Kings Court Trust Blog

Who died first? The latest High Court battle over inheritance

Handwritten Will found under sofa cushion in Aretha Franklin’s home

Introducing our new probate and estate administration solutions

Inheritance Tax investigations: Executors liable for mistakes

Probate fees from July 2019

The Office of Tax Simplification makes more recommendations to simplify Inheritance Tax

Probate applications continue to suffer severe delays

Understanding estate administration: A guide for families

Over £30million in Bitcoin stolen raising concerns about the safety of cryptocurrency

How much tax is payable to HMRC on a deceased person's estate?

Breaking traditions and marking historical changes: how the royal baby highlights the importance of planning ahead

Probate applications suffer severe processing delays

HM Courts and Tribunals Service centralisation plan to include closing probate registries

The increasing need for end of life care: Can we handle it?

Businessman takes £105million worth of cryptocurrency to his grave

Inheritance disputes set to increase as more British adults are willing to dispute a Will

What happens to your loyalty points when you die?

Sir Ken Dodd's lasting legacy avoids Inheritance Tax

The ongoing trend of leaving a digital legacy

HM Courts & Tribunals Service expands online probate application service

Case study: The estate of Mrs J

Electronic dance musician, Avicii, left no plans for his £20 million estate

2018 in review

The Office of Tax Simplification provides recommendations to simplify Inheritance Tax

The government move forward with changes to probate fees

Civil partnerships are set to be extended to mixed-sex couples

4 lessons we can learn from recent high profile deaths

Aretha Franklin reportedly died without a Will, leaving her multimillion pound estate to the rules of intestacy

What happens to property when someone dies

Arranging and paying for a funeral: The things you need to know

Cryptocurrency: Understanding what it is and how it could impact future inheritances

Playing the Generation Game: Details of Bruce Forsyth's Will revealed

Why is the cost of death rising?

The risks and responsibilities of an Executor or Administrator: How to avoid a hefty Inheritance Tax bill

What is the difference between probate and estate administration?

The royal wedding: The impact of marriage and changing family structures on Wills and estate administration

Prince’s heirs petition mismanaged money as legal fees escalate, leaving little to pass on

Bereavement damages only for married couples could be a thing of the past

Disputes over inheritance – ‘Modern life’ to blame?

Does the legal sector need to be more transparent about pricing?

New year, new Will?

What ever happened to the government’s new ‘death tax’?

In the news: Estate decimated by legal fees

Sir Bruce Forsyth - playing the Generation Game

Leave more for your loved ones. Plan ahead and make future savings.

Prince’s siblings will inherit his $200 million estate following a year long legal battle

Baby boomers unaware of risks of intestacy

Debt higher than savings for over 50s

Proposed probate fee increases scrapped ahead of General Election

Could the increase in probate fees be unlawful?

The majority of the population wants financial advice to deal with their retirement

Millions of Brits banking on inheritance windfalls

Remember a charity week 2016

Record number of charitable legacies left in 2015

Government makes changes to Inheritance Tax rules for non-doms

Judge overturns Will after brothers challenge its validity

Why is it important to talk about dying?

Britain’s top billionaire avoids huge Inheritance Tax bill

I’ve been named as an executor. What does this mean?

A quick guide to Inheritance Tax

Going the extra mile for our customers

Keeping your Will safe - Why is it important?

As an executor, am I personally liable?

What’s involved in the estate administration process?

What happens to your estate if you die without a Will?

First steps after death

How to deal with Trusts in Wills

Citizen’s Advice reports sharp rise in queries regarding intestate estates

What needs to be done when someone dies? The importance of administering the estate

What happens to your digital legacy when you die?

Why should I prepare a Will?

What is a LPA and how would it help me?

Latest accreditation demonstrates Kings Court Trust commitment to quality

Lucian Freud’s estate uses portrait to offset Inheritance Tax bill

Could there be a battle ahead over Prince’s fortune?

Lynda Bellingham’s sons taking legal action to challenge her Will

Significant increase in homeowners liable for Inheritance Tax

70% want to leave a legacy for their grandchildren

How Kings Court Trust ensures that your inheritance is safe

Inheritance Tax payments jump to record levels

Could the rise in number of unmarried couples be linked to increased Will disputes?

96% of executors are unaware of their legal liability

Cost of funerals driving families into debt

Kings Court Trust’s response to the planned reform of Grant of Probate fees

Majority of people unaware of risks posed by DIY Wills

Change in Scottish legislation could impact validity of Wills

Rise in probate fees could see bereaved families struggle

Rise in public awareness sees more LPAs granted

Charities to appeal decision in Ilott inheritance case

Grieving families face significant rise in probate fees

Rock star or not, everyone needs a Will

9/10 customers would recommend us to a loved one

The emotional stress of dealing with a bereavement

Merry Christmas From Kings Court Trust

Average cost of professionally written Wills drop

The risk of miscalculating your Inheritance Tax - You could be branded a criminal

Regulation of Will writing popular amongst the public

UK Councils pick up £1.7m bill for so-called 'paupers funerals'

Banks change limits on monetary releases following death

Labour makes calls for significant changes to Inheritance Tax Laws

Can I reclaim inheritance tax on my father's shares now that the value has fallen?

Charity supporters update their Wills at 10,000 feet!

The Responsibilities of Becoming an Executor

Lower inheritances leading to more disputes and fraud cases

Bereavement Services - The modern approach to supporting your clients

How to manage your estate in the digital age

Kings Court Trust Helps to Develop Government Framework for New Probate Apprenticeship

The most peculiar Will requests

Inheritance Tax relief on charitable donations leading to more contested Wills

DIY Wills "could cause family disputes" warns legal expert

Ten of the strangest Wills of all time

Legacy income boost for charities

President of Gabon to give away inheritance

Do you fully understand the new Inheritance Tax (IHT) regulations?

Over 33% of Brits reliant on inheritance for financial future

The new Inheritance Tax rules - Good news or too complicated to understand?

272-year-old legacy could see teenage boys receive £20,000

Landmark Ilott ruling may boost demand for professional Will writing

More than 16% of over 60s leave a charitable donation in their Will

Daughter excluded from mother's Will wins £164k inheritance in landmark case

Businessman leaves £8m worth of Ferraris to RNLI in Will

British public failing to make inheritance plans

Do you still need a foreign Will to cover your European holiday home?

What Not to Do When Estate Planning

Man hides inheritance from government to claim benefits

How a cheap Will could leave your family in ruins

How a £90 Will from Barclays cost a woman half her father's house

What do our Wills say about us?

Thousands of UK families to miss out on IHT break

Charities win landmark legal battle over 'death bed gift'

Fake Will salesman jailed

Cinderella-like figure has £120k Inheritance stolen from half-sisters

Dying Matters Awareness Week: 18-24 May 2015

Long-term estate planning - the new norm?

25% of Brits won't leave an inheritance

Unregulated probate providers a risk to elderly individuals

Blackadder actress' Will leaves fortune to be divided amongst children

Councillor found guilty of defrauding disabled brother out of inheritance

Landowners offered new route to protect their land for future generations

Heir of multi-millionaire jailed for IHT evasion

What Exactly is a Will?

Artwork from Lucien Freud estate left to UK galleries

How Inheritance Tax (IHT) could be made fairer for all

Probate lawyer wins revolutionary Inheritance case

New IHT rules herald changes to Wills

When William Herd died he left £300,000 but his only son never saw a penny: Why you must write a Will

Facebook Legacy Contacts Now Available

First Steps After a Death

Looking to spend your children's inheritance?

Dying in Leeds one of the highest costs in the country

Will writing services now available on shopping channel

Online Wills searched more than six million times in one month

Older separating couples failing to update Wills

The effects of unregulated Will writing highlighted

Case Study: 'Wills on Fire!'

Reforms to IHT promised by conservatives ahead of general election

Daughter of pilot enters into row with MoD regarding IHT

Mother revealed to have stolen £20k of daughter's inheritance

Millions of Wills now available online

Lack of Dementia Diagnoses Leading to Rise in Will Disputes

Legacy of Victorian Explorer Discovered by English Law Firm

IHT Discussed in Autumn Statement

IHT Break Estate Criticised for Limiting Public Access to Land

Beneficiaries of Farm Permitted to Sell Land Despite Will Dispute

Cohabitants Could Inherit Nothing Under New Intestacy Laws

Inheritance Tax for Council Tenants

Baby Boomers Likely to Spend Inheritance Rather Than Save

35% of Over 50s Have No Will

Outdated Wills Could Cost Up to £10,000

KCT Autumn Seminar Success

PM: Inheritance Tax Should Only Be Paid By The 'Mega Rich'

Middle-Aged Individuals Cannot Expect Inheritance

ICAEW Announce First ABS Able to Carry Out Probate Work

Changes to Inheritance Law Encouraging Adults To Make A Will

Cost of Wills Due to Decrease Significantly

Plans to Increase SRA's Fining Powers Scrapped

Artwork Received By Government Instead of Tax Payments

Increased Competition To See Probate Cost Fall By 33%

People From South Yorkshire Given More Leniency When Changing Wills

Myton Hospices Encouraging People To Donate In Their Will

Charity Income From Gifts In Wills Increase By Nearly 10%

Bath In Top Ten Most Expensive Places For Cremations

Will Disputes - Why Are The Number of Cases Rising?

ICAEW Becomes ABS Licensing Authority

Will Fraud and the Benefits of Will Registration

Will Claims Triple as Families Pick DIY Executors

Law Society Enjoys 65th Year of Legal Aid

Internet Overtakes Friends and Family As Main Way to Find a Solicitor

Inheritance Tax Recovery Reaches £3.4 Billion

KCT October 2014 Seminars - We're Off to the Racecourses!

SRA Publishes Risk Outlook For 2014-2015

Changes to Trusts & How It Can Affect You

Why Updating Your Will Is Important

Middle-Class Londoners Qualify For IHT Due to Rising House Prices

Pros and Cons of Using Skype For Will Writing

Regulation of Will-Writing Might Still Be on the Agenda - LSB Chief

Government Plans to Promote LPAs and Will-Making

Government Urged to Use Tax to Over Soaring Funeral Costs

SRA Seeks to Ease Regulatory Pressure on Multi-Disciplinary ABSs

Inheritance and Trustees Power Act 2014

Do Your Loved Ones Know Your Dying Wishes?

Lakeland Mountain For Sale to Pay £9m IHT Bill

Summary of Seminar Success

Government Decides Against Reform of Legal Regulation

More Councils Seek ABS Status to Stay Viable

Latest Figures Show Rise in Personal Probate Applications

Number of ABSs Surpasses 300

Probate Fees Increase from 22 April

London Cemetery Offers Live 4G Video Feed from the Graveside

Prime Minister Pledges to Lower IHT

Dying Matters: You Only Die Once

ICAEW & CILEx Approved to Regulate Probate Work

Estate Valuation Challenges by HMRC Generate £108m extra IHT

Over 50% of Brits Unaware of the Current IHT Threshold

Post-death Control of Digital Assets

No Family & No Will?

The Importance of Estate Planning

Is Your Will Really Stored Safely & Securely?

Is a GP The Best Person to Conduct Mental Capacity Assessments?

Ensure Your Will is Correctly Signed & Witnessed

How is Mental Capacity Defined and Assessed?

Presumption of Death Act Delayed

LSB Supports ICAEW's Bid to Regulate Probate Work

Number of Estates Liable for IHT to Double in 4 Years

What is Probate?

Joint Accounts Now Routinely Frozen if Capacity Lost

UK Inheritance Figures Total £75bn from 2008-2010

Autumn Seminar Success

Day of the Dead: A Time to Remember Loved Ones

Rising Number of Law Firms Fail to Secure Indemnity Cover

Changes in Royal Succession Law Could Prompt Selling of Britain's Historic Estates

LSB Abandons Attempts to Get "General Legal Advice" Reserved

What Happens to your Affairs Should You Lose Mental Capacity?

ABSs Starting to Make Waves

What is the Purpose of a Will?

Rising Cost of Dying Hits £7,622

Calls For Independent Legal Services Regulator

Pension Savers Advised to Update Records to Avoid Inheritance Disputes

What is the Future For Claims Against Estates?

Cremated Remains Left Unclaimed at Funeral Homes

Winner Leaves Beneficiaries in Financial Mess

The Re-Use of Graves: Unacceptable Practice of Practical Solution?

Digital Life After Death

IHT Receipts Surge to Highest Level Since 2007

Kings Court Trust Secures Investment for Growth of Partner Network

7m Homeowners in the UK Yet to Make a Will

What Can Be Done to Stop Mail Addressed to a Person Who Has Died?

Children to Receive Lessons on How to Cope With Grief

Consumer Panel Remain Insistent on Path to Will Writing Regulation

Quarter of Older Britons Plan to Leave No Inheritance

More Big Changes for the Legal Services Market?

Treasury Doubles Income From Assets of People Dying Intestate

Government Decides Not to Reserve Will Writing

Would You Record Your Last Wishes on Video?

War Graves in Wales to Have QR Codes Installed

More People Going Online for Legal Services

Will Writing & Probate Top Reasons for Approaching Legal Firms

Today Marks the Start of Dying Matters Awareness Week

Margaret Thatcher's Legacy Details Remain Unknown

What's Happening in the Legal Services Market?

April Seminar Success

Dying Matters Awareness Week 13-19 May 2013: Be Ready For It

Google's New Feature to Plan Digital Afterlife

Scotland Delays ABS Introduction Until End of 2013

One Step Too Far or a Great Digital Legacy?

Parliament Passes Presumption of Death Act

Court Decides Next of Kin Inherit After Declaring Will Invalid

Your First Steps Following a Death

SRA Improves Lower Risk ABS Application Process

Inheritance Law Changes Mean Parents May Be Forced to Rewrite Wills

The ABS - A Key Driver of Change

What is a Trust?

Law Society to Challenge ICAEW's Bid to Regulate Probate

STEP Disappointed With LSB's Decision on Estate Administration

Council Tax Hike to Hit Beneficiaries of Empty Homes

CLC & CILEx To Apply to Regulate Will Writing

LSB Calls for Regulation of Will Writing

Government to Freeze IHT Threshold to Fund Elderly Care

Public Health Funerals on the Rise in Leeds

Will Regulation Help Curb Rise in Disputed Wills?

HMRC Issues Update on Sale of Deceased's Land at Profit

Is Your Will Valid?

Government Contemplates IHT Changes for Non-UK-Domiciled Spouses

Legal Services: A Time of Change

DIY Probate - Did You Know…?

Why is Executor Choice Important?

DIYers - Beware of Tax Penalties for Innacuracy

Over 400 Firms Choose ABS Path With SRA

The Rise of Digital Wills

New Year ABSs From the SRA

Inheritance Tax Threshold to Remain at £325,000

The LSB Asks "Should General Legal Advice Be a Reserved Activity?"

ICAEW Seeks to Regulate Accountants for Probate Work

Bernard Matthews' Failed End-of-Life Wishes Teach Us a Valuable Lesson

Law Society Responds to LSB Consultation

LSB Baseline Report Paints Mixed Picture of Legal Services Market

40 ABS Applications Reach Final Phase in SRA Approval Process

LeO Rejects Plans to Receive Complaints from Third Parties

Survey Shows Quality and Service is What Consumers Value Most

Conveyancers Join the Steady Stream of Companies Granted ABS Status

New Charter to Lay Out Natural Burial Standards

Licensed Conveyancers Back CLC Move to Regulate Will Writing and Estate Administration

Why is Anti Money Laundering Important in the Estate Administration Process?

YouGov Report Shows Importance of Complaint Handling

Why Now is the Perfect Time to Make a Will

58% of Britons Don't Have a Will - Are you One of Them?

Talking About Death Makes Britons Uncomfortable

Dying Becomes Costlier in London so More Residents Opting for Basic Funerals

Natural Funerals Becoming More Popular in Britain

STEP Brings in New Protocol for Banks Handling Deceased Clients' Accounts

Social Security Agency Rolls Out One-Call Service for Bereaved

Will Writing, Probate and Estate Administration as Reserved Activities: LSB Opens Final Consultation

As an Executor, am I Personally Liable?

Welsh Health Boards Have Spent £400,000 on Funerals Since 2008

Total Cost of Dying Falls But Funeral Costs Continue to Rise in 2012

LSB Sets Out Measures To Assess the Effect of Legal Market Reforms on Access to Justice

August Surge for SRA Brings Total Number of ABS Licences to 27

Can I Pass On My Digital Music When I Die?

Registering a Death

Death Rate at Record Low - 2011 ONS Data

Council Changes Ashes Procedure Following Family Complaint

Cost of Dying Rose to a Record £7,248 Last Year

Rising Interest In Becoming a Scottish ABS

CLC Respond to LSB Recommendations

Kings Court Trust Becomes ABS

BBA Advises Against Regulating Banks for Will Writing and Estate Administration

Death Does Not Extinguish Debt

What Are the Benefits of a Lasting Power of Attorney?

What Happens to our Digital Data When We Pass Away?

Fortune Lies Unclaimed as 6 in 10 Scots Die Intestate

Government Focus Shifts Towards Short-Term Bereavement Support

Law Society Backs Mandatory Regulation of Will Writing Activity

More Government Support for Families of Missing People

Law Society to Launch Will Writing and Probate Accreditation Scheme

Institute of Chartered Accountants Seeks to Regulate Probate Work

Dying Gets Costlier for Most Vulnerable

Parents Can Build Up Their Children's Wealth with Gifts into Trusts

Why Is It So Important to Talk About Dying?

Walking Down the Aisle Comes With Financial Perks

Testing the Waters

Government Seeks to Close Tax Loophole for Homes Bought Through Offshore Companies

Detailed Wills Spare Relatives Trouble When the Time Comes

First Will Writer Becomes Regulated as ABS

Have You Paid Too Much Inheritance Tax?

Gift 2% - Helping Everyone to Help Charities in their Wills

UK Funeral Pre-Payment Market in Focus: Forward Planning

Little Things Mean a Lot

Fixed Fees and Transparency the Order of the Day

A Relief to Reduce Your Inheritance Tax Bill?

The 'Tell Us Once' Service

What to Do When Someone Dies: Do I Need a Probate Solicitor?

What to Do When Someone Dies: Taking Those Important First Steps

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

How Does Inheritance Tax Work?

Do I Need Probate?

What Happens to your Estate When You Die Without a Will? Are the Rules Changing?

Demystifying Estate Administration Part Two: After the Grant of Probate

Bereavement is a Difficult Time: Face-to-Face or Faceless?

Do You Plan Your Life or Dream?

Storing Wills: Don't Spread Important Documents Around too Thinly

Demystifying Estate Administration and Probate: Part I. Getting Started, Finding the Will and Applying for a Grant of Probate

How to do Estate Administration?

Kings Court Trust Unveils its New Look!

Legacies to Peak in 2047 and Halve Within 15 Years…

How to Cope With Bereavement and the Bereaved

DIY Probate Uncovered

A Perfect Storm

Charitable Giving in a Tough Climate

Choosing Your Executors

Administering Estates with Overseas Assets

For Those Left Behind - How to Handle Intestacy

A Short History of Inheritance Tax

A Fair Price for Probate