How to Find the Will after a Death

Looking for a Will after someone has died? Start by searching their papers and contacting anyone who may have prepared or stored it. You normally need the original signed Will for probate, together with any codicils. If it cannot be found, do not assume straight away that there was no Will: a copy, or other evidence of its contents, may sometimes be accepted.

This guide concerns England and Wales. Different procedures apply elsewhere.

Looking for a Will that has already been through probate? See how to obtain a copy of a Will or probate record. That is a different search from locating an original before probate.

Where to look when trying to find a Will

Search methodically and keep copies of replies. Check for later Wills and codicils even if you have found an older document. A date alone does not establish which document is legally effective.

1. Search the home and other places where papers were kept

Check filing cabinets, desks, document boxes, safes and correspondence. Look at papers kept at work or with a trusted friend or relative. Search before disposing of documents during a house clearance.

Keep any copy, draft, codicil, storage certificate or letter mentioning a Will. Leave original documents intact: do not write on them, remove staples or attempt repairs.

2. Ask family, friends and anyone who helped with their affairs

Ask whether the person mentioned making a Will, where they kept it, or which professional they used. Someone may remember witnessing it. Record what they recall and their contact details; remembering one Will does not establish that it was the latest.

3. Contact the solicitor or Will writer

Look for letters, invoices, emails, business cards and appointments. Ask the drafter to check both storage records and the location of the original. Give the deceased’s full name, previous names, date of birth, relevant addresses and approximate date of the Will, if known.

Expect the holder to ask for evidence of the death, your identity and your entitlement to receive the document.

4. If the firm has closed, trace its successor or storage arrangements

For a closed solicitor’s practice, start with the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s guidance on closed firms. A successor practice or an intervention agent may hold documents. The SRA does not hold every Will made by a solicitor.

For a Will-writing business, check its correspondence for the storage provider and any professional-body membership. The Society of Will Writers or Institute of Professional Willwriters may be useful starting points for enquiries about a former member.

5. Check banks and storage payments

Ask relevant banks whether they hold documents or a safe-deposit box, and what evidence they require to check or release them. Access procedures vary: do not assume that a bank will require probate before it can help locate a Will.

Bank statements may reveal payments for Will preparation or document storage. Ask the financial adviser, accountant or other professional who helped with the deceased’s affairs whether they know who prepared the Will.

6. Check whether HMCTS stored the original

Look for a deposit receipt or reference. If the Will was deposited with HM Courts and Tribunals Service, use the current PA7A forms and withdrawal guidance. Follow its instructions about supporting documents and any additional consent required. This service concerns documents deposited with HMCTS, not every Will made in England and Wales.

See also withdrawing a Will stored by the Probate Registry.

7. Consider a wider Will search

A commercial service such as the National Will Register may help trace a registered location or make wider enquiries, depending on the search purchased. Check the scope and current price. A negative result does not prove that no Will exists.

You can also ask local solicitors or a local law society about circulating an enquiry. Include relevant former names and addresses. Notices in the local press or The Gazette may be considered as part of a wider search; discuss what is proportionate with the professional advising you.

Keep a record of your searches

Start a simple search log with the date, person or organisation contacted, places checked, outcome and any reference number. Save emails, letters, storage receipts and copies of documents found.

Record who last saw the original, when and where, who held it after signing, and any move, fire, clear-out or postal loss that might explain its disappearance. This information can matter if an application to prove a missing Will becomes necessary.

What if the original Will is missing?

A missing original does not automatically mean intestacy. However, a photocopy is not automatically accepted either. The evidence must address the Will’s valid execution, its contents and whether it remained unrevoked.

Why the last known holder matters

If the original was last known to be in the deceased’s possession and cannot be found after death, a legal presumption may arise that they destroyed it intending to revoke it. This can be rebutted with evidence; its strength depends on the circumstances.

If a professional custodian retained the original and then lost it, the position is different: its disappearance from that custodian does not, by itself, raise the same presumption of revocation by the deceased. Storage records and a written explanation from the custodian may be important.

What evidence may help?

• A copy of the signed Will and any codicils.
• The drafter’s file, execution records and storage correspondence.
• Evidence from witnesses or others present at signing.
• Evidence of the original’s last known location and custody.
• Your search log and replies from potential holders.
• Evidence about accidental loss, destruction or loss in the post.
• Earlier Wills and other relevant written wishes.

A draft, reconstruction or other evidence of the contents may sometimes be considered where no complete copy survives. That is a matter for specialist assessment; an unsigned draft alone does not establish that a valid Will was executed.

PA13: applying where an original Will is lost

HMCTS provides Form PA13, the Lost Will questionnaire, for people representing themselves. Read the current instructions before applying.

Probate practitioners do not use PA13: they provide an affidavit or statement of truth with exhibits for an application under rule 54 of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987.

The Registry considers the evidence and may require further information, notices or consents from people whose entitlement would be affected. Family agreement does not replace satisfactory evidence. If there is disagreement about loss, revocation or the contents, seek specialist advice.

Before distributing the estate: resolve the missing-Will issue and establish the correct basis for administration. Do not simply use an old Will or assume the intestacy rules apply. We can help you find an appropriate professional; The Probate Department provides guidance and introductions, not legal advice. I most cases you will find a suitable professional on the Local Pages.

Missing Will insurance

If a later Will is discovered after distribution, the people administering the estate and its beneficiaries may face claims. Missing Will insurance may cover specified financial risks, depending on the insurer’s acceptance, policy wording, limits, exclusions and the circumstances disclosed.

It does not locate a Will, establish its validity or replace appropriate searches and legal advice. Do not assume that every claim or repayment obligation will be covered.

Read about missing Will insurance or request a quote from Insuristic. This is a commercial referral link; we may receive a payment if you arrange cover through it.

Make your own Will easier to find

• Keep the original securely and retain the storage provider’s name, contact details and reference.
• Tell your executors where it is and how to request it after your death.
• Label copies clearly and keep the storage details with your important information.
• Review the arrangements after a move, change of provider or replacement Will.
• Check that your executors have current contact details and know about any codicils.

For further information, see Will storage. The Professional Will Writer is an associated business operated separately from The Probate Department.

Finding assets and liabilities is a separate search

A Will search looks for the document governing the estate. An asset and liability search looks for financial accounts, investments, shares, policies or debts. One does not replace the other.

Our commercial introduction to Inheritance Data may help with financial searches. Ask the provider to confirm the current fee, VAT, institutions covered, exclusions and what follow-up work is included before instructing it.

Search results can assist estate administration, but no search guarantees that every asset or debt will be found or removes the need to make accurate tax returns. See searching for unclaimed assets.

Enquire about a paid asset or liability search

This form is for financial searches, not a Will search. Your enquiry goes to The Probate Department and Inheritance Data using the recipients configured in the form.

[contact-form to=”in**@*********************co.uk,da****@*************ta.com” subject=”Asset Search Enquiry via TPD”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Phone numbers” type=”text” required=”1″][contact-field label=”I am” type=”select” required=”1″ options=”Solicitor/ lawyer,Executor,Next of Kin,Beneficary,Other (give details below)”][contact-field label=”Type of Search Needed” type=”checkbox-multiple” required=”1″ options=”Share Search,Undiscovered Liability Search,Asset Search”][contact-field label=”Any Notes?” type=”text”][/contact-form]

Related practical help

• Find local help after a death
• Get a copy of a Will after probate
• Standing searches for probate records
• Duties of executors
• The Gazette and estate notices
• Insurance for executors

Need help tracing a Will or deciding what to do next? Use our Questions, Corrections and Enquiries contact route.

General information for England and Wales. Official sources checked on 16 October 2026; the linked HMCTS guidance and forms should be checked again when applying.