Leave a legacy FAQs

Absolutely! Here are three simple steps to get you started when considering making, or amending, your will:

1. Think about what you have – your estate and assets – and who you’d like to be your executor.
2. Choose who you will remember in your will, including family, friends and the causes you care about, like Bible Society.
3. Decide who will write your will. We strongly suggest using a solicitor to make sure everything is legal and valid.

Having a valid will in place is important for you because otherwise your money, property and possessions might not be allocated as you would choose. A homemade will can be problematic if the correct legal formalities are not carried out, or if things are unclear. We suggest you contact a solicitor.

You can find a Christian Lawyer through the Lawyers Christian Fellowship. Alternatively, if your affairs are complex you may prefer a solicitor who specialises in wills and probate. You can find a suitable contact at STEP.

• With a share of your estate: you can leave the remainder of your estate, or a percentage of it, once family and friends have been provided for. This is the type of gift many supporters choose to make, because it has the added benefit of keeping its value over time – it isn’t affected by inflation.
• With a cash [pecuniary] gift: you can specify a particular amount of money.

We are a UK charity (registered charity number: 232759) so the gifts that people generously leave us in their wills are exempt from Inheritance Tax, and may also be exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Our Head of Legacy Giving would be happy to discuss how you can manage your estate in the most tax-efficient way possible but please note we are not allowed to provide you with investment, tax or legal advice.

If you would like to leave a cash (pecuniary) legacy to us but have already made a will, you don’t have to re-write your will. Instead you can add a codicil which is a legal document amending the terms of your will. If you wish to leave a share of your estate to us it is best to re-write your will. Please speak to a solicitor and they’ll be able to advise you.

We are thankful for all the gifts we receive that help us in our mission to bring the Bible to life. We are especially grateful to have gifts in wills that can be used wherever they are most urgently needed at the time we receive them, but we also understand your wish for your gift to benefit a specific part of our work that’s important to you (e.g. our work with young people through a programme like Open the Book or Mary Jones World). Simply tell us what your wishes are and we will be pleased to honour them wherever possible.

When the executor is in a position to pay our legacy, we'd be grateful if they could send us a cheque to: Head of Legacy Giving, Bible Society, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon, SN5 7DG. Cheques should be payable to either 'Bible Society’ or ‘British & Foreign Bible Society’. If a bank transfer is preferred please contact us for further information. Ideally any accompanying paperwork should accompany the payment so we can identify what type of gift it is. If we've been left a share of the estate the value of the gift depends upon the estate value when the assets are sold and what liabilities, and other gifts, are paid. To enable us to understand how our part of the estate has been calculated we will need a copy of the will and a copy of the estate accounts. We need this information to comply with Charity Law and the requirements of our auditors. Our Head of Legacy Giving would be pleased to help executors as needed.

In 1986 our head office moved from 146 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4BY to Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon, SN5 7DG. The gift is valid with either of these two addresses but please ensure all correspondence is sent to us in Swindon.

A Deed of Variation can be used by a beneficiary to redirect their inheritance to a charity such as Bible Society and because UK charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax a gift such as this can reduce the Inheritance Tax due on the estate. Please contact us if you would like to include a gift to us via a Deed of Variation.

You don’t have to tell us anything. But we do love to hear what has inspired you to include us in your wills – and these stories are a real encouragement to us!

This is a wonderful way to celebrate the life of a loved one, and at the same time passing on God’s word to future generations. Visit biblesociety.org.uk/donate-inmemory to make a donation online.

When adding Bible Society as a beneficiary to your will, we suggest you use the following wording to ensure your gift is valid. Any gift to Bible Society will make a difference. A residuary gift is popular because it takes care of others [family and friends] first and remains proportional to the value of your estate by keeping pace with inflation.

• Residuary gift (A share of your estate). To leave a residuary gift, we suggest the wording:

‘I give …….  percent of my residuary estate to Bible Society (Charity Registration No. 232759), Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon SN5 7DG to be applied for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of the finance director or appropriate officer shall be a complete discharge to my trustees.’

• Pecuniary gift (cash sum) To leave a pecuniary gift (cash sum), we suggest the wording:

‘I give £…..  to Bible Society (Charity Registration No. 232759), Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon SN5 7DG to be applied for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of the finance director or appropriate officer shall be a complete discharge to my trustees.’