Can I Leave Money or Property to My Grandchildren?

Yes. Grandchildren can be included as beneficiaries in your will.

You can decide what you would like them to receive and how you want that gift to work.

This may be something straightforward, such as a fixed amount of money, or something more flexible, such as a share of your estate.

The important point is to make your intentions clear, particularly if your grandchildren are young or your family may change in the future.

What Can I Leave to My Grandchildren?

You can leave grandchildren many different types of gifts, including:

• a fixed amount of money;
• a particular possession or family keepsake;
• property or an interest in property; or
• a percentage or share of your remaining estate.

Each option works slightly differently.

For example, leaving £10,000 to a grandchild creates a fixed gift. Leaving them 10% of your estate means the amount they eventually receive will depend on the value of your estate when you die.

There is no single right approach. It depends on what you want the gift to achieve.

Can I Leave My Grandchildren a Share of My Estate?

Yes.

Rather than leaving a particular amount, you can give grandchildren a percentage or share of your estate.

You might decide that your children and grandchildren should both receive something, or you may want grandchildren to inherit only if their parent has died before you.

These choices can produce very different outcomes, so the wording of the will needs to reflect your intentions clearly.

What Happens if One of My Children Dies Before Me?

This is an important situation to think about.

For example, you may intend to leave part of your estate to your daughter, but she dies before you and leaves children of her own.

The law contains rules that can allow a gift left to a child or other direct descendant to pass instead to their descendants if they die before you.

However, the wording of the will can affect what happens.

Rather than relying on a default legal rule, your will can therefore set out what you want to happen if someone dies before you.

Can My Will Include Grandchildren Who Haven’t Been Born Yet?

Yes.

You do not necessarily have to name every grandchild individually.

A will can describe beneficiaries as a group, such as “my grandchildren”. This can allow grandchildren born after the will is made to be included.

This can be particularly useful where a family is still growing.

However, gifts made to a group of beneficiaries have their own legal rules, so the wording should be drafted carefully to make sure the intended grandchildren are included.

What if My Grandchildren Are Under 18 When I Die?

A grandchild who is under 18 can still inherit under your will.

However, they will not normally receive and manage the inheritance themselves while they are still a child.

Instead, the inheritance can be held and managed for them until they reach the age set out in the will.

You can also consider whether trustees should have flexibility to use some of that money for the grandchild while they are growing up.

There are separate decisions to make about the age at which a grandchild should inherit and whether additional flexibility or protection is appropriate.

Do I Have to Treat All of My Grandchildren the Same?

No.

You can decide how you would like your estate to be divided.

For some families, leaving every grandchild the same amount feels right. For others, dividing the inheritance between different branches of the family may better reflect what they want.

Imagine you have two children. One has one child and the other has three.

Dividing an inheritance equally between all four grandchildren would produce a different result from dividing it equally between your two children’s families.

Neither approach is automatically right or wrong.

What matters is deciding what feels appropriate for your family and making sure your will produces that result.

Should I Name Each Grandchild in My Will?

You can name grandchildren individually, but you do not always have to.

Naming each grandchild can make it very clear who you want to benefit.

However, it also raises an important question: what happens if another grandchild is born after you make the will?

Describing beneficiaries as a group, such as “my grandchildren”, can sometimes provide greater flexibility.

The right wording depends on your family and whether you want the will to accommodate future changes.

What Happens if My Family Changes After I Make My Will?

Families rarely stay exactly the same.

New grandchildren may be born. Someone named in the will may die. Relationships may change. Financial circumstances can change too.

That does not mean every change automatically requires a new will.

It does mean that your will should be reviewed from time to time to make sure it still reflects your wishes and still works in the way you intended.

If changes are needed, they should be made formally rather than simply writing amendments onto the existing document.