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Charity & Philanthropy

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When it comes to charity and philanthropy, everyone has different ideas about how they want to benefit others and help the causes they care about. Our advisers can help you to structure a plan that suits your needs and benefits the causes that matter most to you.

You might want to create your own charity or foundation, or donate to an existing charity throughout your life. Some people might wish to leave a charitable gift in their Will. Whatever you decide, we’ll make sure that your gift or charitable structure complies with legal regulations. Our team can also help you take advantage of any tax benefits which are available when donating to charity.

Contact us to discuss how you would like to give to charity. Call today on 0370 1500 900 or contact us and we’ll call you back to set up a meeting.

How Can Irwin Mitchell Help With Charity and Philanthropy?

Whatever your goals, it’s important to choose a way to donate that suits you while also benefiting the charities you’re giving to. There’s no single approach to how you should do this, but we’ll look at your situation and what you’d like to achieve to advise you on:

  • Choosing the right charitable structure for you
  • Giving to charity during your lifetime or in your Will
  • Creating a charity through your Will
  • Using a deed of variation to transfer some of your inheritance to a charity
  • Donating through Gift Aid to let charities to reclaim the tax on your gift
  • Reducing Capital Gains tax through donating to charities
  • Taking advantage of the reduced rate of inheritance tax if you leave 10% or more of your estate to charities
  • Setting up, managing and restructuring charitable trusts
  • Resolving governance and compliance issues if you’re a trustee of a charitable trust.

Why Choose Irwin Mitchell?

We work with philanthropists, donors, trustees, executors of estates and Will beneficiaries so we have experience in dealing with different circumstances. You’ll get a tailored approach from our experts who’ll work with you to understand your unique situation.

As a firm, we commit every year to making a difference to the communities around us. Many of our partners also act as trustees for grant-making trusts so we have direct experience of the issues you could face. We can help you to deal with HMRC and Charity Commission requirements if you’re setting up a charity or dealing with ongoing compliance.

Many of our clients are high-net-worth individuals with complex estates spread across different countries. Our teams have the expertise to support your philanthropic efforts no matter where you’re based. With offices across the UK and access to a network of international experts we’ll make sure we meet your needs.

Call us on 0370 1500 900 or contact us online and we’ll call you back to set up a meeting to talk about your plans. There is no obligation to continue with us after this initial talk.

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Offices in 14 locations across the UK
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Helen Clarke
Helen Clarke Partner Meet the team

Charity & Philanthropy - More Information

Making a Will is simple. There’s a few ways to do it:

  • Online – the questionnaire only takes ten minutes to complete
  • By post – download the form and send it back to us
  • By phone – call and speak to us
  • In person – come and speak to us in one of our national offices.

We recommend our online or postal service if your estate is relatively straightforward. If you have more complex requirements, or you’d like to talk about tax-planning or asset protection options such as setting up a trust, we advise speaking to us on the phone or coming in to see one of our experts.

Call us today for an initial consultation on 0370 1500 100 – or use our online enquiry form and we’ll give you a call back.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, but some of the things to consider when making a Will are:

  • The value of your estate – inheritance tax (IHT) is generally due on anything over the £325,000 threshold (£650,000 for married couples and civil partners) once mortgage and other debts are deducted
  • A new IHT allowance of £125,000 may apply if you own a property and leave some of your estate to relatives like children and grandchildren.
  • How you own your assets – if you co-own property with your spouse, the type of tenancy you have will affect whether or not they can continue to live there after your death
  • Who you want to leave your assets to (i.e. your beneficiaries)
  • Who you would like to be the executors of your estate
  • Whether some assets would be best placed in a trust for asset protection purposes.

These are important decisions to make and you should seek legal advice to make sure your estate is structured in the best way for you and your beneficiaries.

Read through our Wills Checklist to see if you’ve got everything covered.

Inheritance Tax (IHT) is a tax on the value of the assets that you own – your estate - when you die.

If you have a life interest or right to income in certain types of trusts, IHT can sometimes apply to these trusts’ assets as well. It can also be charged on any gifts to a trust that you’ve made in your lifetime.

IHT is taken from your estate before any assets are distributed between your successors. In some cases, certain assets might have to be sold to pay the tax.

There are a number of reliefs and allowances that reduce the amount of IHT that your estate must pay. For example, assets that you leave to a spouse or partner are exempt from IHT.

We can help you make the most of these reliefs and allowances and ensure that your successors can benefit from as much of your estate as possible. Contact us online to find out more.

Yes – we can advise on how to structure your Will to make sure any tax will be as low as possible. There are different ways you can reduce your inheritance tax bill, including:

  • Leaving money to charity
  • Setting up trusts
  • Giving away parts of your estate while you are still alive.

Preparing for inheritance tax is essential so that the value of your estate is not drastically reduced for your loved ones. With effective estate planning you can make sure your wealth is protected for the next generation – our lawyers and tax advisers can advise on the best way to do this.

Lifetime inheritance tax exemptions are also a valuable planning tool to consider, if you have spare income or capital that you can give away before your death. Our financial planners may be able to help you rearrange your assets so that you can make a gift of something in your lifetime and save your estate being taxed.

Read more about inheritance tax planning.

Estate planning combines legal, tax, and financial planning to help you manage and protect wealth for the future.

Whether you want to preserve income for later life or provide for your family once you’re gone, estate planning can help. Our solicitors can make sure that you and your family benefit as much as possible from your wealth for years to come

Successful estate planning ensures a smooth transfer of assets while paying only as much tax as is absolutely necessary. Inheritance tax is often the focus, but capital gains tax, income tax, and Stamp Duty Land Tax are all important too.

An international estate with assets or family members in different countries adds an extra layer of complexity to the planning process, especially for tax. We handle international estates for clients all over the world and have the detailed knowledge you need to manage your wealth efficiently – call 0370 1500 100 to speak to a member of our team.

Person relaxing by the sea with no legal problems

Irwin Mitchell are a very professional, trustworthy and straightforward company to deal with. I would recommend them to anyone."

Frank Clayton, client

Case Study - Changing A Will After Death To Improve Charity Donation

Our legal and tax advisors worked with the executors and beneficiaries of a Will to improve the way it gave to charity.

The Will originally stated that part of the estate should be left to charity without considering the effect of inheritance tax.

The executors wanted both the charity and the beneficiaries to receive the maximum benefit from the estate. We helped them to secure the reduced rate of inheritance tax with deed of variation of the Will.

By working with the executors and beneficiaries, we increased the amount left to charity through the deed of variation.

After the variation, the charity received a bigger donation. The individual beneficiaries of the Will had a smaller inheritance tax bill and received more than they would have inherited under the original Will.


"Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you. The meeting with us all last Sunday could have been overwhelming but your expert knowledge, skilful handling of the meeting and empathetic approach enabled us to take away a full understanding of the situation and to feel positive about the future – thank you" - Client

Read More Client Stories

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Help Me Change My Will?

Yes – we can help you write a new will or add a codicil to your existing will. A codicil is an addition to a Will that can amend or revoke parts of it. It can be enough if there are just one or two small changes, but if you need any substantial revisions it’s better to write a new Will to avoid confusion.

Our probate and tax experts can also check that your Will is structured in the best way for your estate and be able to advise on any amends where necessary.

Standard updates are free with our Wills Assured service.

What Is A Will Trust?

A will trust is an arrangement which comes into effect on your death, granting the named trustees control over assets on behalf of others (called the ‘beneficiaries’).

You might specify what the trust provides each beneficiary, or let the trustees have discretion over how and when they distribute funds. If this is the case you would lay out guidelines in a letter of wishes.

Who Can Be The Beneficiary Of A Will Trust?

Anyone can be a beneficiary. They might be:

  • A named individual
  • A class of people, such as “my grandchildren and their descendants”
  • A charity, or a number of charities
  • Any other organisation, such a as a company or sports club

It’s possible for people who haven’t yet been born to be beneficiaries – this allows you to plan for future grandchildren and other descendants.

Related Information - Charity & Philanthropy

Wills – more about writing or changing your Will to benefit your family and philanthropic efforts
Estate Planning – how to effectively pass your wealth on to the next generation
Tax Planning – how we can help you manage your taxes efficiently
Trusts – an effective way for many to protect wealth for the future

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

It's what we call 'expert hand, human touch'.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

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