On: Beneficiaries

Q - How do I make gifts to people in my will?

Identify all the gifts you wish to leave in your will and decide who will receive each gift.
 

Give the list to the professionally qualified person who is drafting your will and they will then incorporate the list accordingly.
 

Please do remember to check the draft to ensure that your wishes have been clearly stated and are correct.

Q - I would like to leave a small token to my neighbour’s daughter. Will a future marriage and change of surname affect the benefit?

There is no need to alter your will if a beneficiary changes their name – as long as they are clearly identifiable as the person you intended to benefit
when you made the will.
 

If she marries, she will simply need to produce her marriage certificate to prove that she is the person named in your will.
 

It is always useful to include the address of beneficiaries in wills, even if they change, for identification purposes.

Q - Can children under 18 inherit?

Yes, although the money/funds are held in Trust until they become 18.
 

If you would prefer them not to inherit at 18, you can specify that they don’t receive the capital sum until they are older. But, they will be entitled to receive any income from the Trust Fund at 18.
 

Depending upon the terms of your will and the legislation in place at the time of your death, the Trustees of the fund may have the ability to decide what income and/or capital can be used for the benefit of the children until the children inherit.

Codicils
Registered charity number
Executors
Gifts of Land
Inheritance tax
Marital/Civil Partnership Status
Pecuniary vs residue
Restricted Legacies
Value of a legacy
Wills and Witnesses
Overseas