Wills · Two fixed fees, with VAT
Trust Wills (Couples)
Wills for a couple that keep the first partner's share for the children while looking after the survivor. A fixed fee, and less than two single wills with a trust in them.
For wills with a trust in them, a couple. Two items, each with its own fixed fee, listed below.
- Who does the work
- Aaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP, personally. No hand-offs.
What it costs
Each item, and the costs that are not the fee.
Third-party costs, called disbursements, are paid to the court, the Office of the Public Guardian, HM Land Registry or another body. They are passed on at cost and shown here so there is nothing to discover later.
See every fee on one page.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wills with a trustFor a couple · 3 to 4 weeks | £950+ VAT(£1,140 inc. VAT) |
| Wills with a discretionary trustFor a couple · 3 to 4 weeks | £1,250+ VAT(£1,500 inc. VAT) |
| Third-party costs, paid at cost | |
| Land Registry official copiesper document, HM Land Registry, no VAT | £7 |
Regulated work (trust wills, probate, trust and estate administration) carries a small onboarding fee for the matter and an identity check for each person. Standard wills and powers of attorney do not. It is confirmed before any work starts.
What happens, in order
From first call to finish.
Aaron does each step himself. If a step takes longer than expected, that is his cost, not yours.
Free 15-minute call
Aaron explains how a trust in each will protects the survivor and the children.
Joint meeting
Aaron meets both of you to go through your assets, your family and what matters most to you.
Choosing the trusts
Aaron designs matching trusts for both wills, balancing the survivor's security with the children's inheritance.
Drafting and review
Aaron drafts both wills and goes through every clause with you in plain English.
Signing and trustee briefing
Both wills are signed and witnessed. Aaron explains to your trustees what their role involves.
Included and not included
What the fee covers, and what it does not.
Published under the SRA Transparency Rules. Anything outside the fee is quoted separately before it is done.
Wills with a trust
For a couple · 3 to 4 weeks · £950+ VAT
- When it applies
- A couple ring-fencing the first to die's share for the children, children from a previous relationship, a vulnerable beneficiary, or a business or farm.
- Included
- Instructions from both of you, two wills incorporating a life interest or protective trust that ring-fences the first to die's share, letters of wishes, supervised signing and a trustee briefing.
- Not included
- Severing a joint tenancy is a separate small item; declarations of trust, capacity assessments and foreign assets are separate.
Wills with a discretionary trust
For a couple · 3 to 4 weeks · £1,250+ VAT
- When it applies
- A family member who is disabled, vulnerable, or should not receive a lump sum outright.
- Included
- Instructions from both of you, two wills each containing a discretionary trust, letters of wishes for the trustees, written guidance on how the trust is run and how it sits alongside means-tested benefits, supervised signing and a trustee briefing.
- Not included
- Severing a joint tenancy, declarations of trust, capacity assessments and foreign assets are separate. Planning alongside your accountant or adviser is its own item.
What is included: The fixed fee covers taking instructions from both of you, drafting two wills with matching trusts, letters of wishes, supervising the signing of both and a briefing for your trustees.
What is not included: Severing a joint tenancy and registering a restriction at HM Land Registry, declarations of trust, statements excluding a beneficiary, capacity assessments, inheritance tax planning and foreign assets. Each is quoted separately as a fixed fee if you need it.
Aaron’s promise
What you can hold him to.
- Aaron handles your matter from start to finish
- The fee is fixed and confirmed before work starts
- The trusts explained in plain English you can both understand
- Home visits across Bridlington and East Yorkshire
- A free 15-minute call, with no obligation
In more detail
Wills with a trust in them, for a couple
Mirror wills leave everything to the survivor outright. Wills with a trust in them look after the survivor for life while keeping the first partner's share for the children. Aaron drafts two wills with matching trusts, balancing security for the survivor with protection for the family.
These are not off-the-shelf documents. Aaron combines the elements below to give your family the protection it needs.
A life interest trust, for your partner
The first partner's share goes into a trust that supports the survivor for the rest of their life while keeping the capital for the children.
- The home: the survivor has a right to live in the home for life, rent free, and can sell it and move. The first partner's share stays in the trust for the children.
- The money: the survivor receives the income (interest and dividends) from the first partner's share.
- Flexibility: the trustees can lend or advance capital to the survivor if they genuinely need it, so they are never left short. What is not advanced stays protected, and the trust share is not counted as the survivor's own capital if they need care or remarry.
A flexible family trust, for the children
Instead of fixed payouts, the children's inheritance can be held in a flexible fund controlled by the trustees you choose.
- Protection: if a beneficiary is going through a divorce, has debts or cannot manage money, an outright inheritance could be lost. The trust holds it safely until the time is right.
- The next generation: money held in the trust is not added to a child's own estate, so it is not counted for inheritance tax when they die. The trust has its own tax rules, which Aaron explains.
- Timing: Aaron can draft this trust to stay dormant while the survivor is alive and become a full discretionary trust only after both of you have died.
Who this is for
- Couples who want the first partner's share of the home kept for the children if the survivor needs care
- Anyone worried that the survivor might remarry and the family's assets pass elsewhere
- Parents with children from earlier relationships
- Couples with larger estates who want to plan for the next generation
- Anyone who wants to protect an inheritance from a child's divorce, debts or poor decisions
What the fixed fee includes
- A joint meeting with both of you about your assets, your family and what you want to achieve
- Advice on the right trusts for both wills
- Two wills with matching trusts, and a letter of wishes for each
- One round of amendments
- Supervised signing and witnessing of both wills
- A briefing for your trustees so they understand their role
- Less than two single wills with a trust in them cost on their own
What is not included
The fixed fee covers both wills. Depending on your circumstances you may also need one of the following. Aaron will discuss it with you and agree a separate fixed fee before any extra work starts:
- Severing the joint tenancy: so that each of you owns a distinct share of the home. Most couples with a property trust need this. It is a separate small item with no Land Registry fee.
- Declaration of trust: if you need to record unequal shares in the property
- Statement excluding a beneficiary (per will): a formal record that helps defend the will against a challenge
- Capacity assessment (per person): where there is any doubt about mental capacity
- Inheritance tax planning and foreign assets
You may need none of these. Aaron will say which apply at the first meeting.
What happens if you do nothing
With mirror wills, the survivor owns everything outright. If they remarry, need care or are persuaded to change their will, the first partner's share can pass out of the family. Mirror wills cannot prevent that. Wills with a trust in them can.
Why Safe Harbour
- Aaron handles your matter from start to finish. It is never passed to a junior or a paralegal.
- Fixed fees, confirmed before work starts. No hourly rates.
- Home visits across Bridlington and East Yorkshire. Aaron comes to you.
- Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with professional indemnity insurance.
- Aaron explains trusts in plain English, without jargon.
You may also need
- Lasting powers of attorney: wills only work after death. LPAs protect you both if either of you loses capacity. Doing them with your wills takes a fixed amount off the fee, once for the whole matter.
- Estate and tax planning: if your combined estate is over the inheritance tax allowances, the inheritance tax check can be added to the wills
Priced lower together
A will and powers of attorney cost less done together.
Your wills cost £150 less when your powers of attorney are done at the same time, because the meetings, identity checks and signing happen once.
Done together: £150 off when powers of attorney are done with a will, once, however many documents are made. Planning items, trust administration and probate are never discounted. Third-party costs are unchanged.
- Wills with a trust and both powers of attorney, for a couple
Second marriages, or ring-fencing each share for the children.
Includes
- Wills with a trust£950
- Severing the joint tenancy (splitting the home into two shares)£150
- Both powers of attorney, for both of you£1,400
- Done together−£150
£2,350+ VAT(£2,820 inc. VAT)Bought separately £2,500 + VAT.
Plus third-party costs, at cost.
Other wills fees.
About wills- Standard will
For one person · 2 to 3 weeks
Taking your instructions, drafting the will in plain English, supervising the signing.
No third-party costs.
£350+ VAT(£420 inc. VAT) - Mirror wills
For a couple · 2 to 3 weeks
Instructions from both of you, two wills that mirror each other, supervised signing.
No third-party costs.
£550+ VAT(£660 inc. VAT) - Will with a trust
For one person · 3 to 4 weeks
Instructions, a will incorporating the right trust for your situation, a letter of wishes, supervised signing and a trustee briefing.
Plus Land Registry official copies £7.
£650+ VAT(£780 inc. VAT) - Will with a discretionary trust
For one person · 3 to 4 weeks
Instructions, a will containing a discretionary trust, a letter of wishes for the trustees, written guidance on how the trust is run and how it sits alongside means-tested benefits, supervised signing and a trustee briefing.
No third-party costs.
£850+ VAT(£1,020 inc. VAT)
Next step
Four ways to start. Take the one you are comfortable with.
Or call 01262 310 850. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
- 01No commitmentFind your plan and price
Sixty seconds of questions that end on your plan and a fixed fee, with VAT. No call needed.
- 02Low commitmentDownload the instruction form
A fillable PDF. Type into it, save it and email it back, or print it.
- 03A conversationBook a 15-minute call
15 minutes with Aaron, by phone or video, at no charge. Appointments are usually available within a few working days, including Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and home visits across East and North Yorkshire.
- 04Ready to goStart my matter
Give Aaron the details he needs and he confirms the fixed fee in writing before any work starts.