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Your will decides who inherits. A letter of wishes explains everything else — your funeral, your sentimental gifts, messages to the people you love. Download the free template below, or build a living version with Beqst.
What to include
The personal wishes a will cannot capture. Use it as a guide now — then keep it with your will, where your executor can find it.
A letter of wishes is a private, informal note that sits alongside your will. It is where you explain the things a will cannot easily capture: your funeral preferences, who you would like to receive sentimental items and why, messages to the people you love, and guidance for your executors and any trustees. Unlike a will, it is not a formal legal document — which is exactly what makes it useful. You can write it in your own words, keep it private while you are alive, and update it whenever you like without the formality of changing your will.
No — and that is by design. A letter of wishes is guidance, not instruction. Your executors and trustees should read it and take it seriously, but they are not legally bound to follow it, and it cannot override what your will says. That is why anything you want to be legally enforceable — who inherits your estate, specific legacies, who acts as executor or guardian — belongs in your will, not the letter. The letter explains the wishes and reasoning behind those decisions, and covers the personal things the law does not deal with.
Keep it personal and practical. Most people cover: a note to their executors on where documents are and how they would like things handled; funeral and farewell wishes; sentimental items and who should have them (with the reasons, which helps prevent family friction); messages to loved ones; hopes for children, dependents or pets; and a pointer to where their accounts and passwords are stored — never the passwords themselves. The free template on this page gives you a prompt and space for each of these.
Your will is the legally binding document that says who inherits, names your executors and guardians, and only takes effect after death. A letter of wishes is the informal companion that guides how those wishes are carried out and covers the personal detail a will leaves out. The will is enforceable; the letter is persuasive. They work best together: the will does the legal work, and the letter makes sure the people you trust understand what you actually wanted. This is general information, not legal advice.
Keep it with your will, and make sure your executor knows it exists and where to find it — a letter no one can find helps no one. Because it often mentions personal and sensitive things, do not attach it to the will in a way that would make it public: in England and Wales a will becomes a public document once probate is granted, but a separate letter of wishes normally stays private. Storing it in a secure place — a locked file, or an encrypted vault like Beqst that you can update and share on your terms — keeps it both private and findable.
Review it about once a year, and after any big life change — a birth, death, marriage, divorce, a house move, or a change in what you own. This is where a letter of wishes has a real advantage over a will: because it is informal, you can update it in minutes without witnesses or legal formality. Keeping it current is what makes it genuinely useful when the time comes, rather than a snapshot of wishes you have since outgrown.
Last reviewed July 2026. Beqst is a UK estate-organisation tool, not a law firm; this guide is general information, not legal advice.
Related: the free death-folder checklist, store your documents securely, and what your executor will need.
Free template
Add your email and download the printable template to start writing — for yourself, or someone you love. We’ll send occasional, genuinely useful updates (no spam, unsubscribe anytime).
Kept safe
A letter of wishes is personal. Keep it out of your will (which, in England and Wales, becomes public after probate) and store it somewhere secure. With Beqst, every sensitive field is encrypted with AES-256 on UK-based infrastructure, and you decide exactly what your executor sees — and when.