UK Intestacy (No Will) Calculator
Who inherits without a will
See who gets what, in pounds, when someone dies without a valid will, under the rules where they lived.
Intestacy rules current for 2026/27, last checked against legislation.gov.uk.
Results update as you type
Who inherits
| Who | Each | In all |
|---|---|---|
| Husband, wife or civil partnerBelongings, £322,000 and half of the rest | £358,500 | £358,500 |
| Each of 2 children | £10,750 | £21,500 |
| Estate shared out | £380,000 |
A husband, wife or civil partner takes the belongings, the first £322,000 and half of the rest; the children share the other half.
A child’s or grandchild’s share is held in trust until they turn 18 (or marry sooner). A husband, wife or civil partner must outlive them by 28 days to inherit; the fixed sum also earns interest from the date of death until it’s paid.
Where the £380,000 estate goes
- Husband, wife or civil partner£358,500 · 94.3%
- Children£21,500 · 5.7%
How it’s worked out
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Their estate, including £250,000 for the home after its mortgage | £385,000 |
| Less debts and the funeral | −£5,000 |
| Estate to share out | £380,000 |
| Personal belongings, to the husband, wife or civil partner | £15,000 |
| Fixed sum (statutory legacy), up to £322,000 | £322,000 |
| Half of the £43,000 left | £21,500 |
| The rest of what’s left, to the children | £21,500 |
Figures are rounded to the nearest pound. Interest on the fixed sum, and the costs of dealing with the estate, aren’t included.
What a will could change
The rules share an estate out in a fixed way that suits some families and not others. With a will, you choose:
- An unmarried partner. Without a will they get nothing automatically, however long you’ve lived together. A will is the only sure way to provide for them.
- Who gets the home. Under the rules a husband, wife or civil partner may have to share it with your children. A will can leave it to them outright.
- Stepchildren, friends and charities. None of them inherit under the rules.
- Guardians and trustees. Who looks after young children, and who manages money left to them until they’re older.
- Inheritance Tax. Gifts to a spouse, civil partner or charity are free of Inheritance Tax, and a will can make the most of the allowances. See the Inheritance Tax calculator.
Using this calculator
Choose where the person lived, enter what they owned and owed, and who their family are. The calculator shows who inherits under the intestacy rules, how much each person gets, and how it’s worked out.
- Include only what passes under the rules: things in their sole name, or their share of property owned as tenants in common. Joint accounts, a home owned as joint tenants, life insurance written in trust and most pensions pass outside the estate.
- Value everything at the date of death, and take off what’s owed: the mortgage, other debts and the funeral.
- Children include adopted children and children born outside marriage. Stepchildren who weren’t adopted don’t inherit.
For how the rules work in each part of the UK, and what an unmarried partner can do, read dying without a will: who inherits.
Where the figures come from
Every rule and figure checked against the legislation in October 2026.
- Administration of Estates Act 1925, section 46 and section 47: England and Wales, the order of relatives and the statutory trusts.
- The Administration of Estates Act 1925 (Fixed Net Sum) Order 2023: the £322,000 statutory legacy, for deaths on or after 26 July 2023.
- Succession (Scotland) Act 1964, sections 8 and 9: prior rights, £473,000 for the home, £29,000 for furniture and £50,000 or £89,000 in cash; section 2 and section 6: the order and how shares are split.
- Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Act 2024, section 77: a spouse ahead of parents, brothers and sisters, for deaths on or after 30 April 2024.
- Administration of Estates Act (Northern Ireland) 1955, section 7 and section 14: the spouse’s £250,000 or £450,000 and share of the rest, and half-blood relatives.
- nidirect: What to do if there’s no will, and GOV.UK: Who inherits if someone dies without a will.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if you die without a will?
Your estate is shared out under the intestacy rules of the part of the UK you lived in. They decide who inherits and how much, in a fixed order: usually a husband, wife or civil partner and children first, then other relatives. An unmarried partner, stepchildren, friends and charities get nothing.
Does my husband or wife get everything?
Not always. In England and Wales they get everything only if you have no children (or grandchildren). With children, they get your personal belongings, the first £322,000 and half of the rest; your children share the other half. In Northern Ireland the fixed sum is £250,000, and in Scotland the rules work differently again.
What does an unmarried partner get?
Nothing automatically, however long you’ve lived together. They may be able to make a claim through the courts, which is uncertain and costly. If you want your partner to inherit, you need a will.
What is the statutory legacy?
It’s the fixed sum a husband, wife or civil partner inherits before anything is shared with children. In England and Wales it’s £322,000 for deaths on or after 26 July 2023. In Northern Ireland it’s £250,000 with children, or £450,000 with no children but parents, brothers or sisters.
Do children inherit if they’re under 18?
Yes, but in England and Wales their share is held in trust until they turn 18 (or marry sooner). The people dealing with the estate, or trustees, look after it in the meantime.
What if one of the children has died?
Their own children, the grandchildren, take the share their parent would have had, split equally between them. The same applies to brothers and sisters: nephews and nieces take a late brother’s or sister’s share.
Do stepchildren inherit?
No, not unless they were legally adopted. Adopted children inherit exactly like birth children, and so do children whose parents weren’t married.
What about a jointly owned home or joint bank account?
If you own your home as joint tenants, or have a joint account, your share passes straight to the other owner, outside the intestacy rules. A home owned as tenants in common is different: your share is part of your estate.
How are the rules different in Scotland?
In Scotland a husband, wife or civil partner first takes “prior rights”: the home up to £473,000, furniture up to £29,000 and £50,000 in cash (£89,000 with no children). Then “legal rights” give them and the children a share of the money and possessions left. For deaths since 30 April 2024, a husband, wife or civil partner with no children inherits everything.
Who inherits if there’s no close family?
The rules go out through the family in order: parents, then brothers and sisters (or their children), then grandparents, then aunts and uncles (or their children). If no relative close enough is alive, the estate goes to the Crown.
Does Inheritance Tax still apply without a will?
Yes, on the same rules as with a will. Whatever passes to a husband, wife or civil partner is free of Inheritance Tax; the rest uses the allowances. The Inheritance Tax calculator works it out.
What doesn’t this calculator cover?
Interest on the fixed sum, the costs of dealing with the estate, property abroad, gifts made before death, claims against the estate, and older deaths, when the fixed sums and some rules were different. Half brothers and sisters’ children and cousins aren’t listed separately.