 (more LPA uptake)
• •Income: £7,700
• •Expenses: £200
• •Net: £7,500

Month 3: Finding Rhythm

• •Source: 2-3 referral partners, Google profile generating enquiries
• •Cases completed: 18
• •Average value: £650 (consistent LPA add-ons, first trust case)
• •Income: £11,700
• •Expenses: £200
• •Net: £11,500

Month 6: Established

• •Source: Multiple referral partners, online reviews building, word of mouth
• •Cases completed: 25
• •Average value: £750 (trusts becoming regular)
• •Income: £18,750
• •Expenses: £300
• •Net: £18,450

Month 12: Thriving

• •Source: Waiting list for appointments, referral partners queuing work
• •Cases completed: 30
• •Average value: £850 (premium positioning, complex cases)
• •Income: £25,500
• •Expenses: £350
• •Net: £25,150

Year 1 Total: £135,000-£180,000

Compare to employed income same period: £25,000-£35,000

These numbers are based on real practitioners who've made this transition. Your results may vary, but the direction is consistent: independence pays dramatically more than employment for experienced will writers.

Get started with our free training at Become an Estate Planner. The sooner you begin, the sooner you stop leaving £50,000-£100,000+ on the table every year.