Still not got round to making a will? Here’s what will happen to your assets if you die without one…

##If you’re married or in a civil partnership but don’t have a child or children… Your surviving “spouse” will receive all of your estate without any financial limit.

##If you’re married or in a civil partnership but do have a child or children… Your surviving “spouse” will receive your personal belongings, the first £250,000 and half the remainder. The other half goes to the children at age 18.

##If you’re not married… Nothing goes automatically to a partner if you have one. The whole of your estate will pass to any child/children that you may have. If you have no children, your estate either goes to your parents, or your brothers and sisters, or your aunts and uncles, or to the state.

If you’re not married and your partner dies, you receive nothing automatically and will only do so if you’re a dependent. Then you may have to make a claim at court.

##What’s the benefit of being married or in a civil partnership? On death, a tax-free allowance of £325,000 applies to each person. If you’re married, you can transfer this to your surviving spouse, giving a total tax-free allowance on death of £650,000.

If you want to change any of the above, you’ll have to make a will.

##5 reasons why you should instruct a solicitor:

1. Your solicitor will not put a clause in your will which allows for charges of usually 10% of the value of your estate – but many non-law firm websites do
2. You get specialist advice that could save you Inheritance Tax
3. You can make sure that people you know are put in charge of your estate on your death and carry out your wishes
4. Solicitors care and make sure your will represents your true wishes
5. If you don’t make a will, someone who you don’t want to receive money may well do so, particularly the taxman

##For an easy and hassle-free way to make a will Please call Steve Walker or Paul Mounce today on 01482 324252 or email sw@gosschalks.co.uk or pm@gosschalks.co.uk to see how we can help you.

You can find out more about drawing up a will here or you can complete your will nitial enquiry online with us by clicking here. Once received, your details will be passed to one of our solicitors who will make contact with you shortly afterwards. We always aim to meet when possible to discuss your wishes in detail to ensure that every one of them is taken care of precisely how you require.

Click here For more details about our Private Client services.