The Rules of Intestacy are the legal rules that determine who inherits when someone dies without a valid Will in England and Wales. They apply automatically and follow a defined…
When someone dies without a valid Will, the Rules of Intestacy determine who inherits the estate. These rules apply automatically and follow a strict priority order. The inheritance priority order…
Dying without a valid Will is called dying intestate. It does not bring the probate process to a halt, but it does change who administers the estate, how it is…
A Grant of Letters of Administration is the legal document issued by the Probate Registry when someone dies without a valid Will. It gives the named administrator the legal authority…
A codicil is a legal document that amends, supplements, or partially revokes an existing Will without replacing it entirely. It allows changes to be made without the time and cost…
The total cost of probate in England and Wales depends on which route you take. There are unavoidable government fees that apply to everyone, and then the cost of whatever…
Gifts to qualifying charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax, with no upper limit. This applies both to gifts made during the deceased’s lifetime and to assets left to charity in…
Calculating Inheritance Tax correctly requires more than comparing the estate value to a single threshold. A number of allowances, exemptions, and reliefs interact to produce the final taxable figure. Step…
The seven-year rule is one of the most widely referenced aspects of Inheritance Tax, but also one of the most commonly misunderstood. What the seven-year rule means When a person…
Valuing the estate accurately is one of the most important parts of the probate process. The valuation forms the basis of the IHT400 and determines whether Inheritance Tax is due.…
