The best way to get clarity on what you need to do as an executor is to fill out this form and a member of our team will be touch to offer bespoke support, including providing payment instructions.
Tell us about a giftCarry out out your loved one's final wishes with our practical, step by step guidance.
Legal terms used for Wills often cause confusion. Understand the meaning of these with our comprehensive glossary.
Sign up to hear updates on how your loved one's gift is making a difference to our research.
Email LegacyOperations@cancer.org.uk or phone 020 3469 8797 if you need help on:
Administering a Will
Paying in a gift or donation
General executor duties
Please note our phone line is open between the hours of 10 am to 2 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The simplest way to notify Cancer Research UK of a gift and receive bespoke support and instructions on payment is to complete our form. Otherwise please follow the steps below.
1. Send LegacyOperations@cancer.org.uk a brief note with your details, your loved one’s details, and a description of the gift
2. Pay in a legacy gift to Cancer Research UK using the following bank details:
NatWest Bank
CRUK Legacies
Account Number: 22994289
Sort Code: 56 00 13
If you’re making a payment, please make sure you reference the full name of your loved one.
If you’ve already been in touch with us, you can also include the reference number we’ve given you.
To include Cancer Research UK in your Will, please ask your solicitor to use our charity and address details below to ensure the gift reaches us.
Cancer Research UK, a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247).
Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.
An executor is the person named in a Will who sorts out the estate of the person who’s died. Your ‘estate’ is everything you own (your money, property and possessions). An executor has a legal responsibility to carry out the instructions left in a Will.
When dealing with an estate, an executor deals with many legal, tax and administrative duties. The duties can include:
Registering the death
Arranging the funeral
Valuing the estate
Paying any inheritance tax
Applying for probate
Sorting the deceased's finances
Placing a deceased estates notice
Distributing the estate
Keeping estate accounts
We have to ensure that these monies have been paid to the correct charity and are for the correct amount. Additionally, our auditors like to see a copy of the Will/Will clause to make sure there are no restrictions and to check that the charity is entitled to the funds and using them as our supporter intended. We have to show our auditors we are the correct beneficiary and we're using the gift in accordance with the legator's wishes.
Yes, an executor can benefit from a Will if they’ve been named a ‘Beneficiary’ of the Will. Beneficiaries are the people you want to inherit your ‘estate’ (these are your assets and possessions) after you die.
An executor can change a person’s Will after their death – but only if other beneficiaries of the Will agree. To change a Will, you’ll need to make a ‘deed of variation’. This deed allows you to rearrange and vary what beneficiaries will inherit.
To give up being an executor, you’ll need to sign a document called a ‘Deed of Renunciation’. This must be signed and completed before an impartial witness. Signing this means you resign as an Executor and free yourself from the responsibility of dealing with the Estate.
There is no set time limit in which an executor has to settle an estate. But there is a deadline for the executor to submit the Inheritance Tax form. Most estates take executors around 9-12 months to settle. But it can take longer, depending on the complexity of the estate and the efficiency of the executor.
Executors are often told where the original Will has been stored or are trusted to keep the Will in safe place. If the Will was prepared by a solicitor or Will writer, they may have the original document stored safely. Executors will need to access the original copy of the Will, so they can deal with the estate of the deceased.
If the Will has appointed one or more joint executors, one executor can’t act without other. These executors will need to act together unless the other executor(s) resign from their role. If someone is named as the sole executor in the Will, then they can act alone.
Executors can claim back certain expenses when dealing with an estate. There isn’t an exact list of what expenses can be claimed, but the following can be considered:
Postage costs
Paying off utility bills
Maintenance to any property
Valuations for asset
Clearing costs
Cleaning costs
Insurances
Remember a loved one by setting up a personalised tribute page that friends and family can easily donate to. It's a place for you to share memories and celebrate the life of someone who's special to you whilst helping fund life-saving research.
Create a Tribute PageEmail LegacyOperations@cancer.org.uk or phone 020 3469 8797 if you need help or unsure what to do.
Please note our phoneline is open between the hours of 10am to 2pm on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays.
