If you're single, with no children, and not particularly wealthy, you may have assumed a will is something to think about later - when there's a partner, or a property, or a child to plan for. The honest answer is that single people without children are one of the groups where intestacy goes most badly wrong.
Without a will, there's no spouse to default to and no children to inherit. The estate passes through a long chain of relatives - parents, siblings, half-siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins - and ends up with whoever happens to be at the top of the surviving list. That's rarely the person you'd have chosen. And if there's no one alive in the chain, the estate goes to the Crown.
This guide walks through what actually happens to a single person's estate without a will, why a will matters even for modest estates, and how to structure one when you don't have an obvious "default" beneficiary.
Intestacy for single people without children
Under the Administration of Estates Act 1925, the order of inheritance for an unmarried person with no children is:
- Parents (in equal shares if both are alive).
- Siblings (or their children if a sibling has predeceased - the share passes through "per stirpes").
- Half-siblings.
- Grandparents.
- Aunts and uncles.
- Half-aunts and half-uncles.
- The Crown (bona vacantia) if no one above is alive.
Each level only inherits if no one in a higher level is alive. So if your parents are alive, they take everything - regardless of how close you were to your siblings, friends, charity, or partner. If your parents have died but you have siblings, the siblings take everything - even a sibling you haven't spoken to in twenty years.
The chain has no flexibility. It can't recognise close friends, an unmarried partner, godchildren, charities you cared about, or anyone outside the bloodline.
Why intestacy is particularly poor for single people
Married people have a default - their spouse - that often roughly matches what they'd have wanted anyway. Parents have children, who again roughly match the intended beneficiaries.
Single people without children rarely have such a clean default. The relatives who happen to inherit under intestacy are usually not the people you would have chosen if asked. Common mismatches:
- A long-term unmarried partner who inherits nothing.
- Close friends who you'd have wanted to leave something to but who are invisible to the rules.
- A favourite niece or nephew who only inherits if their parent (your sibling) has died.
- A charity you supported all your life that gets nothing.
- A godchild you helped raise who's not on the list at all.
(If this article is the prompt you needed, start your will online - it takes 15-30 minutes.)
The bona vacantia problem
If you have no surviving relatives in any of the categories above, your entire estate goes to the Crown as bona vacantia. The Treasury Solicitor (or Duchy of Cornwall / Lancaster, depending on where you lived) administers it.
Each year, the government publishes a list of unclaimed estates. Many of them are people who died alone with savings and a flat that nobody knew about, leaving everything to the state by accident.
A will - even a one-page will leaving everything to a chosen friend, charity, or distant relative - prevents this entirely.
What single people typically include in a will
A will for a single person without children usually includes:
- Executors - one or two people you trust to administer the estate. Often a sibling, close friend, or professional executor. Always name a substitute.
- Specific gifts - particular items or sums to particular people. This is where a will for a single person really shines: you can leave your books to one friend, your jewellery to a sister, a cash gift to a godchild, a lump sum to a charity.
- Residue - the rest of the estate. Often split between several beneficiaries: friends, family members, or charities, in chosen percentages.
- Funeral wishes - whether you want burial or cremation, music, a humanist or religious service. Especially helpful when there isn't an obvious next of kin to make the call.
- Digital legacy - what happens to your social media accounts, online subscriptions, photo libraries. See our social media after death guide.
A single person's will can also do something a couple's will rarely does: be entirely about people and causes the testator chose, with no defaults to work around. It's an unusually expressive document.
Charitable gifts and inheritance tax
Charitable gifts in your will are completely exempt from inheritance tax. They reduce the taxable estate pound for pound.
There's also an enhanced rate: if you leave 10% or more of your net taxable estate to charity, the remaining estate is taxed at a reduced IHT rate of 36% instead of the standard 40%. For estates above the nil-rate band of £325,000 (frozen until April 2030), that can mean the charity effectively costs the estate much less than its headline value.
Many single donors choose to make a substantial charitable bequest knowing it both supports the cause and reduces the tax bill on the rest. Our inheritance tax guide covers the mechanics.
Pensions, life insurance, and the will
Even for a single person, the question of pension and life-insurance nominations matters. These pay out outside the estate to a nominated beneficiary.
If you've never updated the nomination forms - they may still name a parent who has died, or an ex-partner. Either case is a problem. Spend ten minutes with each scheme's online portal updating the nominations.
A pension can also be a major inheritance tax planning tool. Defined contribution pensions held outside the estate are typically free of IHT, and a well-chosen nomination structure can pass them straight to beneficiaries you've named.
For complex estates, we recommend you seek assistance from a Trusted Hands Advisor or your own legal advice.
Lasting Power of Attorney - the other document single people need
This sits alongside your will but solves a different problem. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) lets you appoint someone to make decisions on your behalf if you lose mental capacity - finances, health, where you live.
Single people without children are particularly exposed without an LPA. If you lose capacity (through accident, stroke, dementia) and there's no LPA, an application has to be made to the Court of Protection to appoint a deputy. It's slow, expensive, and often results in the appointment of a professional deputy who doesn't know you.
An LPA naming a sibling, friend, or trusted person costs £82 each (one for finance, one for health) to register with the Office of the Public Guardian. It's separate from a will and equally important.
> Ready to put a will in place? Trusted Hands turns these decisions into a 15-30 minute guided builder. Start free → - only pay when you download.
Funeral wishes and practical instructions
A will is also a place to record practical things that may otherwise fall to a distant relative or executor who barely knew you:
- Funeral preferences (burial, cremation, eco-burial, donation to medical science, type of service).
- People to be told (a list of names and contact details for the executor to notify).
- Pets - who looks after them, with a small cash gift to support them.
- Online accounts - a list of which to memorialise, which to delete. Our crypto and digital assets guide covers digital-asset planning.
These don't all have to be in the will itself - a letter of wishes alongside the will is often the right place. But they're worth recording somewhere your executor can find.
> Ready to start your will? Trusted Hands turns these decisions into a 15-30 minute guided builder. Start free → — only pay when you download.
Frequently asked questions
I don't have much - is a will really worth it?
Yes. The point of a will isn't only to direct large sums; it's to make sure the right people inherit what there is, that your funeral preferences are known, and that your estate doesn't accidentally end up with the Crown. A modest estate is exactly the situation where intestacy is most likely to produce odd outcomes.
Can I leave everything to a friend?
Yes - a friend can be a beneficiary and an executor. Many single people do exactly this. Make sure the friend is willing to take on the executor role, and name a substitute.
Can I leave everything to charity?
Absolutely. A 100% charitable estate is exempt from inheritance tax. Many single people leave significant or entire estates to charities they cared about during their lifetime.
What about my pets?
Pets can't legally inherit money in their own right. The standard structure is to leave the pet to a named friend or relative, with a cash gift "for the upkeep of [pet name]". A letter of wishes can guide the new owner.
Do I need a solicitor?
For a straightforward single-person estate, a guided online will builder is usually fine. For more complex situations - significant charitable gifts, business assets, overseas property, or a long-term cohabiting partner who isn't easily provided for - a private-client solicitor is worth the fee.
Ready to write your will?
Trusted Hands is a guided, plain-English will builder. You answer simple questions, see your draft as you go, and only pay when you're ready to download.
- Free to start - no card details to begin
- Smart Will Engine - only asks what's relevant to your situation
- Fixed price - no hourly bills, no surprises
- Annual updates option - keep your will editable as life changes