Help others –
leave a Will
What will be your legacy?
Leaving us a gift in your will
One of the best things we can do in life is to shape the way in which that life is remembered.
We all have a legacy to leave. It may not be financial, property or in kind. It may be your work for others, your contribution in the community or the care shown to friends and family. However, your estate may include assets that you would rather not pass to the Government.
The Inheritance Tax threshold is currently £325,000 but there is no tax to pay if you leave everything above the £325,000 threshold to your spouse, civil partner, a charity or a community amateur sports club*. (*https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax)
Our priority when writing a will is to make sure that the people and causes closest to us are provided for.
A wonderful way to celebrate a good life, well lived, is to enable the return to hope for someone that has suffered loss, trauma or a home. Sadly, homelessness is not a stranger to people anymore. It can visit at any time – after a marital breakdown, a prolonged illness, job loss or a similar misfortune. Mental and physical health is also deteriorating as money becomes harder to find. Homes with poverty inside are more likely to send their children to school with very little in their school bags but with a lot of mental baggage.
The consequence of these life blows may be the loss of everything, their home, their support network, a safe place to sleep at night, hot meals, their self-respect, and even their life-expectancy.
With tax thresholds as they are, you don’t need to be wealthy in order to create a legacy for others. Anything above the tax threshold will be taxed unless it is included in a will that benefits others.
Care for the future
At your bequest, you can change lives
Homelessness is expected to rise by 35% in the near future. Brighton and Hove has one of the highest ratios of rough sleepers per head of population with 75 per ‘000. Homelessness can be de-humanising. Dismissed as a statistic. Your gift will make the people it helps feel human again.
During a lifetime, 1 in 4 people will suffer from some form of mental illness. The majority
of those who receive help will be female. Our Gateway women’s support centre offers
a safe place with companionship, advice and safety.
Our Schools Team supports several schools in Brighton & Hove and impacts on the lives of over 8000 students a year, with mentoring, advice, one-to-one sessions and prayer/reflection spaces.
How much is hope worth?
£500 will support 150 rough sleepers with essential provisions and hygiene for a week.
£750 will provide materials for Gateway Women’s Centre weekly craft and art therapy classes for female clients and food provisions for those women facing financial and social hardship for up to a year.
£1000 is enough to provide our Antifreeze Homeless Centre with 100 sleeping bags. These will save lives, particularly during the winter months.
£10,000 will translate into a part-time schools worker to provide one-to-one mentoring for the growing number of young people experiencing anxiety and stress.
£50,000 equates to a deposit on a house to act as a stepping stone for people navigating their way back to normality.
Our Wills Partner – ACUMEN PEOPLE
ACUMEN PEOPLE is part of Acumen Law, an award winning, innovative and dynamic Law Firm, providing legal services in a different way by putting people first.
The company was set up as a sister firm to Acumen Law to assist existing and new clients with personal legal matters such as conveyancing, family matters and wills. This was fresh approach in the sometimes stuffy legal industry by adopting a more human approach in client relationships and the way the firm operates internally.
As a result, Acumen People are approachable, accessible and unpretentious.
This is important as a will can be something we don’t want to think about - or prefer to put off to another day.
Without a valid will or any will at all, the law decides who will inherit your estate and will deal with its administration. These ‘Intestacy rules’ will establish how your estate is passed on. There is no guarantee that this will be dealt with in the most tax efficient way - or who will administer or inherit your estate.
Acumen People can provide assistance with wills and estate planning by phone, email or a face-to-face meeting. To assist Off The Fence supporters, there is no fee for the initial consultation.
Once appointed, the costs start from £300 plus VAT for a single will and £450 plus VAT for a pair of wills, depending on the complexity.
Off The Fence has a non-profit making relationship of trust with Acumen Law that provides legal assistance to the charity.
How much does a will cost?
It is recommended to speak to a professional will writer, estate planner or solicitor when composing your will. Quite apart from anything else, this ensures that it is logical, legal and constructed to extract the maximum protection against Inheritance Tax. Of course, it is much easier than it used to be to write your own.
What if I change my mind about my will?
We understand that circumstances can change. You can change the content of your will at any time. We will never ask you to tell us whether you have left Off The Fence a gift in your will, although we're always very happy to hear from you, so we can say thank you.
What kind of gift could I leave to Off The Fence?
There are three types of gift you can leave in your will:
A share of your estate – This is a percentage of your estate after all other gifts and expenses have been paid. These gifts are very important to us as they usually maintain their value or increase over time. This also means you're less likely to need to amend it in the future.
A specific sum – This is a gift of a set amount of money.
A specific item – This could be something valuable such as an antique, painting, property or shares that we would sell.
If you already have a will and simply wish to add a gift to Off The Fence, you can complete a codicil form and store it with your will. A codicil is read alongside your will and allows you to make changes to your will, without having to rewrite it.
What about Inheritance Tax?
The Inheritance Tax threshold is currently £325,000 and there is no tax to pay if you leave everything above the £325,000 threshold to your spouse, civil partner, a charity or a community amateur sports club* https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax
However, Inheritance Tax rules can change so it’s always best to discuss your will and the type of gift you might like to leave with your solicitor.
How should I word my will? Do you have examples of legal wording when making a will?
If you decide to leave a gift to Off The Fence, it's really straightforward to include this in your will. All you have to do is give your solicitor our registered address and charity numbers and your solicitor will do the rest.
Address: Off The Fence, 37 Portland Road, Hove, BN3 5DQ
Registered charity numbers: 1108777
If you prefer, you can take the following wording to your solicitor. They will make sure your will is valid and that your wishes are followed.
A share of your estate
My bequest to Off The Fence of the residual estate (or a proportion of) - a residuary or percentage legacy "Subject to the payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses, I give the whole (residuary) or ______% of my estate not otherwise disposed of by this my Will to Off The Fence (Registered charity numbers 1108777) of 37 Portland Road, Hove, BN3 5DQ, for the general purposes of Off The Fence and I declare that the receipt of their Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge.”
A specific sum of money
My bequest to Off The Fence for a set sum - a pecuniary legacy "I give free of tax to Off The Fence (Registered charity numbers 1108777) of 37 Portland Road, Hove, BN3 5DQ, the sum of £______ for the general purposes of Off The Fence and I declare that the receipt of their Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge."
If you leave money to us in your will, you can rest assured that it will continue to make a difference in Brighton and Hove for many, many years to come.
For further information, visit these websites:
Remember a Charity: advice about making a will.
Citizens Advice: advice on creating a will and why it's important.
HMRC: the basics of inheritance tax.
GOV.UK: an overview of creating a will.
The Law Society: help with finding a solicitor in your area.
Please donate to our work today.
Please help us continue to deliver vital services to those most in need in Brighton & Hove.