Charitable Gifts and Legacies Planner

Who this is for

The gifts you want to leave to good causes. Each charity has a line for its registration details, the gift as a fixed sum, an item or a share, and any purpose attached, and the totals show the whole plan at a glance.

Anyone thinking about leaving gifts to charities or causes in their will, before talking it through with a solicitor or will writer.

What this helps you track

• Which charities and causes you want to support
• Registration numbers and contacts, so each charity can be identified
• Fixed sums, items and shares of the residue side by side
• What a share might amount to, based on your own residue estimate
• Which gifts are already written into your will

How to use it

1. Write your name, the date and your solicitor or adviser's contact details.
2. If you want to see shares as amounts, enter your own estimate of the residue: what might be left after debts, costs and other gifts.
3. Give each charity a line with its registration number or reference, then enter the gift as a fixed sum, an item value or a share; fill only the column that applies.
4. Note any purpose or restriction you want attached, and tick in will once the gift has been included.
5. The share values and totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook; take the sheet to your solicitor or will writer.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What is the difference between a fixed sum and a share?

A fixed sum is a set amount. A share is a proportion of what is left once debts, costs and other gifts are paid, so its value rises or falls with the estate. The planner shows both so you can see the balance between them.

Where does the residue estimate come from?

From you. It is only there so shares can be shown as amounts, and nothing on the sheet supplies a figure. Leave it blank to see the percentages alone, and update it when your circumstances change.

Does the planner cover tax on charitable gifts?

No. The treatment of gifts to charity differs from country to country. The sheet gives no rates or rules; check where you are, or ask your solicitor or adviser.

Why record the registration number?

Charities can share similar names, merge or change name over time. A registration number or reference helps whoever writes the will, and later the executor, find the right organisation.