What Is a Deed of Variation?
A deed of variation lets the people who inherit change who gets what after a death, often to save tax or skip a generation. Here is how it works and its limits.
Read guideGuides on after your death. Free, practical advice for England and Wales.
A deed of variation lets the people who inherit change who gets what after a death, often to save tax or skip a generation. Here is how it works and its limits.
Read guideMost estates pay no inheritance tax at all. If yours might, here are the main legitimate ways to bring the bill down, from the spousal exemption to lifetime gifts.
Read guideProbate is the legal process that gives your executor authority to deal with your estate after your death. Here is when it is required, when it is not, and how a will makes it simpler.
Read guideWhether your home passes to your spouse, children, or anyone else depends on how the property is owned and whether you have a will.
Read guidePhotographs stored in the cloud, cryptocurrency, online bank accounts, and social media profiles all need to be considered when you write your will.
Read guideInheritance tax is charged on estates above £325,000. Most estates pay nothing. Here is how the thresholds work, what is exempt, and what your will can and cannot do about it.
Read guideThe nil-rate band is the amount you can leave on death before inheritance tax applies. It has been frozen at £325,000 since 2009, and a separate allowance exists for people leaving a home to their children.
Read guideThe mortgage does not disappear. The debt remains, the lender must be notified, and what happens next depends on how you own the property and whether you have life insurance.
Read guideYou cannot change a will after someone has died. But beneficiaries can agree between themselves to redirect gifts using a deed of variation — and within two years of the death, this can also have tax advantages.
Read guideA straightforward probate application currently takes three to six months from death to final distribution. Complex estates, disputed wills, or property sales can push that to a year or more.
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