What Age Can Children Inherit?

If a will leaves money or property to a child and does not specify an age, the child is entitled to inherit it outright once they turn 18, the general age of legal majority in England and Wales. Before that age, the gift is held on trust for them by the executors or trustees named in the will.

For smaller gifts, or where a parent is comfortable with their child managing money from 18, this default can work perfectly well. For larger inheritances, many people prefer to delay full access until the child is a little older.

A common concern is that 18 is very young to receive a significant sum of money with no restrictions at all, particularly life insurance proceeds, the value of a share in a house, or a sizeable share of an estate. Choosing 21 or 25 gives more time for a child to develop financial judgement before the money is entirely in their control.

There is no single correct choice. Some families are comfortable with 18, especially for modest gifts; others prefer 25, particularly for larger sums or where a child has shown less financial maturity. It is a personal decision based on your own view of the individual child and the amount involved.

Choosing a later inheritance age does not mean the money is locked away and unavailable until then. Trustees are usually given powers to apply income or capital from the trust for a child's maintenance, education or general benefit before the vesting age is reached, for example towards school fees, university costs, or a first car.

This means a later inheritance age protects a child from receiving a large capital sum too early, while still allowing the money to be used sensibly to support them as they grow up.

For larger estates, some people choose to release an inheritance in stages rather than all at once, for example half at 21 and the remaining half at 25. This lets a child benefit from part of their inheritance earlier while still protecting the remainder for a little longer.

This kind of staggered structure needs to be worded clearly in the will so trustees know exactly how and when to make each distribution, and what happens to the remaining trust fund if the child dies before receiving it in full.

Whatever age you choose, it needs to be stated clearly in your will alongside the powers you want your trustees to have in the meantime. This applies to gifts for your own children, grandchildren, or any other young beneficiary.

My Posh Will's guided online process lets you choose an inheritance age of 18, 21 or 25 for gifts to children as part of your will. A single will costs £69 and mirror wills cost £89, both one-off payments with lifetime access, and the process usually takes about ten minutes, with signing and witnessing instructions included.