By Mencap
Writing a Will helps make sure your wishes are carried out after you’ve passed away. It can bring peace of mind, reduce stress for loved ones, and even support the good causes you care about.
But only if it’s kept up to date.
Many people write a Will then never look at it again. However, reviewing your Will every five years or after major life events is crucial to make sure your assets are distributed as you intend.
It’s also important to review your Will when the
law
Laws are the rules that everyone in the country has to follow. If you don't follow the rules you can get in trouble with the police.
changes.
From April 2027, pensions will no longer be exempt from Inheritance Tax
This means that if you have a lot of money left in your
pension
A pension is money you get when you are older to pay for the things you need. You can pay money into your pension when you are working so there is more money for when you are older.
when you pass away, it could become subject to Inheritance Tax.
HMRC have confirmed that while the reduced rate of 36% Inheritance
Tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like income tax, VAT and council tax.
will still apply if you leave 10% of your estate to charity, this 10% will now be calculated including the value of your pension. As a result, you may need to update the wording of your Will or review your pension nominations to ensure your estate still qualifies for the reduced rate.
There are other changes happening too.
Your solicitor may have included wording in your Will about leaving money “for charitable purposes”. These are known as general charitable trusts and historically have qualified for Inheritance Tax benefits.
However, due to updates linked to the Finance Act 2026, they may no longer automatically qualify for the same Inheritance Tax treatment unless the gift is left directly to a named charity.
This means that if your Will contains a general charitable trust, updating it to name the charity you’d like to support could help avoid delays and potential tax complications, while making sure your gift reaches the causes close to your heart.
At Mencap, gifts in Wills make up over half our fundraised income.
We’re hugely grateful for gifts left to us, helping us to continue to campaign A campaign is when people work together to try to change something. , support and empower people with a learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. .
How to write or update your Will
If you’d like to write or update your Will, you can do so for free with the National Free Wills Network, which offers free appointments with a local solicitor. There is no obligation to remember a charity when using the service A service gives people what they need, like healthcare services that help people when they are ill, and support services that give people support. .
Request a pack with participating solicitors in your area or phone our friendly team on 020 7696 6917.
Thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund for their generous grant, funding this work.