Thanks to the on-going commitment and support from our legal professionals, together with the generosity of their clients, we are beating cancer for future generations.
If you're an existing legal professional partner, submit your Will-Writing Service pledge form here.
Submit my Will-Writing Service pledge
We process over 7,900 Gifts in Wills a year and our expert team will be on hand to support you with all your queries.
Explore our suite of downloadable marketing materials to support the vital work you do.
Training for legal professionals in your firm who will be using our services delivered by your Legacy Partnership Manager (LPM).
Join a network of like-minded solicitors and firms, for our regular CPD events.
Step: 1
Start your online Will-Writing Service pledge process here.
Step: 2
Complete our easy form and upload your invoice.
Step: 3
Your payment will be made within 45-working days.
When you join our sector-leading Will-Writing Service, you and your firm will be supported by our dedicated Legacies Team through every step of the process. You can also get advice on how to speak with your clients about charity Gifts in Wills and the types of gifts that are available. Look up your local Legacy Partnership Manager today in our online directory.
Find your local Legacy Partnership Manager
Check out the following downloadable tools and resources available to support your vital work.
Download posters, leaflets, logos and forms today and help create a future where everyone survives cancer.
Use this form with your clients to support your conversations. This form is for guidance purposes only and doesn't replace the online form or any notes you take during meetings.
Still need help? Check out our FAQs at the bottom of this page or contact your Legacy Partnership Manager who will be happy to help.
Cancer Research UK and Blandy & Blandy LLP have recently delivered a free online webinar focused on "Inheritance Intrigues: Unmasking Undue Influence and Fraudulent Calumny".
Our latest blog post discusses Cancer Research UK's representation in Parliament and the impact significant probate delays has on charity beneficiaries.
Read to find out how legal professionals can play an important role in guiding clients through death benefit nominations and associated taxes.
Cancer Research UK and Blandy & Blandy are delighted to be hosting this free online webinar on 'Effective probate strategies: Letters of wishes and cost management in contentious cases’. Guest speakers include: Angela Bowman and Louise Low.
Legacy gifts fund over one third of our life-saving research. Be part of a collective force and help create a future where everyone survives cancer.
£8000 could buy a microscope camera, allowing our scientists to take images of cancer cells and share them with researchers across the world.
5% of a £600,000 estate could buy a gene gun, a high-tech tool our scientists use to learn more about cancer’s weaknesses.
20% of a £300,000 estate could by a time-saving machine that analyses huge amount of DNA very quickly, helping our scientists to learn more about cancer.
Want to find out more about the impact of Gifts in Wills in your local area? Read about the regional impacts to help paint a powerful picture for your firm and clients.
Can't find the answer to your question?
Contact your Legacy Partnership Manager
There are a number of ways your clients can leave a gift to Cancer Research UK. The gift options below are listed in order of their economic value to the charity.
Percentage share - A percentage share of your client's estate that's gifted to charity. This type of gift is the most valuable because it's inflation-proof. You can discuss the appropriate percentage based on their individual circumstances.
Lump sum - A fixed amount that can lose its value over time as costs increase. To help the gift retain its value, you could offer to index-link it.
Specific gift - A particular item, such as a car, jewellery or property.
Life interest trust - This option gives your client's beneficiaries the enjoyment of their estate (or part of their estate) for their lifetime, while preserving the capital of the estate for the charitable beneficiary.
Cancer Research UK will cover the cost of a simple Will, mirror Will, single Codicil or mirror Codicil, at the below-outlined reimbursement, as this helps to drive income from gifts in Wills by removing the need for supporters to pay for their Will:
• £120 + VAT for a single Will
• £170 + VAT for a mirror Will
• £60 + VAT for a single Codicil
• £90 + VAT for a mirror Codicil
Cancer Research UK does not pay for more complicated Wills as this would negatively impact the charity’s return on investment. Once the pledge is submitted via the online portal, all fields are completed and your invoice is uploaded, our back-office team will process this for you, normally taking around 10-working days. Once processed, remittance will be sent in the next available batch run of payments (around 10-working days post-processing but our payment terms remain 45-days).
Cancer Research UK may agree to reimburse Members’ reasonable travel costs , which are incurred due to a home or hospital visit. Members must email the Will-Writing Service Team at LegacyOperations@cancer.org.uk to seek consent prior to incurring such costs. The charity will only reimburse travel costs that it has consented to in advance.
For terms and conditions for clients, please see here(PDF, 112 KB).
For terms and conditions for Will writing providers, please see here(PDF, 217 KB).
Clients leaving a gift in their Will may be able to reduce their inheritance tax liability. Gifts to charities are 100% tax-free and are taken out of the estate before tax is calculated. Since 2017, if a client leaves 10% or more of their net estate, after certain deductions, their inheritance tax rate will be reduced from 40% to 36%.
Cancer Research UK's Will-Writing Service is open to anyone over the age of 18. There is no obligation on users of the Service to leave a gift to Cancer Research UK, but we hope that they will so we can continue to fund our work. Users of the Will-Writing Service product must consent to allow solicitors providing Cancer Research UK with their full name, address, date of birth and whether or not they have included a gift to Cancer Research UK in their Will. Solicitors may also share whether the Will is simple or complex and the features that define this e.g. inclusion of a trust or multiple beneficiaries. This will be used purely for product development purposes and no personal information will be shared regarding this to share information on any charitable gift they intend to leave to Cancer Research UK, with Cancer Research UK. Users of the service are limited to 3 free Will writing consultations under this scheme. This includes new Wills and changes to existing Wills.
We understand that clients may want their gifts to go towards research into a certain type of cancer or to provide support in their local area. We will endeavour to meet this wish as far as is reasonably possible but would recommend contacting LPMs@cancer.org.uk in the first instance to advise on appropriate wording. Cancer Research UK will contact clients to thank them if they've been kind enough to leave a gift in their Will to Cancer Research UK when using our Will-Writing Service.
We have an online version of our pledge form which has offered firms a swift and reliable method of submitting their clients’ information to us. To access the online Will-Writing Service form, please visit the following link: cruk.org/fwsonlineform. Invoices can be attached via this page. Our payment terms are currently 45-days from receiving the invoice and pledge form. If there are ever any problems with the online form, please contact LPMs@cancer.org.uk.
We no longer require the client’s signature, but we do ask that the Client Care and Client Pledge and Communication Preferences Form are shared with clients taking up the scheme, as you will have to confirm that these terms and conditions have been shared with your client to submit and have your invoice reimbursed.
Once a free will has been executed, simply:
Head to the Legacy Professionals Hub
Click on “Submit my Will-Writing Service pledge” (the pink box) and have the information from your client file at hand.
You will be prompted to input your company name and email address (please note, if someone else is doing this on your behalf, they will need to use your email address). (TIP: Your postcode will also bring up your firm details.)
Next, you will need to input the Client’s basic details, including their full name, date of birth and address. You will also be asked if this is a Mirror Will, and by clicking yes, an additional box will open to input the additional details.
On the following page is where details of the Will type are entered and if any gift has been left to Cancer Research UK. Dependant on the type of gift left, a box will appear asking you to complete the relevant information. You will also be prompted to share how the instruction was taken. Please give as much detail as possible.
The next few screens ask how the client would like to hear from us and also where they found out about the Will-Writing Service. It is important you ask this question when speaking with your client. If they haven’t given consent to hear from us, then tick no to all points. However, engaging with our supporters is vital to the future of the charity. Our marketing for those leaving a gift in their will is tailored and clients will receive invites to exclusive lab tours and events.
The penultimate stage is to confirm the fee amount for this Will. Select the correct Will type from the drop-down and outline if the client contributed anything to their Will. The complete your file reference number and upload the associated invoice for this pledge (Word or PDF documents are accepted). Invoices should be made out to Cancer Research UK and please include your reference number for the case somewhere on the invoice.
Finally, you must agree with the terms and conditions before hitting submit. You can also choose to add a mobile phone number on this page to receive an automated text as well as email confirming submission. Once the pledge is submitted, our back-office team will process this for you, normally taking around 10-working days. Once processed, remittance will be sent in the next available batch run of payments (around 10-working days post-processing but our payment terms remain 45-days).
