Dying without leaving a Will

Dying without leaving a Will could mean...

Making a Will is relatively straightforward and not very expensive. However, in spite of this, seven out of ten people in the UK die without a Will.

The directors of Will Drafters Ltd, David Crossland and Michelle Hanover, are now urging people to make a Will.

"In the absence of a signed Will, and for those living in England and Wales (rules vary in Scotland), the government dictates who gets what of your estate, depending on your domestic circumstances", said Mr Crossland.

Here are the current rules as to who gets what:

Married with Children (separated people are treated under these rules as still being married)

Your spouse gets:-

a) car and house contents, plus

b) first £125,000 of your estate, plus

c) 6% interest on half of any surplus (only interest, your spouse cannot touch the capital)

Plus, your children (stepchildren get nothing) get:-

a) half of any excess over £125,000 outright, plus

b) the other half of the excess when your spouse has also died

Married with No Children but with Parents and/or Brothers and Sisters

Your spouse gets:-

a) car and house contents, plus

b) first £200,000 of your estate, plus

c) half of any excess over £200,000 outright

Plus, your parents or (if none alive) your brothers and sisters get:-

a) Balance ie half of any excess over £200,000 outright

Married with Children and No Parents or Brothers and Sisters

Your spouse gets everything

Single, Widowed or Divorced (but not separated)

Everything goes to your children (if any), otherwise to your parents (if alive), otherwise to your brothers and sisters (or their children), otherwise your grandparents (if alive), otherwise your uncles and aunts (or their children), otherwise to the government!

"At Will Drafters, we offer a convenient Wills-by-phone service and have written over 80,000 Wills since we founded the company in 1990", said Miss Hanover.

For further details and a free Will brochure Click Here

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