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Guides

Straight answers to the questions Scottish families ask most, written around Scots law and checked against current figures.

Wills

Clear, Scots-law wills that say exactly who gets what, and who looks after the people who matter most. About our wills service.

What happens if you die without a will in Scotland?Prior rights, legal rights and who inherits what, including the 2024 change that lets a spouse take the whole estate.Can you disinherit your children in Scotland?Legal rights give children a claim on a parent's moveable estate that a will can't remove. What they cover and what they leave out.Do unmarried partners inherit in Scotland?No automatic right to inherit, a six-month court claim that only works without a will, and what changes if you write one.What happens to your will if you divorce in Scotland?A former spouse is treated as having died before you. What that covers, the two exceptions and what to update.

Power of Attorney

Put the right people in charge of your affairs before a crisis forces the question. About our power of attorney service.

How much does a power of attorney cost in Scotland?The £99 registration fee, what the legal fee covers, and the help available with costs.Continuing and welfare power of attorney: what each one doesWhat each power covers, when it starts, who you can appoint and how joint attorneys work.What happens if you lose capacity without a power of attorney?The guardianship order a family needs from the sheriff court, what it involves and how it differs from a power of attorney.Can you use an English power of attorney in Scotland?What the Public Guardian has said, why banks still refuse, and why a Scottish document is the safer route.

Trusts

Structures that protect assets, control timing, and look after the beneficiaries who need it most. About our trusts service.

Can a trust protect your home from care fees in Scotland?How councils treat homes put in trust, why timing doesn't rescue most of them, and what a trust can legitimately do.Protecting your children in a second marriage: the liferent trustHow a liferent lets a surviving spouse use the home for life while the capital passes to your children.Leaving money to a disabled family member without losing their benefitsHow a discretionary trust protects an inheritance for someone on means-tested benefits, and who runs it.The Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Act 2024: what changedTrustee duties, removing trustees, protectors and who inherits without a will, in plain English, with what is and is not in force.

Inheritance Tax

Practical planning that keeps more of what you've built inside the family, not the Treasury. About our inheritance tax service.

Is inheritance tax different in Scotland? Thresholds for 2026/27The £325,000 and £175,000 allowances, how they combine, and the Scottish rules that sit alongside the tax.Giving money away to cut inheritance tax: exemptions and the seven-year ruleThe yearly exemptions, how the seven-year rule and taper relief work, and why gifts can still matter for care fees.Pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027Unused pension funds join the estate from 6 April 2027. What changes, who pays the tax and what to review.Farm and business relief changes in 2026: what Scottish families need to knowThe £2.5m limit on 100% relief from 6 April 2026, a worked example, and where Scottish succession law fits in.

Family Protection

Cover that means a diagnosis or a death doesn't become a financial crisis on top of everything else. About our family protection service.

Level, decreasing or family income benefit: which life cover fits?What level term, decreasing term and family income benefit pay out, and which situations suit each.What critical illness cover pays, and what it doesn'tA lump sum on diagnosis of a listed condition. How it differs from life insurance and where policies disappoint.Income protection: how it works and who needs itMonthly income if illness stops you working. Deferred periods, how long it pays and who benefits most.Putting life insurance in trust in Scotland: what is differentMost guides assume English law. The Scottish differences, including the age at which a child can claim the money.

Long-Term Care Planning

Plan for care costs now, so later decisions can be about wellbeing, not money. About our long-term care planning service.

Is there a cap on care home fees in Scotland?England's planned cap was scrapped, and Scotland never had one. What Scotland does instead, what you still pay, and how your home is treated.What free personal care covers in ScotlandWho qualifies, the current weekly rates, how to ask for an assessment, and the costs it leaves with you.Giving away assets to avoid care fees: what Scottish councils can doThe test councils apply to gifts and transfers, why there is no time limit, and what ordinary spending looks like.Self-directed support: the four ways to arrange care in ScotlandThe four options councils must offer once you are assessed as eligible, and how to choose between them.Pension Age Disability Payment: what replaced Attendance Allowance in ScotlandThe Scottish replacement for Attendance Allowance: who qualifies, the 2026/27 rates and the care home question.

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