Free Will Ireland

Writing a Will is something many of us put off. It is normally quite a simple process and provides real peace of mind to you and your loved ones.

Including a gift to a charity in your will is increasingly popular in Ireland.

Free Will Ireland campaigns are February and September. However, you can use a Free Will voucher provided by a charity, any time of the year.

Free Will Ireland

Free Will Ireland

Writing a Will is something many of us put off. It is normally quite a simple process and provides real peace of mind to you and your loved ones.

Including a gift to a charity in your will is increasingly popular in Ireland.

Free Will Ireland campaigns are February and September.  However, you can use a Free Will voucher provided by a charity, any time of the year.

Free Will Ireland

Who Can Use It?

The Free Will Ireland service is, for the most part, by invitation from one or more of our partner charities.

  1. Group 1 – Many people using the Free Will Ireland service are contacted by a charity they already support. If this is you, you can include that charity in your Will, but are under no obligation to do so.
  1. Group 2 – If you have not been contacted by a charity, but would like to avail of the Free Will Ireland service AND are a supporter of one of our partner charities, please contact them directly to tell them you would like to avail of the service. We hope you will include the charity in your Will, but are under no obligation to do so.

Reminder. If you are in Category 1 or 2 above, please contact your charity (not FreeWill) as they will provide a voucher and have all the necessary information for you. We ask you to read the Q&A information below however also.

Who Can Use It?

The Free Will Ireland service is, for the most part, by invitation from one or more of our partner charities.

  1. Group 1 – Many people using the Free Will Ireland service are contacted by a charity they already support. If this is you, you can include that charity in your Will, but are under no obligation to do so.
  2. Group 2 – If you have not been contacted by a charity, but would like to avail of the Free Will Ireland service AND are a supporter of one of our partner charities, please contact them directly to tell them you would like to avail of the service. We hope you will include the charity in your Will, but are under no obligation to do so.

Reminder. If you are in Category 1 or 2 above, please contact your charity (not FreeWill) as they will provide a voucher and have all the necessary information for you. We ask you to read the Q&A information below however also.

Who Else Can Use The Service?

Group 3 – If you admire the work of our partner charities but are not currently known to them, please leave your details below and we’ll be in touch. The online will and solicitor will review options are available to you, BUT to avail of the Free Will Ireland service, we ask that you indicate in advance that you will include one (or more) of our partner charities in your will. You can of course add others also. If you do not plan to support any of the charities listed on this website, we ask that you use an alternative service to complete your will. We can recommend one such online provider on request – with a 25% discount available when you reference Free Will Ireland.

Please use this form to contact us if you are not currently known to our partner charities but are interested in supporting one or more of them in your will. 

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Who Else Can Use The Service?

Group 3 – If you admire the work of our partner charities but are not currently known to them, please leave your details below and we’ll be in touch. The online will and solicitor will review options are available to you, BUT to avail of the Free Will Ireland service, we ask that you indicate in advance that you will include one (or more) of our partner charities in your will. You can of course add others also. If you do not plan to support any of the charities listed on this website, we ask that you use an alternative service to complete your will. We can recommend one such online provider on request – with a 25% discount available when you reference Free Will Ireland.

Please use this form to contact us if you are not currently known to our partner charities but are interested in supporting one or more of them in your will. 

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name*

FAQ’s

Free Will Months takes place every February and September and offer people from age 53+ the chance to have a ‘simple’ Will written or updated for free. If you are part of a couple looking to make a ‘mirror’ Wills, only one of you needs to be 53 or over.

The service and coverage are increasing.  The service covers Republic of Ireland (RoI) only. The online and Will review service are open to all in RoI. There is coverage in certain areas for in person solicitor meetings to make your new free will.

Most people availing of this service will use the free online option. We also have a number of solicitors who can provide a face to face service (Group 1 and 2), which is available in certain areas and during FreeWill months.

A Will is a legal document outlining what will happen to your estate (such as your property, money and possessions) when you die. There’s no legal requirement to have a Will, BUT if you want to ensure your estate goes to certain people or a particular charity, writing a Will is the best way to make this happen. 

If you have children, as well as providing for them financially, a Will also presents the opportunity to nominate a legal guardian who would look after them in the event you are no longer around. 

Having a will can help your beneficiaries better plan from a tax perspective.

Writing a Will also enables you to state your funeral wishes.

This PDF outlines basic guidance and a simple template for a Letter of Wishes focused on charitable gifts.

If you die without making a Will, this is known as ‘dying intestate’, your estate will be shared out according to certain rules – the rules of intestacy.  BUT every legal advisor will tell you, a good will makes life far simpler for those left behind.

Yes, online wills are used by more and more people and are equally valid. They are best used in less complex situations.

Yes, you can do so. There is a fee for this but this can give additional peace of mind for some. See ‘Your Will’ section of this website.

We organise awareness campaigns in February and September but you can make a free online at any time will with us if you qualify for this service.

FAQ’s

Free Will Months takes place every February and September and offer people from age 53+ the chance to have a ‘simple’ Will written or updated for free. If you are part of a couple looking to make a ‘mirror’ Wills, only one of you needs to be 53 or over.

The service and coverage are increasing. There are still gaps and we continue to address this. Charities, please ask solicitors you engage with regarding gifts to consider joining. Members of the public, likewise feel free to ask your local solicitor to contact us to consider getting involved. The service covers Republic of Ireland only.

Most people availing of this service will use the free online option. We also have a small number of solicitors who can provide a face to face service, but this is only available in certain areas and during FreeWill months.

A Will is a legal document outlining what will happen to your estate (such as your property, money and possessions) when you die. There’s no legal requirement to have a Will, BUT if you want to ensure your estate goes to certain people or a particular charity, writing a Will is the best way to make this happen. 

If you have children, as well as providing for them financially, a Will also presents the opportunity to nominate a legal guardian who would look after them in the event you are no longer around. 

Having a will can help your beneficiaries better plan from a tax perspective.

Writing a Will also enables you to state your funeral wishes.

This PDF outlines basic guidance and a simple template for a Letter of Wishes focused on charitable gifts.

If you die without making a Will, this is known as ‘dying intestate’, your estate will be shared out according to certain rules – the rules of intestacy.  BUT every solicitor will tell you, a good will makes life far simpler for those left behind.

Yes, online wills are used by more and more people and are equally valid. They are best used in less complex situations.

Yes, you can do so. There is a fee for this but this can give additional peace of mind for some. See ‘Your Will’ section of this website.

We organise awareness campaigns in February and September but you can make a free online at any time will with us if you qualify for this service.

Free Will Ireland - Legacy Calculator
Free Will Ireland - Legacy Calculator

Further Information

1. Residuary bequest: A percentage of whatever is left in your estate after all debts have been settled and all other bequests made – what’s called the residue. Residuary bequests are so called because people choose to leave this remainder to their favourite charities, knowing they have already taken care of any loved ones. An increasing number of people are choosing this option so that gifts to charities are often less likely to lose their value as time passes.

2. Pecuniary bequest: A gift of a specific sum of money, small or large. 

3. Specific bequest: A gift of a particular object, such as a family heirloom, or property, such as your home.

Anybody can do so, but more women than men do. A higher proportion of legators supporting charities are single or are couples and single people who do not have children. They may leave very significant amounts.

If you have e.g. 3 children, you could instead leave 33% of the value of your net assets to each one and the remaining 1% to charity (each would then forego just a third of one percent). With people living longer, our inheriting children are often older and can be well set up in life. Smaller family sizes can also mean that more is available to leave. We ask that, if availing of the Free Will Service, you give very strong consideration to including one or more charities in your Will.

People in Ireland are generous. Based on Irish research by Campaign Solutions, those who leave a gift in their will for charities leave on average two or three gifts.  These are rarely under €500 per charity and tend to average closer to €6k – €8k for cash gifts and amounts are normally higher when a person leaves a percentage / residuary gift. The latter can ensure that a gift made today is less likely to lose value in the future.

Some remarkable people of course choose to leave all or most of their estate to charities. These can be very significant gifts that are transformational for the recipient charity.

A gift in your will is a wonderful way to support a cause or charity close to your heart. It’s good for you, it’s good for the charities and its good for society.

Once written, it’s crucial to keep your Will somewhere safe and secure. Many solicitors will store your Will free of charge if they wrote it, or for a small fee if they didn’t. Another option is to simply keep your Will at home – just make sure you put it somewhere safe and inform your executors so they know where to find it.

Author, Maeve Binchy famously changed her will nearly every year. Generally, it’s a good idea to review your Will regularly or after life events such as getting married, buying a house, having children or if your partner passes. 

If you want to make a minor amendment to your Will, you can add a supplement known as a codicil. This will need to be signed and witnessed in the same way as when the Will was first written. 

Should you need to make any significant changes to your Will, you’ll need to make a new one and cancel the existing one. 

Gifts left to charities are completely tax-free for the receiving charity. Adding charities to your will may be a factor in reducing the tax payable that loved ones might otherwise incur. It is advised that you seek the advice of a professional regarding taxation and your Will.

Further Information

1. Residuary bequest: A percentage of whatever is left in your estate after all debts have been settled and all other bequests made – what’s called the residue. Residuary bequests are so called because people choose to leave this remainder to their favourite charities, knowing they have already taken care of any loved ones. An increasing number of people are choosing this option so that gifts to charities are often less likely to lose their value as time passes.

2. Pecuniary bequest: A gift of a specific sum of money, small or large. 

3. Specific bequest: A gift of a particular object, such as a family heirloom, or property, such as your home.

Anybody can do so, but more women than men do. A higher proportion of legators supporting charities are single or are couples and single people who do not have children. They may leave very significant amounts.

If you have e.g. 3 children, you could instead leave 33% of the value of your net assets to each one and the remaining 1% to charity (each would then forego just a third of one percent). With people living longer, our inheriting children are often older and can be well set up in life. Smaller family sizes can also mean that more is available to leave. We ask that, if availing of the Free Will Service, you give very strong consideration to including one or more charities in your Will.

People in Ireland are generous. Based on Irish research by Campaign Solutions, those who leave a gift in their will for charities leave on average two or three gifts.  These are rarely under €500 per charity and tend to average closer to €6k – €8k for cash gifts and amounts are normally higher when a person leaves a percentage / residuary gift. The latter can ensure that a gift made today is less likely to lose value in the future.

Some remarkable people of course choose to leave all or most of their estate to charities. These can be very significant gifts that are transformational for the recipient charity.

A gift in your will is a wonderful way to support a cause or charity close to your heart. It’s good for you, it’s good for the charities and its good for society.

Once written, it’s crucial to keep your Will somewhere safe and secure. Many solicitors will store your Will free of charge if they wrote it, or for a small fee if they didn’t. Another option is to simply keep your Will at home – just make sure you put it somewhere safe and inform your executors so they know where to find it.

Author, Maeve Binchy famously changed her will nearly every year. Generally, it’s a good idea to review your Will regularly or after life events such as getting married, buying a house, having children or if your partner passes. 

If you want to make a minor amendment to your Will, you can add a supplement known as a codicil. This will need to be signed and witnessed in the same way as when the Will was first written. 

Should you need to make any significant changes to your Will, you’ll need to make a new one and cancel the existing one. 

Gifts left to charities are completely tax-free for the receiving charity. Adding charities to your will may be a factor in reducing the tax payable that loved ones might otherwise incur. It is advised that you seek the advice of a professional regarding taxation and your Will.