Legacies - making a lasting gift

80 per cent of us will give to charity during our lifetime, but only five per cent will remember a charity in our will. This page explains how you can make a lasting gift to support Adoption UK.

What are legacies?

At Adoption UK, we would like to encourage our members and supporters to consider, after remembering family and friends to leave a gift in their will to Adoption UK.
Remembering Adoption UK in your will is an excellent way to support our work in helping adoptive families for many years to come.

No will – what happens then?

Without a valid will, it is possible that your entire estate could go to the Crown, depriving your loved ones and favourite charities of your generosity. Even if you are married, living with a partner or have children, it is wrong to assume that they will automatically receive your estate, should you die.

What’s the best way?

There are two main ways that you can leave a legacy to Adoption UK.

1. The first is to leave a specified sum of money, or perhaps a specific item such as gift of jewellery, stocks or property. If you opt to give a specific cash sum you should remember that rises in inflation will affect the value of this over time and reduce the final impact of the gift. For example, a bequest of £1,000 that was written into a will in 1980 would now only be worth the equivalent of £380.

2. The second way is to leave the residue of your estate. After remembering family and friends in your will, you may like to leave some or all of what is left over to charity. This is the best way to leave a gift to charity as it is not affected directly by inflation so Adoption UK and the families we support will receive the maximum possible benefit from your generosity.

Gifts in Wills - the tax advantages

Leaving a gift in your will can be a highly tax effective way of supporting a charity. It can reduce the value of your assets and so cut the amount of inheritance tax on your estate.

Inheritance tax is payable on the total value of all your assets - including your home, car, investments and the value of your life insurance policy and/or pension. The tax is currently payable on the value of all assets over £270,000.

What to do next?

If you don't have a will, or want to amend your will to include a bequest to Adoption UK, please consult a solicitor. Remember, if you do include Adoption UK in your will, you don’t have to tell us that you have done so, unless of course you want to, in which case we would be delighted to hear from you.