Blended families
Second marriages, stepchildren and children from earlier relationships are among the most common reasons people make a will, and the circumstances where wording matters most.
Reviewed by the Estate Advisory Group editorial teamLegally reviewed: 13 August 2026Last updated: 13 August 2026
- Do Stepchildren Inherit if There Is No Will?The intestacy rules do not recognise stepchildren at all, however close the relationship.
- How to Include Stepchildren in Your WillThe word 'children' means something specific in law, and it may not include the stepchildren you intend to benefit.
- Making a Will With Children From a Previous RelationshipBalancing a current partner and children from an earlier relationship is the single most common blended family will problem.
- Making a Will After a Second MarriageMarriage cancels an existing will automatically, which catches out a lot of people who assumed their old will still stood.
- Protecting Children From a Previous Relationship in Your WillSeveral legal tools exist to protect children from an earlier relationship, but most of them need a solicitor to work properly.
- Do Grandchildren Inherit if Their Parent Has Died?Grandchildren can inherit in place of a parent who has died first, but only if the will or intestacy rules provide for it.
- Can I Leave My House to My Children but Let My Partner Live There?Yes, but it needs a life interest trust, not a simple gift, and there are practical questions to settle in advance.
- Wills for stepparentsStepchildren have no automatic right to inherit, so a will has to name them directly.
- Providing for a second spouse and childrenTrusts can protect a spouse's home while preserving what passes to your children.
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Other guidance
- Make a willEverything you need to make a will in England and Wales: what a will does, what it costs, whether you can write your own and what makes it legally valid.
- Signing and witnessingHow to sign and witness a will correctly in England and Wales, who can act as a witness and the mistakes that stop a will taking effect.
- Executors and beneficiariesChoosing executors, naming beneficiaries, leaving property, money and possessions, and what happens to a gift if a beneficiary dies before you.
- Wills and familyWills for parents, married and unmarried couples, mirror wills, guardians, and how marriage, divorce and separation affect an existing will.
- Will guidesWhat happens if you die without a will, the intestacy rules, when to update a will, how to change one and whether you need a solicitor.
- Inheritance and giftsWho you can leave your estate to, leaving everything to one person, unequal shares between children, grandchildren, friends and the age children inherit.
- Property and willsWhat happens to a home when you die: joint tenants and tenants in common, leaving your share, mortgages, and whether an unmarried partner inherits.
- What happens when you dieWhat happens to bank accounts, joint accounts, pensions, ISAs and savings when someone dies, and how a will changes who ultimately benefits.
- Tax and estatesInheritance tax and wills explained: the nil rate band, residence nil rate band, spouse and charity exemptions, gifts and who pays the tax.
- Digital assetsWhat happens to your phone, email, social media, photos, online accounts and cryptocurrency when you die, and how to cover them in your will.
- Pets and willsWhat happens to your pet when you die, how to include a pet in your will, leaving money for their care and gifts to animal charities.
- Business ownersMaking a will if you own a business: company shares, sole trader businesses, partnership interests and what happens when an owner dies.
- Life eventsWhen to make or update a will: buying a home, moving in together, marriage, a new baby, travelling abroad, retirement and later life.
- Online willsMaking a will online in England and Wales: what it costs, fixed fee will writing, online versus DIY wills, and how quickly you can get one done.
- Gifts and wishesLeaving jewellery, cars, heirlooms and cash gifts in a will, giving different gifts to different people, and recording funeral and cremation wishes.
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