MaPS reports over half of UK adults do not have a will

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) published research on 27 January 2025 showing that 56% of UK adults aged 18 and over do not have a will, including 53% of adults aged 50 to 64 and 22% of those aged 65 and over¹. The figures come from the 2021 Adult Financial Wellbeing Survey, described by MaPS as a nationally representative survey of 10,306 adults living in the UK¹.

MaPS is an arms-length body sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions and funded by levies on both the financial services industry and pension schemes¹. The press release sets out guidance for people sorting out the estate of someone who has died without a will, covering who should administer the estate, whether to use a solicitor or probate specialist, how to apply for probate, how to collect assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the estate¹.

MaPS says the law decides who inherits according to criteria called intestacy rules, and that a relative or friend willing and able to sort out the estate can apply for a grant of letters of administration, also known as a grant of representation, grant of probate, or confirmation in Scotland¹. The grant makes them the administrator of the estate and allows them to value the estate, pay any debts and distribute it according to the intestacy rules¹.

On costs, MaPS says using a probate specialist can be expensive and that several thousand pounds should be budgeted for their services¹. Documents needed include the death certificate, birth certificate, and marriage or civil partnership certificate¹. How much must be paid and which forms must be filled in depend on whether the person lives in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland¹. MaPS also says a separate bank account should be opened for the estate, to avoid it getting confused with personal bank accounts¹.

Source: Money and Pensions Service, 27 January 2025¹

Why it matters for households

Where someone dies without a will, the estate is distributed under the intestacy rules rather than according to any wishes they may have expressed, and MaPS says sorting out an estate without a will takes longer than when there is one¹. The survey figures indicate that this affects a majority of adults, and a substantial share of people aged 50 to 64, the age group most likely to be dealing with the estates of older relatives while also planning their own. For anyone asked to administer such an estate, the process involves applying for a grant of letters of administration, valuing assets and gifts given away in the seven years before death, settling debts and Inheritance Tax, and then distributing what remains under the intestacy rules¹. MaPS notes that professional help can run to several thousand pounds, and that fees and forms vary by nation¹. The findings sit within the wider set of life events that trigger financial administration, including bereavement.

What happens next

No further steps or timetable are set out in the press release. MaPS directs readers to MoneyHelper guidance on sorting out an estate when there is no will and on planning what to leave in a will, and to the government website for details on distributing an estate under the intestacy rules¹.