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All Estate Planning Articles
Every article we publish for England & Wales, newest first: articles 1 to 60 of 404. Prefer to browse by subject? Start from the topic hubs.
- Cohabitation Rights Bill in the LordsThe Cohabitation Rights Bill had its House of Lords second reading in July 2026. What the bill proposes for unmarried couples, and why it is not yet law.28 August 2026 · 5 min read
- The Government Just Said It in Plain EnglishThe government's own Easy Read guide on cohabitation states it plainly: if you're not married and your partner dies without a will, you could get nothing.28 August 2026 · 5 min read
- New HMRC Trust Registration Rules from 30 June 2026New HMRC rules from 30 June 2026 give executors two years to register trusts created by a will. What has changed, who must register, and the deadlines.30 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Best Online Will Writing Service UK 2026, Compared & RankedBeyond has exited the UK market. Compare the online will writing services still active for England and Wales on price, scope and legal validity. 2026 guide.19 June 2026
- Probate Property Valuation UKHow to value property for probate in England and Wales: the date-of-death open market value, RICS surveyors, HMRC District Valuer challenges and penalties.12 June 2026 · 8 min read
- Agricultural Property Relief Reform 2026 UKAgricultural Property Relief changes from April 2026: a £2.5 million cap, 50% relief above it, and what farming families should review in their wills.10 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Business Property Relief on Commercial Property UKBusiness Property Relief on commercial property: 50% relief under IHTA 1984 s.105(1)(d), the s.105(3) investment trap that denies it, and HMRC challenges.10 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Administration of Estates Act 1925 UKThe Administration of Estates Act 1925 (AEA 1925) is the principal statute governing the administration of deceased persons' estates in England and Wales.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Bare Trust for Children UK: A Simple Way to Gift EarlyA bare trust is the simplest trust structure, the beneficiary (the child) is absolutely entitled from the outset; trustees hold only the legal title. 629.9 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Beneficiary Dies Before You UK: Lapse RuleSee what happens when a beneficiary dies before you, how the lapse rule and section 33 work, and how substitution clauses stop a gift from failing outright.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Benefits After Bereavement UKA guide to the benefits you can claim after a death, including Bereavement Support Payment, Pension Credit, council tax help, and key claim deadlines.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Business Asset Disposal Relief UKBusiness Asset Disposal Relief (BADR), formerly Entrepreneurs' Relief, cuts CGT on qualifying business gains up to a £1 million lifetime limit. Who qualifies.9 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Charitable Legacy in a Will UKHow to leave a charitable legacy in your will: gifts to charity are exempt under IHTA 1984 s.23, and leaving 10% of the net estate cuts the IHT rate to 36%.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Conditional Bequest UK: Gifts With Strings AttachedA testator can attach conditions to a gift in their will, requiring the beneficiary to do something (condition precedent) or restricting what the beneficiary.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Disclaimer vs Deed of Variation UKA disclaimer refuses an inheritance outright; a deed of variation redirects it to someone chosen. Learn which to use and the rules for valid IHT treatment.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Removing an Executor UK: Grounds and Court ProcessRemoving an executor in England and Wales: renunciation and citation before probate, passing over under NCPR r.27, court removal after grant, and the grounds.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Funeral Costs and the Estate UKFuneral costs are a priority debt of the estate under AEA 1925 s.33 and deductible for inheritance tax under IHTA s.172; what HMRC treats as reasonable.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Grant of Administration De Bonis Non UKA grant of administration de bonis non (of goods not yet administered) is needed when the administrator or sole executor dies during the administration of an.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Applying for a Grant of Probate Online UKSince November 2019, personal applicants and solicitors can apply for a grant of probate (or letters of administration) online through the HMCTS MyHMCTS.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- IHT Corrective Account UKIf the value of an estate changes after the original IHT account was submitted, because assets were valued incorrectly, additional assets come to light.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Inherited ISA Allowance UK: Keep the Tax-Free StatusWhen a spouse or civil partner dies, the survivor inherits their ISA allowance as an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS); three-year deadline to use it.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Inherited Money and Divorce UKIs inherited money safe in a divorce? It is usually ring-fenced as non-matrimonial property, but the court can use it to meet the other spouse's needs.9 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Using an LPA at a Bank UKUsing a registered LPA at the bank? Learn what banks require, the OPG access code, typical timescales and how to operate joint accounts for the donor.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Life Insurance Trusts UK: Keep Payouts Out of IHTWriting your life insurance in trust keeps the payout out of your estate for inheritance tax and pays out faster without probate: absolute vs discretionary.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Life Interest Trusts UK: Income for Life ExplainedA life interest trust (interest in possession trust) gives the life tenant all income from the fund for life; capital passes to the remaindermen when it ends.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Loan Trust IHT Planning UKA loan trust lets you lend a lump sum to a discretionary trust, freeze that debt in your estate, and remove all future growth from Inheritance Tax.9 June 2026 · 5 min read
- LPA Capacity Test UKCan the donor make an LPA? Learn the Mental Capacity Act two-stage test, the certificate provider's role, lucid intervals and dementia considerations.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Mutual Wills UK: Binding Agreements Between CouplesMutual wills are a binding agreement not to revoke after the first death, creating a floating constructive trust (Dufour v Pereira); compared with mirror wills.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Overseas Property and UK WillsIf you own property in Spain, France, Portugal, the usa, or anywhere else abroad, a UK will alone may not be enough to deal with it effectively.9 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Pension Auto Enrolment Death UKIf you die while a member of a workplace auto-enrolment pension, your pension pot and any life assurance benefit will be paid to beneficiaries you have.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Pensions and Intestacy UKPension death benefits fall outside your will and the intestacy rules. Learn why your expression of wishes matters and how the April 2027 IHT change applies.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Power Reserved Executor UK: Standing Back From ProbateWhen multiple executors are named in a will and one does not wish to act immediately but does not want to renounce permanently, they can 'take power reserved'.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Private Residence Relief Inherited Property UKSelling an inherited home can trigger Capital Gains Tax on the gain since death. Learn how Private Residence Relief, the 9-month rule and the CGT uplift apply.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Professional Executor UKAppointing a professional executor, a solicitor, accountant, trust corporation, or bank, can make sense for complex estates, but it comes with costs, risks.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Property Trust Wills UK: How the Half-Share Trust WorksA property trust in a will can protect a share of the family home for your children while giving your surviving spouse or partner the right to live there for.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- RNRB Downsizing Addition UK: Sell Before DeathSelling or moving out of your home before death does not mean losing the residence nil-rate band. How the downsizing addition protects it, with conditions.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Secret Trusts UK: Hidden Gifts in a Will ExplainedHow secret trusts work: fully secret trusts (Ottaway v Norman) and half-secret trusts (Re Keen), the communication rules, and the constructive trust basis.9 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Section 144 IHT UK: The 2-Year Discretionary WindowIHTA 1984 s.144 provides that an appointment of assets out of a discretionary will trust within two years of death is read back into the will as if made by.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Standing Search at Probate Registry UKA standing search at the Probate Registry automatically notifies you if a grant of probate or letters of administration is issued for a named deceased person.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Substitute Executors UK: Your Probate Back-Up PlanYour probate back-up plan when an executor cannot act: substitute executors, power reserved, renunciation, the chain of executors under AEA 1925 s.7, and s.50.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Survivorship Clause in a Will UKLearn how a 30-day survivorship clause in your will prevents double inheritance tax, settles the commorientes rule and gives your executors more certainty.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Capital Gains Tax in Trusts UKTrusts pay capital gains tax at 24% on all assets since October 2024. Understand the £1,500 exempt amount, holdover relief, the death step-up and PPR relief.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Trustee Retirement UKA trustee can retire with or without a replacement under the Trustee Act 1925. Learn the deed requirements, minimum trustee numbers and the steps to take.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Will for a Business Owner UKA business owner's will guide: Business Property Relief and the April 2026 cap, the two-pot approach, shareholder agreements and choosing the right executors.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Where to Store a Will UK: Safe Options That Cost LittleA will is only useful if it can be found. Storage options compared: HMCTS will deposit, the National Will Register, solicitor storage and the lost-will risk.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Wills Act 1837 UK: The Rules That Make Wills ValidThe Wills Act 1837 sets the rules for a valid will in England and Wales: s.9 formalities, in writing, signed, two independent witnesses, presence and intent.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- Wills Act 1963 UK: Foreign Wills Recognised HereThe Wills Act 1963 decides whether a foreign will is formally valid in England and Wales. How the formal-validity rules apply to international estates.9 June 2026 · 4 min read
- What Happens to an Annuity When You Die UKWhat happens to an annuity when you die in the UK: how single life, joint life, guaranteed periods and value protection decide whether any value passes on.8 June 2026 · 6 min read
- Bank Account Frozen After Death UKWhy banks freeze accounts when someone dies, how long they stay frozen, how to release funds with or without probate, paying for the funeral before probate.8 June 2026 · 7 min read
- Beneficiary of a Will UK: Your Rights ExplainedWhat a beneficiary of a will is and their rights in England and Wales: specific versus residuary gifts, lapse, and why a witness beneficiary forfeits the gift.8 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Beneficiary Rights in an Estate UKBeneficiary rights in an estate: what you can ask an executor for, including estate accounts and your inheritance, and what to do if the executor delays.8 June 2026 · 7 min read
- Bereavement Support Payment UKBereavement Support Payment is a DWP benefit for surviving spouses and civil partners: a lump sum plus 18 monthly payments. Claim within 3 months for full sum.8 June 2026 · 7 min read
- Capital Gains Tax on a Second Home UKWhen you sell a second home or holiday property in England that was never your main residence, capital gains tax applies on any gain over the base cost.8 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Care Home Fees After Death UK: Who Pays WhatOutstanding care home fees at death are an estate liability paid before beneficiaries; family are not personally liable, and the fees are deductible for IHT.8 June 2026 · 6 min read
- Child Maintenance After Death UKWhat happens to child maintenance when the paying parent dies? Learn how arrears, court orders and Inheritance Act 1975 claims protect a child financially.8 June 2026 · 6 min read
- Child Trust Fund on Death UK: What Happens to ItWhat happens to a Child Trust Fund when the child or the registered contact dies: who the fund belongs to, and how it is accessed or passed on in the UK.8 June 2026 · 6 min read
- Clearing a House After Death UK: Executor's GuideAn executor should not clear a deceased person's house until probate is obtained, as all personal belongings are estate assets that must be accounted for.8 June 2026 · 6 min read
- Coroner Inquest & Probate UKWhen a coroner is involved, a full death certificate cannot be issued until the inquest concludes, which can take weeks to 18 months or more.8 June 2026 · 5 min read
- Council Tenancy Death UKWhat happens to a council or social housing tenancy when the tenant dies in England, who can succeed to the tenancy, the one-succession limit.8 June 2026 · 7 min read
- Death Certificate UK: How to Get Copies QuicklyHow to get a death certificate in England and Wales: how many certified copies your executor needs, what each copy costs, and where to order them quickly.8 June 2026 · 5 min read
Self-help information only. Articles on this blog are for general informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. WillSafe UK is not a firm of solicitors. For complex estates, blended families, business assets or foreign property, please speak to a qualified solicitor.