How Will Writers Can Start Their Own Estate Planning Business

You know the work inside out. You can draft a will in your sleep. You handle the client meetings, build the relationships, and deliver the documents. But who keeps most of the money? Your employer.

The typical employed will writer deal:

• •You charge the client £300-£500 for a will
• •Your company takes 50-70% of that fee
• •You take home £100-£200 per case (if you're lucky)
• •You might be on a salary of £25,000-£35,000
• •You do all the client-facing work
• •The company does... what exactly? Provides leads? Software? Brand?

What you're really paying for:

• •A brand name (that clients forget anyway — they remember YOU)
• •Lead generation (that you could do yourself)
• •Software (that's often outdated or clunky)
• •Insurance (a fraction of what you're paying them)
• •"Support" (that's rarely there when you need it)

The maths don't lie:

• •At 5 wills per week, you generate £1,500-£2,500 for the company
• •You take home £500-£1,000 of that
• •Monthly: you generate £6,000-£10,000, take home £2,000-£4,000
• •Annual: you generate £72,000-£120,000, take home £25,000-£35,000

What if you kept 100%? That £72,000-£120,000 could be YOURS. Minus a few hundred pounds in insurance and software costs. The numbers are compelling — the only question is: what's stopping you?

As an employed will writer, you already have the hardest skills to teach. Here's your existing toolkit:

Skills you already have:

• •Will drafting (the core skill — you already do this daily)
• •Client consultations (you know how to run a meeting)
• •Understanding client needs (family situations, asset structures)
• •Legal document preparation
• •Attention to detail and compliance awareness
• •Managing client expectations

What our free training adds:

• •LPAs — If your company only does wills, you're missing out on the most profitable add-on service (£300-£600 per pair, 15 minutes to explain, massive client value)
• •Trusts — Property protection trusts, life interest trusts, discretionary trusts (£500-£2,000+ per case — the premium end of estate planning)
• •Business skills — Marketing, pricing, client acquisition, referral partnerships
• •IHT planning — Understanding inheritance tax and advising on mitigation strategies
• •Software proficiency — WILLO does everything your company's software does, but better

The training gap is smaller than you think:

• •You already understand will structure and clauses
• •Trust concepts build directly on will knowledge
• •LPAs are procedural — straightforward once you learn the process
• •Business skills are common sense with the right guidance

Most employed will writers complete our free training in 3-4 weeks because so much is already familiar. The modules on LPAs, trusts, and business setup are where you'll gain the most new knowledge.

The biggest opportunity in going independent isn't just keeping more money per will. It's expanding into higher-value services that your employer probably doesn't offer (or doesn't train you on).

Your service expansion roadmap:

Level 1: What you already do (but keep 100%)

• •Single wills: £200-£400
• •Mirror wills: £300-£500
• •Will storage: £50-£100/year
• •Will reviews: £100-£200

Level 2: Easy additions (learn in first month)

• •LPAs (Health & Welfare): £200-£400 per person
• •LPAs (Property & Financial): £200-£400 per person
• •LPA package (all 4 for a couple): £600-£1,200
• •Life insurance trust wrappers: £150-£300

Level 3: Premium services (develop over 3-6 months)

• •Property protection trusts: £500-£1,500
• •Discretionary trusts: £800-£2,000
• •Life interest trusts: £500-£1,500
• •IHT planning packages: £1,000-£3,000
• •Severance of tenancy + trust: £300-£600

Level 4: Full estate planning packages

• •Wills + all LPAs + trusts: £1,500-£3,000 per couple
• •Business succession planning: £1,500-£5,000
• •Complex family situations: £2,000-£4,000

The income leap:

• •Employed will writer (wills only): £25,000-£35,000/year
• •Independent will writer (wills only): £50,000-£80,000/year
• •Independent estate planner (full service): £70,000-£150,000+/year

By expanding from just wills into the full estate planning offering, you're not just going independent — you're stepping up to a completely different income bracket. Our free training covers all of this.

Here's exactly what you need to go from employed will writer to independent estate planner:

Essential setup (under £1,000 total):

1. Professional indemnity insurance — £300-£600/year (your company's been charging you far more than this in fee splits)

2. WILLO software — Purpose-built estate planning software for document drafting, client management, and compliance

3. HMRC registration — Free (register as sole trader or form a limited company)

4. Basic marketing — Business cards, simple website, LinkedIn profile (£100-£500)

5. Free training completion — Our 7-module programme covers everything you need

Nice to have (first 6 months):

• •Professional body membership (IPW or SWW): £200-£400/year
• •Local networking group membership: £200-£500/year
• •Professional email address and domain: £50-£100/year
• •Branded templates and letterhead: £100-£300

What you DON'T need:

• •An office (work from home, visit clients)
• •A receptionist (mobile phone and diary management)
• •A marketing team (start with word of mouth and networking)
• •Expensive software subscriptions (WILLO covers everything)
• •A recognisable brand name (clients buy YOU, not a brand)
• •Thousands in training fees (ours is free)

Timeline:

• •Week 1-3: Complete training (focus on LPAs, trusts, and business modules)
• •Week 3-4: Get PI insurance, set up WILLO, register with HMRC
• •Week 4: Give notice to your employer
• •Notice period: Line up first clients, build marketing
• •Day 1 of independence: Start earning 100% of your fees

You could be fully independent within 2 months. With your existing skills, the transition is about business setup — not learning the job.

The biggest fear: "Where will my clients come from without the company providing leads?" The truth is: lead generation is easier than you think, and the leads are better quality because they're YOURS.

Immediate sources (week 1):

• •Friends and family who need wills (everyone does — ask them)
• •Past clients who remember YOU, not your company's brand
• •Social media announcement (LinkedIn, Facebook, local groups)
• •Personal contacts in professional services

Local marketing (month 1-2):

• •Google Business profile (free — appears in local searches)
• •Local Facebook community groups (offer helpful posts, not ads)
• •Nextdoor (perfect for local service advertising)
• •Parish magazines and community noticeboards
• •Local newspapers (often run features on new local businesses)

Referral partnerships (month 2-3):

• •Funeral directors (daily contact with families who need probate + wills)
• •Financial advisors and mortgage brokers (every client needs a will)
• •Solicitors who don't do private client work
• •Accountants (clients with IHT concerns)
• •Care home managers (LPA demand is huge)
• •Estate agents (buyers need wills)

Online presence (month 1-3):

• •Simple website with services, pricing, and testimonials
• •Google reviews from early clients (trust signals)
• •Local SEO targeting "[your town] will writing" and "[your area] estate planning"
• •LinkedIn articles about estate planning topics

The comparison with your current employer:

• •Their leads cost you 50-70% of your fee
• •Your own leads cost you time and minimal marketing spend
• •Quality is often higher (warm referrals vs cold enquiries)
• •These are YOUR clients — they come back to YOU for updates, refer friends to YOU

Within 3 months, most independent will writers have more enquiries than they can handle. The demand for estate planning far exceeds the supply of good practitioners.

Let's be honest — most will writing companies use outdated software that frustrates rather than helps. WILLO is purpose-built for modern estate planning practitioners.

Common complaints about company software:

• •"It's clunky and slow"
• •"It doesn't handle complex cases well"
• •"I have to work around its limitations"
• •"It hasn't been updated in years"
• •"I can't access it from home/clients' homes"
• •"The templates are rigid and don't cover edge cases"

What WILLO offers instead:

• •Modern interface — Clean, intuitive, designed for practitioners not IT departments
• •Comprehensive drafting — Wills, LPAs, trusts, letters of wishes, and more
• •Flexible templates — Handle simple and complex cases with equal ease
• •Cloud-based — Access from any device, anywhere (perfect for home visits)
• •Client management — Track cases, set reminders, manage your pipeline
• •Fact-find tools — Comprehensive questionnaires that capture everything
• •Compliance — Automatic audit trails and record-keeping
• •Document storage — Secure cloud storage for all client files
• •Regular updates — New features and templates added regularly

For will writers specifically:

• •Will clause library covering every scenario you've encountered (and more)
• •LPA document preparation with OPG compliance built in
• •Trust deeds with proper legal drafting
• •Automatic consistency checks between documents
• •Professional formatting that impresses clients

The transition is easy:

• •If you can use your current company's software, you can use WILLO
• •Set up in minutes, not days
• •Support available if you get stuck
• •Designed by estate planners who understand what you need

Complete your free training at Become an Estate Planner and start using WILLO. Within a week, you'll wonder why you ever put up with your company's outdated system.