Writing a Will allows you to plan for the future and gives you peace of mind that the people and charities you love will be cared for when you're no longer here.
It is a deeply personal decision which you will want to spend time considering. We're here to help to ensure writing your Will is a quick and simple process.
Here we've answered some of the questions you may have about writing your Will:
We receive gifts of all different sizes. Whatever you can give will fund pioneering research to improve diagnoses, treatments and care for people who are blind or living with sight loss. Your generosity will also help people affected by sight loss get the support and opportunities they need to live a fulfilling life.
Gifts to charities are completely tax free. This means a gift to Sight Scotland can help to reduce the inheritance tax you pay on your estate. This is especially relevant to larger estates of over £325,000.
For more information, we recommend you visit gov.uk/inheritance-tax. It provides clear, up-to-date information on this issue. Alternatively, speak to your solicitor or tax adviser for guidance.
If you don’t have a Will, there’s no better time to write one than now. If you already have a Will, you should review it regularly, and especially at the time of any major life events, such as getting married, moving home or the birth of a child or grandchild. Having a valid Will ensures your wishes are carried out after your passing.
We can’t provide you with legal advice. If you have any legal queries or want confirmation your Will is valid, we recommend you speak to a solicitor or use our Will writing partner, Bequeathed.
You can, but one tiny error can invalidate your entire Will. That’s why we strongly recommend you use a Will writing service or solicitor to write one.
Please click here to read about Bequeathed, the free Will writing service we work with.
We also recommend you use the Law Society of Scotland’s ‘find a solicitor’ search tool to find a local solicitor. It’s available at lawscot.org.uk/find-a-solicitor
That is completely up to you. But if you do let us know, it will help us plan for the future more confidently, and we’d love to send you a thank you note for your generosity.
You can let us know your intentions by emailing our Gifts in Wills Team on giftsinwills@sightscotland.org.uk or calling 0131 446 3089.
We’ll treat any information you provide in the strictest confidence.
A share of your estate
This is known as a residuary gift. It is a percentage of your estate you may wish to leave to a charity after taking care of your loved ones and financial commitments.
Because a residuary gift is a percentage of your estate, it will keep its value over time.
Sum of money
This is called a pecuniary gift. It’s a fixed amount of money you include in your Will. It’s a good idea to regularly review pecuniary gifts, because the cost of living can reduce their value over time.
A specific gift
This is when you state in your Will that you would like to leave someone a specific item, such as a piece of jewellery, a painting or shares.
Gift in trust
This is a gift someone can use over a specified period of time, such as a property. Once that period ends, the gift can be passed on to a loved one or a charity.