Frequently asked questions about leaving a gift in your will

Yes, there are several ways you can leave a gift in your will.

You can leave:

• A sum of money (a pecuniary gift)
• A percentage of whatever’s left over to Breast Cancer Now, after all your other gifts of money and items have been distributed (a residuary gift)
• An item you wish to leave – this could be anything from jewellery to a house (a specific gift)

Please ask your solicitor to include this information:

Breast Cancer Now
Ibex House 42 - 47 Minories
London
EC3N 1DY

A charity registered in England and Wales (1160558), Scotland (SC045584) and Isle of Man (1200).

Please note – if you included in a gift in your will to either of our former charities, Breast Cancer Campaign, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Care or Breast Cancer Research Trust, your gift will automatically come to Breast Cancer Now. You do not need to update your will with the new charity name.

We are part of a Free Will Network so our supporters can have their will written for free.  Complete our online form to find a solicitor near you.

The National Free Wills Network will put you in touch with solicitors in your area who will help you make or amend a simple single or mirror will for free. There’s absolutely no obligation to include a gift to us in your will, but we hope that you’ll consider doing so.

Your solicitor will be able to word a gift for you, but you may find the following examples helpful:

A gift of money (a ‘pecuniary’ gift)

You can index link your gift if you wish, to stop it losing value over time.

I give to Breast Cancer Now of Ibex House 42-47 Minories London EC3N 1DY Charity Registration Number 1160558 in England and Wales, SC045584 in Scotland and 1200 in Isle of Man the sum of £….. for its charitable purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executors. 

A gift of whatever’s left over (a ‘residuary’ gift)

I give to Breast Cancer Now of Ibex House 42-47 Minories London EC3N 1DY Charity Registration Number 1160558 in England and Wales, SC045584 in Scotland and 1200 in Isle of Man …….% of my residuary estate for its charitable purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executors.

It’s a tax on your estate if it is worth more than an amount set by the government – currently £325,000.

If you are married, or in a civil partnership, there is no Inheritance Tax to pay on gifts you give them. So you can give them as much as you like during your lifetimes, as long as they live in the UK permanently. The tax-free sum can also be carried over to the surviving partner so that their estate can be worth £650,000 before becoming liable for inheritance tax. 

Inheritance tax is paid out of your estate – what you leave behind – not by the beneficiaries in your will. The tax is currently charged at 40 per cent on anything above £325,000. If your estate is worth £500,000, inheritance tax at 40 per cent would be due on £175,000. So £70,000 would be payable to HMRC, which would be deducted from your estate before your wishes were carried out.

However, if you own your own home, then your tax-free threshold can increase to £500,000 as long as you leave your property to your children or grandchildren and your estate is under £2 million.

Gifts to charity in your will are tax-free – If you put a gift in your will to Breast Cancer Now, it will be deducted from the value of your estate before the taxman calculates how much inheritance tax, if any, is payable.

To find out more about Inheritance Tax, visit gov.uk/inheritance-tax or contact your solicitor.

£500 could pay for us to share the stories of people affected by breast cancer, to thosewho make the big decisions about breast cancer treatments and care for people with this devastating disease.

Or could allow a person with breast cancer to talk freely and regularly over the phone with a trained volunteer who understands their particular concerns, through our Someone Like Me support service.

£750 could give someone with secondary breast cancer the expert information they need and a space to talk openly with others at eight Living with Secondary Breast Cancer sessions

£1,000 could let a scientist read the DNA of a tumour. By doing this, they can figure out what it is that makes tumours form, grow and spread – then find ways to stop that from happening and save lives.

Or could help a younger woman with breast cancer feel less isolated by attending a two-day event with expert information, support and a space to connect with others under 45 with the same diagnosis.

£5,000 could pay for an incubator for growing cells. They can then be used in experiments to learn how cancer grows and spreads – so we can one day stop that from happening.

£10,000 could fund over 300 hours of research.

£15,000 could give up to 50 people struggling to find their new ‘normal’ somewhere to turn after their treatment by funding our four-week Moving Forward courses for a year in their local area.

£30,000 could offer a lifeline of support to 1,000 people affected by breast cancer, by funding our Helpline for a month.

From £100 to £1 million and beyond, every gift will make an impact.

When it comes to supporting breast cancer research and support, gifts of all sizes can make a big difference. After taking care of loved ones, some people leave £100, others £1,000, a few leave a house. Many leave a percentage of anything left over after all their other gifts have been distributed. Every gift will make an impact and help make sure no-one in the future goes through breast cancer alone and no-one loses someone they love.

You can read our annual statement to find out how we are spending our supporters’ money.

If there’s anything else that you’d like to know about leaving a gift in your will please get in touch call us on 0333 20 70 300 or email us at gifts@breastcancernow.org