Gifts in wills

Action on Depression care passionately about supporting people with depression to access the help they need.

Everyone has an interest in ensuring we can continue to be able to play that role in the future and meet the new challenges ahead.  Gifts in wills or legacies are hugely important to us in maintaining and developing our work and are the most special and personal way in which you can help people with depression in Scotland for many years to come.

Inheritance Tax

All gifts in wills to Action on Depression are free of Inheritance Tax. Inheritance Tax is the tax that is paid on your estate when you die, as well as on some assets that you may have given away during your lifetime.

Under current legislation, if the estate you leave behind is less than the inheritance tax threshold, your beneficiaries will not have to pay Inheritance Tax of 40%. However, if your estate is worth more than this, they will have to pay Inheritance Tax on anything beyond the threshold. Further details are on the HM Revenue & Customs website: www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/inheritance.htm.

Include us in your will

It is easy to include us in your will. All you need to do is to give the full charity name: Action on Depression and our addresss: 11 Alva Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4PH.

If you want to leave a legacy but would like to talk to someone as to how this should be done, or if you would like the legacy spent in a particular area in Scotland or for a particular purpose, please phone us on 0131 226 1803, e-mail: ilenad@actionondepression.org or write to Mark at: Action on Depression, 11 Alva Street, Edinburgh  EH2 4PH

If you have already made your will and would now like to include a gift to Action on Depression you will need to add a codicil or prepare a new will.

Kinds of gifts in wills

  • Residuary legacies A residuary gift in a will is a proportion of the money left after you have taken care of family and friends. Giving a residuary gift to a charity means that you can decide how much you want to give to others first and then decide on how the remainder can be split up.
    Action on Depression sometimes benefits from 100% of the residuary of an estate or may receive 25% or less, depending on how many other charities the legator wishes to be supported. If a very large number of different charities are supported the administration costs of the estate by the executor – usually a solicitor, may be significant, so it is best to choose a few good causes to support.

  • Pecuniary legacies A pecuniary gift in a will is a specific sum of money donated to a charity. It can be of any size – gifts of all sizes are very much appreciated by Action on Depression.

  • Gifts in kind A gift in kind means that you give a particular item – usually something valuable such as a piece of furniture or jewellery, or your house. The charity is then able to decide whether to keep and use the item or to sell it and use the proceeds to benefit the cause.

Words used in will writing and their meanings

  • Asset: Something that you own

  • Beneficiary: Someone who receives a gift or other benefit in a will

  • Codicil: An amendment to a will

  • Confirmation: The legal procedure that establishes that a will and codicil are valid. This procedure has to occur before the executor can carry out the terms of the will. This is the equivalent to the English term probate.

  • Estate: The monetary value of everything you own at your death

  • Executor: The person responsible for carrying out the terms of your will, usually a solicitor

  • Inheritance tax: Tax that your family may have to pay after your death. Details of the current tax threshold are on the HM Revenue & Customs website: www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/inheritance.htm

  • Legacy: A specific item or amount of money left to an individual or organisation such as a charity

  • Legator: A person who makes a will and leaves legacies or gifts in their will

  • Pecuniary: A specific sum of money left to a charity

  • Probate: The English term for confirmation (see above)

  • Residue or residuary: Remainder of an estate once all expenses have been paid and specific gifts in your will have been made

  • Will: A legal document that lists what you want to happen to your assets after your death. It must be signed, dated and witnessed by one person.