Update a will

You can update your will at any time.

You may want to update it after a major change in your life, such as:

• getting married – in Scotland, getting married or entering a civil partnership does not cancel an existing will
• a separation or divorce
• having a child
• moving house
• moving to a care home 
• your executor dying

If you get divorced or end a civil partnership, anything you left in your will to your former spouse or civil partner will no longer apply.

Making changes to a will

Do not make changes by writing directly on an existing will.

To change a will, you can either:

• make an official alteration called a codicil
• make a new will

Make a codicil

A codicil is a legal document that changes part of a will without replacing the whole document.

For a codicil to be valid you must sign it. To make it self-proving, a witness must also sign it.

It does not need to be witnessed by the same person who witnessed your will.

There’s no limit on how many codicils you can add to a will.

Make a new will

If you want to make major changes to your will, you should consider making a new one.

Your new will must state that it revokes (officially cancels) all previous wills and codicils. You can destroy your old will by burning it or tearing it up.