Kailah Eglington CEO
If you would like to have an informal and confidential chat about how your legacy could help the DHT contact me on: 01462 436819
Leave a legacy
Charitable giving is a common activity in Great Britain and as a country, the UK ranks 4th in the world, giving over £8.2 billion to charity last year. Recent research by Philanthropy UK showed that over 70% of adults give money regularly to charity every year yet only 7% leave a gift to their favourite charity in their will.
Apart from the fact that many people find legacies a “no-go” discussion area as it’s too close to the subject of dying, many perceive that legacies require huge sums of money or could mean a sacrifice for their family.
However, legacies can be a wonderful way to celebrate your life, keep your memory alive and continue to help those causes that are important to you even after death, without excluding family and friends.
You can either leave a fixed sum (known as a ‘Pecuniary Legacy’), or part or all of your estate once other gifts have been distributed (known as a ‘Residuary Legacy’). Legacies can also be in the form of gifted items such as property, jewellery, stocks or shares (known as a ‘Specific Legacy’).
Bear in mind though that if your estate (including any assets held in trust and gifts made within seven years of death) is valued over the current threshold of £325,000, then 40% Inheritance Tax will be payable on anything over this amount.
You can reduce the amount of Inheritance Tax due by leaving a legacy to charity, from April 2012 people who leave 10% or more of their estate to charity will receive a 10% reduction in their inheritance tax bill. The added benefit of leaving a legacy to a registered charity is that no Inheritance Tax will be paid on that gift. Gifts made to a charity in the seven years prior to your death will also be exempt from Inheritance Tax. Take care, however, as this does not apply to legacies left to not-for-profit organisations; the organisation must be a registered charity in order for the tax exemption to apply.
The DHT is a registered charity, so leaving a gift to us is completely tax free and every penny of your gift will go to helping the animals. By leaving us a legacy, you will give animals a chance to live without fear and pain and you will be making a significant contribution to medical progress.
This must be one of the greatest gifts any of us can give to our children and grandchildren – creating a world where all life is precious.
We rely solely on donations. We do not receive Government funding and that is why leaving a legacy to us is so vitally important. Whether your legacy gift is large or small, leaving something to us will make a difference.
For more information about leaving a legacy download our Legacy Pack here or if you would like us to send you a copy please complete the form below. If you are a pensioner, we may also be able to help you with the costs of writing a Will. If you would like to discuss this further or have any queries relating to leaving a legacy, contact our Chief Executive, Kailah Eglington, for a confidential discussion.