Charities as beneficiaries: what personal representatives need to know

74% of people in the United Kingdom support charities during their lifetime. However, only 7% leave gifts to charities in their wills. Legacy income is predicted to reach over £6 billion by 2050. Charities are now preparing to plan, invest and be ever more creative to maintain and increase their legacy income, in a market that is becoming more crowded.

Topics covered include:

• Personal representatives:
  • Notification of benefit
  • Rights to information
  • Keeping in contact
• IHT considerations:
  • Burden of IHT
  • Grossing up
  • Reduced rate
  • Post death variations
• Claims against the estate
  • Ex-gratia claims
  • Misnamed charities
  • Cy-pres doctrine
  • Professional negligence and maladministration
  • Costs of executor and/or professionals
  • Contested legacies
• Other considerations
  • Charities and the duties of charity trustees
  • CGT and appropriations
  • Charities Act 2022
  • Estate and trust accounts: issues for charities
  • Best practice in relation to Form R185