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All Estate Planning Articles: Page 3
Every article we publish for England & Wales, newest first: articles 121 to 180 of 357. Prefer to browse by subject? Start from the topic hubs.
- Family Provision Claims UK: Who Can Claim and WhenA family provision claim lets certain people apply to court for reasonable financial provision from a deceased's estate.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Foreign Property in a Will UK: Getting It RightHow to deal with overseas property and foreign assets in an English will: which country's law applies, double taxation treaties, the two-will strategy.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Paying Funeral Expenses from an Estate: UK RulesFuneral expenses are the first charge on the estate in England and Wales: who pays, what is recoverable, and what happens if the estate cannot cover it.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Gifting Property to Children UKGifting your home or investment property to your children has major tax consequences, CGT on the gift, IHT if you die within 7 years.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Grant of Probate UK: What It Is and How to Get OneA grant of probate is the legal document that authorises executors to deal with a deceased person's estate.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Handwritten Wills UK: Are They Legally Valid?Can you write a will by hand in England and Wales? The legal requirements, why a handwritten will is no more valid than typed, witness rules, common mistakes.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Health and Welfare LPA UK: What It Lets You DecideA Health and Welfare LPA lets your attorney make medical and care decisions for you when you lack mental capacity.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- How to Apply for Probate UK: Forms, Fees and TimingApplying for a Grant of Probate in England and Wales costs £300 and takes as little as 2 weeks online.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- How to Avoid Inheritance Tax UKThere is no single way to eliminate inheritance tax, but 12 legal strategies can reduce or eliminate it: gifting, trusts, pensions, business relief and more.13 May 2026 · 12 min read
- How to Find a Will After Someone Dies UKHow to find a will after someone dies in England and Wales: searching the home, contacting solicitors, using the Probate Registry standing search.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Inheritance Act 1975 UK: Claiming From an EstateThe Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 lets certain people claim from an estate even if a valid will excludes them.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Inheritance Tax on Gifts UK: Rules and ExemptionsYou can give away £3,000 per year free of IHT, but there are 7 separate gift exemptions in total.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Inheritance Tax on Property UK: RNRB GuideProperty is the biggest asset in most UK estates, and the residence nil-rate band (worth up to £175,000) can significantly reduce the IHT bill.13 May 2026 · 11 min read
- Intestacy Cohabiting Partner UKCohabiting partners have no automatic inheritance rights under UK intestacy rules.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Intestacy Rules UK: Who Inherits Without a WillDie without a will and the intestacy rules decide who inherits: the statutory legacy, spouse vs children, and why cohabiting partners get nothing.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- ISAs and Inheritance Tax UK: What Your Estate PaysISAs are exempt from income tax and CGT but are not exempt from inheritance tax.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Joint Property and Inheritance Tax UKHow inheritance tax applies to jointly owned property in England & Wales.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Letters of Administration UK: Who Applies and HowLetters of Administration are the court-issued authority to deal with an estate when someone dies without a valid will.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Life Insurance and Inheritance Tax UKLife insurance payouts can be subject to inheritance tax in England and Wales if the policy is not written in trust.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Life Interest Trust Wills UK: Protect Home and SpouseA life interest trust in a will lets a surviving spouse stay in the family home while ring-fencing your share for your children.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- LPA and Bank Accounts UK: Using an LPA at the BankA Property and Financial Affairs LPA allows an attorney to manage bank accounts, pay bills.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- LPA and the Mental Capacity Act UKThe Mental Capacity Act 2005 governs when and how a Lasting Power of Attorney can be used in England and Wales.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Making a Will with Children UKIf you have children under 18, your will needs to appoint guardians and set up trusts for their inheritance.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Nil Rate Band Discretionary Trust UKA nil rate band discretionary trust lets couples shelter up to £325,000 from inheritance tax on the first death.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Nil Rate Band UK: Your £325,000 IHT AllowanceThe nil rate band is £325,000, frozen until 2030. Add the Residence Nil Rate Band and spouses can pass up to £1m tax-free.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Normal Expenditure Out of Income UKThe normal expenditure out of income exemption (s21 IHTA 1984) allows unlimited IHT-free gifting from surplus income.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Pecuniary Legacies UK: Cash Gifts in a WillA pecuniary legacy is a specific cash gift in a will. Full 2026 guide: general vs specific vs residuary legacies.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Pension Inheritance Tax 2027 UKFrom April 2027, unused pension pots will be included in your estate for inheritance tax in England and Wales.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Per Stirpes Meaning in a Will: UK GuidePer stirpes means a deceased beneficiary's share passes to their children. What it means in a will, per stirpes vs per capita, and how to draft it.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Personal Chattels in a Will UK: Who Gets Your ThingsPersonal chattels, furniture, jewellery, vehicles, and household goods, pass under the will or intestacy rules in England and Wales.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Power of Attorney After Death UKA Lasting Power of Attorney ends automatically the moment the donor dies. Attorneys must stop acting immediately.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Power of Attorney and Dementia UKA Lasting Power of Attorney must be made before dementia removes mental capacity. Once capacity is lost it is too late to make an LPA.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Probate Fees UK | How Much Does Probate Cost?Probate fees in England and Wales in 2026: the £300 HMCTS application fee, professional executor/solicitor costs (1–4% of the estate).13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Selling a House in Probate UK: Timing and TaxSelling a house during probate in England and Wales requires a Grant of Probate before completion.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Probate Registry UK: Apply, Fees and Waiting TimesThe Probate Registry issues Grants of Probate in England and Wales. Apply online, fees from £300 and current waiting times of 8 to 16 weeks explained.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Property and Financial Affairs LPA UK: GuideA Property and Financial Affairs LPA lets your chosen attorney manage your bank accounts, property, bills, and tax affairs if you lose mental capacity.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- Property Protection Trusts UK: Shield the Family HomeA property protection trust (ppt) is a will trust that ringfences your share of the family home on death, protecting it from a survivor's remarriage.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Proprietary Estoppel UK: Broken Inheritance PromisesProprietary estoppel allows a person to claim an interest in property based on a promise made by the owner, even without a will or formal document.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Putting Your House in Trust UKPutting your house in trust does not automatically remove it from your estate for IHT if you still live there.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Reasonable Financial Provision UKThe Inheritance Act 1975 allows close family members and dependants to claim 'reasonable financial provision' from an estate even when excluded by a will.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Removing an Executor UK: s50 Court OrderIn England and Wales, an executor can be removed or replaced by the court under s50 Administration of Justice Act 1985 where they are failing in their duties.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Renouncing an Inheritance UK: How to Say No ProperlyYou can refuse to accept an inheritance in England and Wales using a deed of disclaimer.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Residence Nil Rate Band UK: The £175,000 Home AllowanceThe residence nil-rate band (RNRB) adds up to £175,000 to your inheritance tax allowance when you leave your home to direct descendants.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- Revocation of Will by Marriage UKGetting married or forming a civil partnership in England and Wales automatically revokes any existing will.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- How to Revoke a Will in the UKHow to revoke a will in England and Wales: the four legal methods (destruction, declaration, new will, marriage), what automatically revokes a will.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Severance of Joint Tenancy UK: Why and How to Do ItSevering a joint tenancy converts co-ownership from automatic survivorship to separate shares, letting each owner control their share via their will.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Specific Legacies UK: Gifting Named Items in a WillA legacy in a will can be specific, general, demonstrative, or residuary.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Statutory Legacy UK: What the Surviving Spouse Gets FirstThe statutory legacy is the fixed sum a surviving spouse receives first from an intestate estate, currently £322,000 (from 7 April 2026).13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Statutory Wills UK: Wills Made by the Court of ProtectionIf a person lacks mental capacity to make or change their will, the Court of Protection can authorise a statutory will on their behalf.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Stepchildren and Inheritance UKStepchildren have no automatic inheritance rights in the UK. Under intestacy rules they receive nothing.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Survivorship Clause in Will UK: 30-Day RuleA survivorship clause makes a gift conditional on the beneficiary surviving you by a set period (usually 30 days).13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Taper Relief Inheritance Tax UKTaper relief reduces the inheritance tax on gifts made 3–7 years before death.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Tenants in Common on Death UK: What Happens to a ShareWhen a tenant in common dies, their share does not pass automatically to the other owner, it passes under their will or the intestacy rules.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Testamentary Capacity UK: The Banks v Goodfellow TestTestamentary capacity is the mental ability to make a valid will in England and Wales.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Transferable Nil Rate Band UK: Double Your AllowanceMarried couples and civil partners can transfer unused nil rate band to the surviving spouse, potentially doubling the IHT threshold.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Trusts for Bereaved Minors UK: The s.71A Tax BreaksA trust for a bereaved minor (tbm) is a statutory trust in a will for a child who has lost a parent.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Trust Registration Service UK: Who Must RegisterMost express trusts, including will trusts, must register with HMRC's TRS. Who must register, the process and penalties. England and Wales 2026.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Undue Influence and Wills UK: Spotting and Proving ItUndue influence occurs when someone pressures a testator into making a will that does not reflect their true wishes.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- What Does an Executor Do First UKAn executor's first actions after a death are time-sensitive, registering the death, securing assets, notifying institutions, and arranging the funeral.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- What Happens to Debt When You Die UK? Credit CardsDebt does not die with you in the UK, it falls on your estate, not your family.13 May 2026 · 8 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.