The main part of your estate is called “the residue”. (This is dealt with at question 17). Before giving away the residue you may wish to make certain gifts of cash or personal belongings to individual children, grandchildren, friends or to charities. These will be known as “beneficiaries”.
1. Your Details
2. Your Husband/Wife/Partner (state which)
3. Marriage/Partnership Details
Please tick this box if you are not married to your partner or Civil Partner
Please tick this box if you are intending to marry/re-marry or enter a Civil Partnership in the near future
Has either of your been married or been registered as a Civil Partnership before
4. YOUR CHILDREN (Including your children from a previous Marriage or relationship) – Full names, date of birth, and address if different from yours.
5. CHILDREN of your husband/wife/partner’s previous marriages or relationships. – full names, dates of births, and addresses if different from yours.
Please note: Illegitimate and adopted children (but not step children) generally have the same rights of inheritance as other children. Children excluded from benefit under your will may have a right to claim a share of your property in certain circumstances. Please ask for advice if this could apply to your situation.
6. YOUR HOME (i.e. where you live most of the year) - is your home:
(a) Owned :
In your name alone
In joint names with your husband/wife/partner
In the name of your husband/wife/partner alone
(b) Rented?
(c) Other e.g. provided by a relative
7.
8.
Do you have a business
Is it a,
9. Your Main Assets Owned in your Sole Name.
10. Joint Assets
11. Do you Own Any Assets Outside the Country in Which You Live?
12. Funeral
You may specify in your will if you wish to be
Please note : You should make these wishes known to your immediate family as well and not rely on what is in your Will. If you wish to leave any part of your body for medical purposes tell your family and your doctor and carry a donor card.
13. Executors
You must appoint executors to carry out the instructions in our Will. It is wise to have at least two and you may appoint your husband/wife/partner as one. List below up to four chosen executors.
14. Guardians
You may want to appoint one or two people to act as guardian(s) for children under 18. The appointment will usually apply if you and the child’s other parent are both dead. The position may be different if you are a single parent. Discuss this with the solicitor at your appointment. Guardianship involves a lot of responsibility and you should ask people to agree to act before appointing them.
15. Cash Gifts
Please give the full name and address of the beneficiary and the amount to be given, with the age of anyone who is under 18. If to an organisation be sure to give its fill correct name.
16. Gifts of Articles
Please give the names and addresses of people to whom you wish to leave specific items and a full description, to enable it to be identified. Please note that if you sell or replace one of these items, the beneficiary will get nothing- he/she will not be given a substituted item or the cash equivalent.
17. The Residue
This is all that you own except jointly owned property and the gifts made in questions 15 and 16. Please state below who is to receive the residue on your death and who is to receive it if they die before you. If there are gifts to children, we may suggest a provision that if any of them dies before you, leaving children of his/her own, those children (your grandchildren) will inherit their parent’s share.
The following are the more common provisions made. If you wish to use one of these tick the appropriate box. If not, please go to question 18.
Everything to my husband/wife/partner named at question 2 above, outright, but if he/she has died then to my children, named at question 4 above, equally;
Have you received advice about your will from an independent financial advisor, or accountant who specialises in inheritance tax?
To my husband/wife/partner named at question 2 above, but if he/she has died before me to the person(s)/organisation(s) named in the box below. If not in equal shares, then show the share each is to take.
18. If None of the Above Choices is Appropriate
Please set out below who is to receive the residue and, if more than one person or organisation is involved, in what share.
Who is to benefit if the recipient dies before you ?
19. Will Certainty Register:
We can register your Will on a national database to assist any search for your Will that may be undertaken/necessary in the future. Our charge for undertaking this additional work is £50 which includes the £30 registration fee.
Please register my Will with Certainty
General Notes
1. A Will is usually completely cancelled if you marry or register a Civil Partnership after making it. You will need to make another Will immediately, or one which takes a forthcoming marriage into account.
2. On divorce, or the dissolution of a Civil Partnership, gifts to your husband/wife/ civil partner are cancelled as if his/her appointment as executor but the rest of the Will stands. This can create problems and it is better to make a new Will.
3. If you are not making any provision for a husband/wife/partner, or a former husband/wife/partner, it is possible that he/she could make a claim against your estate. If this does apply please seek further advice from us.
4. Please feel free to ask for help or advice or more information on any topic related to your Will during your appointment.
