What happens if I die without a will?
If you die without making a will, your estate will be distributed according to intestacy laws, which will unlikely reflect your wishes. To protect your interests and your loved ones, ensure an up-to-date will is in place at all times.
Related FAQs
- Are there things I should be doing now to reduce the inheritance tax payable when I die?
- As a partner in a business what do I need to think about when making a will?
- Can I change my will by writing on it, or adding an extra page, as long as I sign everything again?
- Can I update my will after it’s been signed?
- Can making a will help me make sure I die in dignity if, for example, I am on life support or in a coma?
- Do I need a solicitor to create a will?
- Does making a will in the UK cover what happens to my holiday home in the Alps?
- How much will it cost to make a will or a lasting power of attorney?
- I’m making a will leaving everything to my new, much younger partner — can I stop my grown-up children challenging it after I die?
- I’m making a will that leaves my shares in our family company to my new husband, but my children don’t like him — can I force them to accept him as a shareholder?
- I’m planning on making a will but I’d like to do it myself — what do I need to think about?
- I want my daughter to inherit everything when I die but I want to stop her husband getting it if anything happens to her — can making a will help?
- If I already have an enduring power of attorney, is there any need to convert it into a lasting power of attorney?
- My elderly mother is worried about her money and who will look after her if she loses her memory — should she make a lasting power of attorney?
- My mother is thinking of making a will but she forget things all the time these days, and often gets confused — will it be valid?
- My net worth is well over the inheritance tax threshold — can making a will reduce inheritance tax?
- My ten-year old will need ongoing care for the whole of the rest of her life — what provision can I make for her when I’m making a will?
- My uncle seems incapable of making decisions and the bills are piling up — does the lasting power of attorney he has given me automatically take effect?
- Should I think about making a new will to replace the one I made years ago?
- What are the main duties and responsibilities of an executor of a will and who should I appoint as my executor?
- What do I do about property I own jointly with others when I’m making a will?
- What happens if I die without a will?
- Who can act as a witness to my will?
- Who should i contact to start with a will?
- Why should I make a will if my wife and kids will get everything anyway under the intestacy rules?