Can I Leave Money for My Pet in My Will?

A gift in a will has to be made to a legal person, meaning an individual, a company, or an organisation such as a charity, capable of holding property in its own right. An animal does not have this legal status, so a clause purporting to leave money 'to' your dog or cat has no legal effect and would not work as intended.

This is why the standard approach is to leave money to the human carer instead, on the understanding, often reinforced by a letter of wishes, that it is intended for the pet's benefit.

There is no official guidance or standard figure for a pet legacy. A reasonable approach is to estimate the animal's likely remaining lifespan and multiply that by realistic annual costs for food, insurance, routine vet visits and any known ongoing treatment, then round to a figure you are comfortable with.

Some people prefer a simple round sum instead of a detailed calculation, particularly for a healthy young pet where costs are hard to predict years in advance. Either approach is acceptable; what matters most is that the amount is proportionate to your overall estate and does not create unfairness to other beneficiaries.

Once a cash legacy is paid to your chosen carer, it legally becomes their own money, in the same way any other inheritance would. They are not obliged to spend it on the pet, or to account to anyone for how they use it, unless you have set up a formal trust with specific conditions attached.

For most pet owners this informal approach, backed by trust in the person chosen and a written letter of wishes, works perfectly well. It only becomes a real concern if you are unsure whether the person you are leaving the pet and money to will actually follow through.

English law allows a limited category of trust known as a 'trust of imperfect obligation' or 'purpose trust', which can be used to hold money for the purpose of caring for a specific animal, with a trustee responsible for applying the funds towards that purpose and for handling what happens to any money left over after the animal dies.

These trusts have specific rules, including limits on how long they can run for, and need to be drafted carefully to work as intended. They add cost and complexity, so they tend to be used only where a pet owner wants strong legal assurance that the money will genuinely be used for the animal, or is leaving a substantial sum.

For the majority of pet owners, a straightforward gift of the pet plus a cash legacy to a trusted named carer is simple, inexpensive and effective, and can be arranged through a well-designed online will service alongside the rest of your will.

If you are considering a trust of imperfect obligation, are leaving a significant sum specifically for a pet's care, or have concerns about the reliability of the person you would otherwise ask, take advice from a solicitor to make sure the structure works as intended.