Legacies are a vital source of income for charities, amounting to around £2 billion each year. Leaving a gift to a charity in your will ensures you are helping the work of that charity to live on, it is the only way to ensure that your wishes are carried out after your death, legacies are also free from inheritance tax.

Writing a will is the only way to ensure that your wishes are carried out after your death. In certain circumstances, it is even more important to have a will, for instance, if you have young children, are not married to your partner, in the process of going through a divorce or wish to benefit a charity close to your heart. While you will have to pay a fee for a solicitor’s advice, it is a small price for making sure your family and friends are taken care of and leaving a lasting legacy to your chosen charity.

When writing or updating your will, it is advisable to seek professional advice from someone qualified. If your will is not properly written (and this is often not found out until after your death) it can cause legal problems and be extremely costly to rectify.

Most qualified legal advisors offer fixed costs for writing or updating a will, they try to keep the costs as affordable as possible.

Gifts in wills can go towards any part of The Kent Autistic Trust’s work; making a long-term, lasting difference in providing information, advice, equipment, support services and care to people with autism. As The Kent Autistic Trust grows and changes in the years ahead it needs funds to support its ambitious projects, all of which aim to improve the lives of people with autism and their families.

Yes definitely. The Kent Autistic Trust provides enormously valuable services to thousands of people affected by autism. Any gift you choose to give to The Kent Autistic Trust will always be gratefully received and will enable them to help more families living with autism.

A gift in a will is commonly called a legacy, there are various types: Specific – a gift of a particular item, such as a painting or a piece of jewellery Pecuniary – a gift of a specified sum of money Residuary – a gift of whatever you have left after paying debts, funeral costs and making any specific or pecuniary legacies The residuary legacy can be divided between as many individuals or organisations as you wish, in varying proportions, it can also be put into an appropriate trust to protect any vulnerable beneficiaries.

Yes!

We would be delighted to know this and to have an opportunity to thank you, but understand that your will and its contents are a personal and sensitive matter and that you may not wish to share this information.

A qualified legal advisor specialising in advising vulnerable people to make sure nothing is missed when drawing up the Will.

Your legal advisor will need basic information about you and if applicable, your children such as full names, address, dates of birth and contact details, so you can prepare yourself by making a note of these.

Any gift to charity is exempt from Inheritance Tax. In addition if you leave 10% or more of your estate to charity the Inheritance Tax rate at which you are taxed reduces.