Inheritance and gifts
Deciding who receives what. These guides cover leaving your estate to a spouse, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or friends, unequal shares, and the age at which younger beneficiaries inherit.
Reviewed by the Estate Advisory Group editorial teamLegally reviewed: 13 August 2026Last updated: 13 August 2026
- Can I Leave Everything to One Person?Testamentary freedom lets you leave everything to one person, subject to limited exceptions.
- Can I Leave Everything to My Spouse?Most married couples can leave everything to each other, but children's interests are worth thinking through.
- Can I Leave Everything to My Children?Leaving everything to your children usually means the residuary estate, split however and whenever you choose.
- Can I Leave Different Amounts to My Children?You can leave unequal amounts to your children, but it is worth explaining your reasoning clearly.
- Can I Leave My Estate to My Grandchildren?You can leave gifts or your estate directly to grandchildren, usually held on trust until a chosen age.
- Leaving Money to a Child in a WillGifts to children under 18 are usually held on trust by your executors until a chosen age.
- What Age Can Children Inherit?Children inherit outright at 18 by default, but you can choose 21, 25 or a staggered arrangement instead.
- Leaving Money to Nieces and NephewsNieces and nephews are not automatically included in intestacy in most cases, so a will is needed to provide for them.
- Leaving Money to Friends in Your WillYou can leave gifts or your estate to friends; a will is the only way to make sure this happens.
- Can I Leave My Estate to Anyone I Want?You have wide freedom over who inherits your estate, subject mainly to claims under the 1975 Act.
- Leaving money to a grandchild under 18Money left to a minor grandchild needs to be held in trust until they reach the age you specify.
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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.
- 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.
- Blended familiesWills for second marriages and blended families: stepchildren, children from a previous relationship, grandchildren and protecting a partner and children together.
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