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All Estate Planning Articles: Page 4
Every article we publish for England & Wales, newest first: articles 181 to 240 of 404. Prefer to browse by subject? Start from the topic hubs.
- Inheritance Act 1975 UK: Claiming From an EstateThe Inheritance Act 1975 lets certain family and dependants claim reasonable provision from an estate even when a valid will excludes them; 6-month deadline.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Inheritance Tax on Gifts UK: Rules and ExemptionsThe UK has seven inheritance tax gift exemptions, from the £3,000 annual allowance to the seven-year rule for larger gifts. How each one works. 2026 guide.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Inheritance Tax on Property UK: RNRB GuideProperty is the biggest asset in most UK estates. The residence nil-rate band adds up to £175,000 when you leave your home to direct descendants. 2026 guide.13 May 2026 · 11 min read
- Intestacy Cohabiting Partner UKUnder the intestacy rules in England and Wales a cohabiting partner inherits nothing, however long you lived together; common-law marriage is a legal myth.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Intestacy Rules UK: Who Inherits Without a WillDie without a will in England and Wales and the intestacy rules decide who inherits: the statutory legacy, spouse and children, and why partners get nothing.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- ISAs and Inheritance Tax UK: What Your Estate PaysISAs escape income tax and capital gains tax but not inheritance tax; at death the wrapper ends and the full value is taxable in your estate. Cut the bill.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Joint Property and Inheritance Tax UKJointly owned property is always part of your estate for inheritance tax, except when it passes to a spouse. Joint tenants vs tenants in common explained.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Letters of Administration UK: Who Applies and HowLetters of administration are the court's authority to deal with an estate when someone dies without a will. Who can apply, how, and how long it takes.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Life Insurance and Inheritance Tax UKLife insurance can be caught by inheritance tax if the policy is not written in trust. A £500,000 payout could lose £200,000 to IHT, and the fix is simple.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Life Interest Trust Wills UK: Protect Home and SpouseA life interest trust in your will lets a surviving spouse stay in the family home for life while ring-fencing your share of it for your children. Full guide.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- LPA and Bank Accounts UK: Using an LPA at the BankHow a registered Property and Financial Affairs LPA lets an attorney manage bank accounts, what banks require, joint accounts, and what happens without an LPA.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- LPA and the Mental Capacity Act UKHow the Mental Capacity Act 2005 governs a Lasting Power of Attorney: when an attorney can act, how they must decide, and the duties they must follow.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Making a Will with Children UKIf you have children under 18, your will needs to appoint a guardian and set up a trust for their inheritance. How to do both and protect their future.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Nil Rate Band Discretionary Trust UKA nil rate band discretionary trust shelters up to £325,000 from inheritance tax on the first death of a couple. How it works and whether it still helps.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Nil Rate Band UK: Your £325,000 IHT AllowanceThe nil rate band is £325,000, frozen until 2031; combined with the Residence Nil Rate Band, spouses can pass up to £1m free of inheritance tax (IHT).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. The conditions and how to record it.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Pecuniary Legacies UK: Cash Gifts in a WillA pecuniary legacy is a fixed cash gift in a will; how it differs from specific and residuary gifts, what abatement means, and how to draft one that works.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Pension Inheritance Tax 2027 UKFrom 6 April 2027, unused pension pots will count in your estate for inheritance tax. What the change means, who it affects, and how to plan ahead sensibly.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 versus per capita, and how to draft it.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Personal Chattels in a Will UK: Who Gets Your ThingsPersonal chattels are defined in s55(1)(x) of the Administration of Estates Act 1925: furniture, jewellery, vehicles and household goods; how they pass.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Power of Attorney After Death UKA Lasting Power of Attorney ends automatically the moment the donor dies, and attorneys must stop acting at once. What takes over, and the executor's role.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Power of Attorney and Dementia UKA Lasting Power of Attorney must be made while you still have mental capacity; a dementia diagnosis is not the end, but once capacity is lost it is too late.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Probate Fees UK | How Much Does Probate Cost?Probate fees in England and Wales: the £526 HMCTS application fee, £2 per extra grant copy, and solicitor costs of 1 to 4% of the estate value, plus VAT.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Selling a House in Probate UK: Timing and TaxSelling a house during probate in England and Wales usually needs a Grant of Probate before completion. The timeline, the tax, and how to market early.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 £526 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 ringfences your share of the family home in your will, giving the survivor a life interest while protecting it from remarriage.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- Proprietary Estoppel UK: Broken Inheritance PromisesPromised property but left out of the will? Proprietary estoppel may give a claim: the assurance, reliance and detriment you must prove, per Thorner v Major.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Putting Your House in Trust UKPutting your house in trust does not remove it from your estate for inheritance tax if you still live there. The reservation of benefit trap explained.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 an inheritance in England and Wales using a deed of disclaimer or variation. How it works, the tax effects, and where the gift goes instead.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Residence Nil Rate Band UK: The £175,000 Home AllowanceThe residence nil-rate band adds up to £175,000 to your IHT allowance when you leave your home to direct descendants, giving couples a combined £1,000,000.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- How to Revoke a Will in the UKThe four legal ways to revoke a will in England and Wales: destruction under s20 Wills Act 1837, a new will, a declaration, or marriage, plus automatic traps.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Severance of Joint Tenancy UK: Why and How to Do ItSevering a joint tenancy converts co-ownership to tenants in common, by written notice under s196 Law of Property Act 1925, so each owner controls their share.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. Learn how each type of gift works, and what happens if an asset no longer exists.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 with children, currently £322,000 in England and Wales.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Statutory Wills UK: Wills Made by the Court of ProtectionWhere someone lacks capacity, the Court of Protection can authorise a statutory will under s18(1)(i) Mental Capacity Act 2005: who can apply and when it fits.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Stepchildren and Inheritance UKStepchildren have no automatic inheritance rights in England and Wales and receive nothing under intestacy unless adopted; how to provide for them in a will.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Survivorship Clause in Will UK: 30-Day RuleA survivorship clause makes a gift conditional on the beneficiary outliving you by a set period, usually 30 days. The commorientes rule and the IHT trap.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Taper Relief Inheritance Tax UKTaper relief reduces inheritance tax on gifts made 3 to 7 years before death. See the 7-year rule, the sliding-scale table, and the common misunderstanding.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 by survivorship: it passes under their will or the intestacy rules, forming part of their estate.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. The Banks v Goodfellow test explained, and how to protect your will.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Transferable Nil Rate Band UK: Double Your AllowanceHow married couples and civil partners transfer unused nil rate band on the first death (s8A-8C IHTA 1984), shielding up to £1 million from IHT on the second.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Trusts for Bereaved Minors UK: The s.71A Tax BreaksA trust for a bereaved minor is a statutory will trust for a child who has lost a parent. The s.71A inheritance tax breaks and the age-18 rule explained.13 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Trust Registration Service UK: Who Must RegisterMost express trusts, including will trusts active over two years after death, must register with HMRC's Trust Registration Service; deadlines and penalties.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Undue Influence and Wills UK: Spotting and Proving ItUndue influence is where coercion overpowers a testator's free will; the test from Hall v Hall, how to prove and challenge it, and the evidence the court needs.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 England and Wales; it falls on your estate, not your family. How credit cards, loans and mortgages are handled, plus the priority.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- What Happens to Your Pension When You Die UKPensions bypass your will and go to whoever you nominate on an expression of wish form. From April 2027 unused pension pots will be counted for UK IHT.13 May 2026 · 10 min read
- What Is a Trustee? UK Duties, Powers and RisksA trustee manages assets held in a trust for beneficiaries. Learn what a trustee does, their legal duties under the Trustee Act 2000, personal liability.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- What Is a Will Trust UK? Types, Uses & When You NeedA will trust is a trust created within a will that takes effect on death. Learn its main types, when you need one, and how it protects children and assets.13 May 2026 · 9 min read
- What Is Estate Planning? UK Basics in Plain EnglishEstate planning means organising what happens to your assets and healthcare if you die or lose capacity. The five documents every UK adult should consider.13 May 2026 · 12 min read
- Will Writing Checklist UK: Everything to Gather FirstThe complete will writing checklist for England and Wales: gather your estate inventory, choose executors and guardians, and decide your gifts and wishes.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Writing a Will When Ill UK: Acting Quickly and SafelyMaking a valid will when you are ill: the Banks v Goodfellow capacity test, deathbed wills, urgency steps, and how to protect the will from challenge.13 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Can You Write Your Own Will in the UK?Yes, you can write your own will in England and Wales without a solicitor: will-writing is not a reserved legal activity. The rules and DIY mistakes explained.12 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Cohabiting Couples Rights UK 2026Common law marriage does not exist in England and Wales, so cohabiting partners inherit nothing without a will. Your rights, property and proposed reform.12 May 2026 · 8 min read
- Contesting a Will UK: Grounds, Time Limits and CostsThe 5 legal grounds for contesting a will in England and Wales, lack of capacity, undue influence, improper execution, fraud, and Inheritance Act claims.12 May 2026 · 10 min read
- How to Appoint a Guardian for Your Children in Your Will UKAppointing a guardian in your will under section 5 of the Children Act 1989 is the only reliable way to choose who raises your children should you die.12 May 2026 · 7 min read
- Next of Kin UK: Who Inherits and What Rights They Have'Next of kin' has no fixed legal meaning in England. Without a will, intestacy rules decide who inherits, not assumptions about family. Plain guide. 2026.12 May 2026 · 6 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.