A gift in your Will

What kind of gift?

The gift you give might be a cash legacy – a fixed sum of money. Or it might be an item or a particular asset – a ‘specific’ legacy. Or you might give a share, or the whole of your estate after any other legacies, taxes and costs have been paid – a ‘residuary’ gift.

What about family and friends?

You’ll want to remember and provide for your family in your Will, and perhaps to remember friends too. For most people, that’s their top priority, of course.

After providing for family and friends, a gift to a cause you care about means your support will live on in the charity. Families are often touched to know about the charities and issues you care about and happy to celebrate what your gift will achieve.

What about tax?

It’s best to seek professional advice about the current inheritance tax laws, but the simple message is that gifts to charities like Helen Arkell are completely exempt from inheritance tax.

What’s more, if you leave 10% or more of your net estate to charity, the rate of inheritance tax payable on your whole estate reduces from 40% to 36%.

Do I really need to make a Will?

Daryl Fox, partner in the Personal Wealth and Families team at regional law firm Stevens & Bolton LLP says, ‘Making a Will needn’t be complex, and it needn’t be costly, but experience suggests that getting professional advice is usually a good investment.’

Without a Will, fixed rules set out where your estate goes – and the results are not always what you might expect. If you’re married with children, your husband or wife won’t necessarily get everything, and in larger estates there might be tax to pay that could have been postponed or avoided. Unmarried partners get nothing.

A Will lets you:

• Choose your executors – the people who will deal with your estate
• Choose guardians to look after your children
• Remember people and causes that you care about
• Provide thoughtfully for your family – protecting your children, and your family’s assets
• Minimise the distress to your family at a tough time

It’s one of the most important financial documents you will ever make, so getting good advice when you make it is a smart move. We recommend consulting your solicitor, or finding one using the links below.

What if I already have a Will?

Minor changes (such as adding in a cash legacy) can be made to a Will using a document called a Codicil. Your solicitor can prepare a Codicil for you, or you can use our standard form to add a gift to Helen Arkell.

If you want to make other changes, though, or if you have already made one or more Codicils to your Will, if you have made Wills in different jurisdictions, or if you have any other doubts about using the form, the best advice will always be to see your solicitor. In any event, it’s a good idea to review your Will from time to time.

Alongside the Codicil form you will find instructions for signing. It is crucial for the validity of the Codicil that these are followed very carefully. Once your Codicil is signed, make sure it is kept safely alongside your Will.

What next?

If you decide to leave a gift to Helen Arkell in your Will, you will need the following details:

Charity name: Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity

Address: 24 West Street, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7DR

Registered Charity Number: 1064646

To find a solicitor to help you make or review your Will, The Law Society is a good place to start:

http://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

Consider letting us know

If you’re thinking about leaving a gift in your Will to Helen Arkell and would like further information, or if you have any questions please contact Hazel Radnor, Head of Fundraising on hazelr@helenarkell.org.uk or phone 01252 792 400.

If you’ve already provided for Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity in your Will, thank you. Please consider letting us know – you’ll be helping us to plan for the future, and we’d love to keep in touch with you.