Legacies wording

Legacies - a quick guide

A legacy is a gift of money, property or possessions left in your will. If you decide to give to a charity, the gift is tax-free.

There are different types of legacies:

• A residuary legacy is a gift of the whole or a share of whatever remains of your estate after all other gifts have been distributed and any debts paid off.
• A pecuniary legacy is a gift of a fixed sum of money. You can protect this type of gift from inflation by linking it to the Retail Price Index.
• A specific gift is a tangible item such as a house, piece of jewellery, silver teapot or car.

Suggested wording

For a residuary legacy:

"I give _____________________________________* of the residue of my estate absolutely to Mind (The National Association for Mental Health) of 15-19 Broadway, London E15 4BQ, Registered Charity Number 219830, for its general purposes. I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors."
* State all or the percentage/fraction of the residue of your estate that you wish to leave.

For a pecuniary legacy:

"I give the following legacy free of tax to Mind (The National Association for Mental Health) of 15-19 Broadway, London E15 4BQ, Registered Charity Number 219830, the sum of___________________________________ (amount in figures and words) for its general charitable purposes. I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors."

For a specific gift:

"I give to Mind (The National Association for Mental Health) of 15-19 Broadway, London E15 4BQ, Registered Charity Number 219830, my _________________________* for its general charitable purposes. I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors."
* Add a description of whatever you wish to leave.

If you wish to leave a legacy to a local Mind association, please ensure you use that organisation's full name, address and registered charity number.