Absolutely! These three simple steps will get you started as you consider making, or amending, your will:

Think about what you have—your estate and assets—and who you’d like to name as your executor.

Choose who you will remember in your will, including family, friends, and the causes you care about, such as Counties.

Decide who will write your will. We strongly suggest using a solicitor to make sure everything is legal and valid.

Having a valid will in place is important for you because otherwise your money, property, and possessions might not be allocated as you would choose. A homemade will can be problematic if the correct legal formalities are not carried out or if the details are unclear. We suggest you contact a solicitor.

If you have a share of an estate, you can leave the remainder of your estate, or a percentage of it, once family and friends have been provided for. This is the type of gift many supporters choose to make, because it has the added benefit of keeping its value over time—it isn’t affected by inflation. For cash (pecuniary) gifts, you can specify a particular amount of money.

We are a UK charity (registered charity number 264278), so the gifts that people generously leave us in their wills are exempt from inheritance tax and may also be exempt from capital gains tax.

If you would like to leave a cash (pecuniary) legacy to us but have already made a will, you don’t have to re-write your will. Instead you can add a codicil, which is a legal document amending the terms of your will. If you wish to leave a share of your estate to us, it is best to re-write your will. Please speak to a solicitor, and he or she will be able to advise you.

You don’t have to tell us anything. But we do love to hear what has inspired you to include us in your will.

If you wish your gift to go to a specific ministry area that’s especially important to you, we will be pleased to honour that request whenever possible—and we also appreciate gifts that can be used wherever they are most urgently needed.

When the executor is in a position to pay your legacy, we’d be grateful if they could send a cheque to: Counties, with paperwork identifying what type of gift has been left to the charity.

If Counties has been left a share of an estate, the value of the gift depends upon the estate value when the assets are sold and what liabilities, and other gifts, are paid. In order to know how Counties’ part of the estate has been calculated, we need a copy of the will and a copy of estate accounts. We need this information to comply with charity law and the requirements of our auditors.

A deed of variation can be used by a beneficiary to redirect their inheritance to a charity such as Counties, and because UK charities are exempt from inheritance tax, this can reduce the overall inheritance tax due on the estate.

Got a question? We're here to help.

If you’ve got a question that’s not answered here, get in touch with our supporters team by phone 01373 823013 or email office@countiesuk.org