Do You Know Where Your Partner’s Will Is? New Research Highlights the Risk

New research from Canada Life shows that many UK families do not know where Wills and key documents are stored.

This shows a widespread lack of awareness among UK adults about where important estate and financial documents are kept. Missing Wills and documents could lead to probate delays, extra costs and inheritance tax complications when a loved one dies, especially as pensions fall under inheritance tax scope from 2027.

Key findings from the research include:

• 47 percent of UK couples do not know where their partner’s Will is stored.
• 66 percent of people surveyed are unsure where a parent’s Will is located.
• 87 percent of people surveyed could not find a sibling’s Will if required.
• Despite pensions being the second largest component of household wealth, 37 percent of people could not locate their partner’s pension documents. This rises to 58 percent when it comes to parents’ pension policies.
• Other essential documents are also hard to find. 40 percent would struggle to locate life insurance policies and 47 percent could not find details of their partner’s debt or loan agreements.
• Fewer than half of respondents felt confident they could locate their parents’ life insurance (38 percent) or savings and investment policies (41 percent) if needed.

Executing an estate requires timely access to paperwork to distribute assets and settle tax obligations. Not having this information readily available can slow the process and increase costs.

Practical Steps to Avoid Probate Delays and Inheritance Tax Issues

Knowing where your key documents are and how to access them can make a significant difference to your family’s experience when you die:

• Store your Will securely. For example, with a solicitor, in a safe that your loved ones can access, or through a professional storage service.
• Create a list of essential documents including pensions, insurance policies, savings and investment records and where to find them.
• Inform trusted loved ones such as your partner, executors and adult children where documents are kept.
• Have open conversations about estate planning to reduce stress and uncertainty for your loved ones.

These steps help reduce the risk of probate delays and improve the chances that inheritance tax and other obligations are dealt with smoothly.

How Crane & Staples Can Help

At Crane & Staples, we support clients throughout the estate planning process:

• Will preparation professionally drafted to reflect your wishes.
• Expert guidance on estate planning and updating documents as your circumstances change.
• If you are a client of Crane & Staples and we have prepared your Will, we can store the original document securely in the firm’s strongroom for a one-off fee of £10 plus VAT. This fee is waived if you have appointed Crane & Staples as your Executors.

Please note that we can only offer Will storage where Crane & Staples has prepared the original Will and where you are a client of the firm. We are unable to store Wills or documents for non-clients or Wills drafted elsewhere.

• Copies of your Will can be sent to you and to people of your choice. Our copy Will envelope also lists where the original is located.

We make sure your Will and documents are prepared and organised. This means your family is not left searching for information at a difficult time.

The National Will Register: A Useful Safeguard

The National Will Register is a UK database that records the existence and location of Wills, without holding their content. Registering your Will helps executors find the original quickly when needed. This reduces uncertainty and the risk of delays or lost documents.

This simple step adds an extra layer of security and reassurance for your loved ones.

At Crane & Staples, we register your Will with the National Will Register as part of our Wills service, at no additional cost.

Conclusion

The Canada Life research published today underlines that many families are unprepared when it comes to storing and locating key estate documents. This gap can lead to probate delays, extra costs and greater stress at a time of bereavement.

This is a reminder to ensure your estate is organised to prevent any missing Wills and documents, so your wishes can be honoured. Please contact us today for advice about creating your Will with confidence at Crane & Staples.

With thanks to Canada Life for conducting and sharing this research.