Kendal Wills

Kendal Wills Need a Will, Trust or Lasting Powers of Attorney? Or help with your role as an Executor? Kendal Wills provide a friendly and affordable service in Cumbria.

We donate 5% to local charities from every invoice too! Welcome to Kendal Wills. We are now part of the Morecambe Bay Wills family, providing will writing services, trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Executor Assistance in the Kendal and Cumbria area.

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Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates Limited was established in 2019 after founder Nicola Combe lost her husband

to cancer. Our aim is to ensure that everyone has the right documents in place to give peace of mind and protection for family and assets. As fully trained, fully insured, Members of the Society of Will Writers, we offer peace of mind that you will get a comprehensive, service from our award winning team! Whether you need Wills, Powers of Attorney or Trusts, we are there to make it easy for you. And if you have lost someone and need help in your role as Executor, we can do that too. We offer appointments in our Lancaster office, in your home or via video for your convenience

Our prices are affordable (you can also pay in monthly payments) and discounts are available for those on low incomes and for those facing a diagnosis of cancer or dementia (both close to my heart).

5% from every invoices will be donated to 4 local charities to assist them in their ongoing work looking after local families. So far we have raised over £22,000 !!! We would love to help protect you, your family and your business. Call us for an initial friendly chat. we are here to help!

02/09/2026

"You don't need to do any of the work for it." That's Jane's reassurance to anyone who's ever thought about including a charity in their Will but worried it might be complicated.

With Remember A Charity Week just around the corner (7th to 13th September), we thought it was the perfect time to explain just how straightforward it can be.

Charities rely heavily on gifts left to them in Wills, and it's something we often gently raise with clients, particularly if you're not sure who else your estate might go to.

If you decide you'd like to include one, we do the work behind the scenes. We look the charity up, find their registered number and address, and make sure everything's included properly in your Will documentation. From there, it becomes your executors' job to see that the gift reaches them.

We can also include a clause covering what happens if that charity no longer exists by the time your Will is used, directing the gift to a similar cause instead. It's entirely up to you whether you'd like that in place.

If you've been thinking about leaving something to a cause close to your heart, we'd love to talk it through with you.

01524 571032

31/08/2026

"I've been living with my partner for 25 years now. Do we really need a Will?"

When you've been living with someone and you're not married or in a civil partnership, the answer is absolutely yes.

Why? Because in law, unmarried partners — no matter how long they've lived together — have no automatic right to each other's assets.

There are a couple of exceptions. If you hold a joint bank account, or own your house in a certain way, your partner may have a right to their share. But most unmarried couples don't have arrangements set up like this.

Without a Will, your partner could be left having to go to court just to secure some provision for themselves.

If you're unmarried and this sounds like your situation, it's worth having a friendly, no-pressure conversation with us — at home, at the office, or by video.

01524 571032

28/08/2026

Can I write my own Will?

You can — but you need to be careful, because this is where most problems happen.

People often forget that a Will needs two witnesses. And it's easy to miss things like what happens if a beneficiary — the person you're leaving something to — isn't around anymore. Who would you want to inherit in their place?

These are the kinds of details that are easy to overlook when you're doing it alone, but can cause real problems later on.

That's where we come in — making sure everything is covered properly, so you have real peace of mind that it's been done right.

If you'd like a friendly, no-pressure conversation about it, we're always happy to help — at home, at the office, or by video.

01524 571032

26/08/2026

Can someone challenge your Will once you've made it?

Yes, they can.

There are certain people who might have an expectation that they should have been included in your Will. That doesn't mean they'd succeed — but they could raise a challenge.

There are also people who, if they were dependent on you or lived with you, might claim they're entitled to something if they haven't been provided for.

So how do you avoid this?

If you've decided not to leave something to someone, or you're dividing things unequally, it's always worth accompanying your Will with a letter of wishes. This explains your reasons in your own words — and can make all the difference if your decisions are ever questioned.

If you'd like to talk through how this might apply to your own circumstances, we're always happy to have a friendly, no-pressure conversation — at home, at the office, or by video.

01524 571032

24/08/2026

So what is a Will?

A Will is a legal document where you record what you want to happen to everything you own after you've died.

It needs to be witnessed by two people, and it's important to think carefully about who you appoint as your executors — the people responsible for gathering in your bank accounts, shares and other assets, and making sure they go to the right person.

If you have young children, your Will is also where you appoint who you'd want to care for them.

It's probably one of the simplest questions to ask, but one of the most important documents you'll ever put in place.

If you haven't got round to it yet, we're always happy to have a friendly, no-pressure conversation about what's involved — at home, at the office, or by video.

01524 571032

"Can I still pass my pension to my spouse tax-free?"To finish the week — the question that matters most to a lot of coup...
21/08/2026

"Can I still pass my pension to my spouse tax-free?"
To finish the week — the question that matters most to a lot of couples.

Yes. A surviving spouse or civil partner never pays inheritance tax on anything left to them, regardless of the amount, and that continues to be true for pensions after April 2027.

One detail worth knowing: if you're 75 or over when you die, your spouse will still pay income tax at their marginal rate on anything they draw from an inherited pension. That part of the rules doesn't change.

So the full picture is this — from 6th April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits count towards your estate above the £325,000 nil-rate band*, taxed at 40%. Defined benefit pensions paying a spouse's income, and death-in-service benefits, stay exempt. And spouses and civil partners remain fully protected from inheritance tax on anything left to them directly.

If you've built plans around pensions sitting outside your estate, it's worth reviewing where you currently stand, well before April 2027, while there's still time to consider your options properly.

We're not financial advisors, so for anything specific to your own circumstances, we'd always recommend taking independent financial advice alongside our support with your Will.

We're always happy to talk it through. At home, at the office, or by video, whatever works best for you.
01524 571032

*Some estates benefit from additional IHT allowances, such as the residence nil-rate band.

Correct at the time of posting. Should any political or legislative changes affect this, we'll keep you updated.

Following on from Monday — here's the detail.No, not every pension is affected in the same way.Money left in a defined c...
19/08/2026

Following on from Monday — here's the detail.

No, not every pension is affected in the same way.
Money left in a defined contribution pension, including self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), will be included in your estate for inheritance tax from April 2027. The same applies to lump sum death benefits from a defined benefit pension.

There are exceptions, though. Where a defined benefit pension pays an ongoing income to a spouse or civil partner after death, that income remains exempt. Death-in-service benefits — paid when someone dies while still employed — also stay outside the scope of inheritance tax, whether they come from a defined contribution or defined benefit scheme.

Then there's the question we're hearing more and more: could a pension be taxed twice?

If you die after age 75, your beneficiaries already pay income tax on anything they withdraw from the pension. From April 2027, if inheritance tax is also due, it's applied to the pension first. Beneficiaries then get a statutory deduction, so income tax is only paid on what's left once the inheritance tax has been settled — not on the full amount twice over.

Friday: what all of this means for spouses and civil partners, and what's worth reviewing now.

Correct at the time of posting. Should any political or legislative changes affect this, we'll keep you updated.
We're not financial advisors, so for anything specific to your own circumstances, we'd always recommend taking independent financial advice alongside our support with your Will.

Happy Birthday to our brilliant Cerys Parry-Jones!Cerys heads up North Wales Wills, bringing a brilliant combination of ...
19/08/2026

Happy Birthday to our brilliant Cerys Parry-Jones!

Cerys heads up North Wales Wills, bringing a brilliant combination of experience as an Independent Financial Adviser and a teacher to her work as an Estate Planner — breaking things down into manageable steps and helping clients feel genuinely at ease, however daunting things might seem at first.

Her clients think the world of her too:

"Cerys explained everything very clearly and the process was quick and straightforward... Great communication throughout. Highly recommended." – John Milloy

"Cerys is very knowledgeable and professional guiding us through the process... Now the process has been completed, my anxiety about the future is very much reduced and I'm actually sleeping better at night!" – Angela Potter

"Cerys was delightful and I am so glad it was her. I couldn't recommend more highly." – Grace

Away from work, Cerys is busy keeping up with her twins and looking after two corgis — so when she does get downtime, you'll usually find her lying on a beach with her Kindle, doing absolutely nothing (and loving every minute of it).

Cerys, thank you for everything you bring to the team and to our clients.
We hope your birthday is every bit as thoughtful and fun as you are!

Something is changing that affects how pensions are treated after you die — and it's a bigger shift than many people rea...
17/08/2026

Something is changing that affects how pensions are treated after you die — and it's a bigger shift than many people realise.

At the moment, unused pensions are excluded when working out whether inheritance tax is due on your estate.
From 6th April 2027, that changes. Unused pension funds will be treated in the same way as your other assets — property, savings and investments — and will count towards your estate for inheritance tax purposes.

In practice, that means pensions could now tip an estate over the £325,000 nil-rate band, bringing a 40% tax charge into play where previously there wasn't one.

This week, we're looking at what that actually means in detail.
Today: what's changing, and when.
Wednesday: which pensions are affected, which aren't, and the double taxation question.
Friday: what it means for spouses, and what's worth reviewing now.

01524 571032

Correct at the time of posting. Should any political or legislative changes affect this, we'll keep you updated.
We're not financial advisors, so for anything specific to your own circumstances, we'd always recommend taking independent financial advice alongside our support with your Will.

14/08/2026

"How long does Probate actually take?"

We had a call this week asking exactly that.

It's one of the most common questions we get, and the honest answer is: it depends.

Usually, the longest part isn't the application itself — it's gathering the information beforehand. Several bank accounts, properties to value, stocks and shares to calculate, pension providers to contact. For some estates, this is quick. For others, it can take a good while simply to build a full picture of what someone has left behind.

Once everything's gathered and the figures are ready, applying online tends to move faster than a written application. The Probate Court's official guidance is 12 weeks, though in our experience at the moment, some are coming through in as little as two — usually a little longer than that.

One thing worth knowing: once a Grant of Probate is issued, it doesn't mean the money should be distributed straightaway. Executors have to be mindful that people have six months to make a claim against the estate, so it's sensible to hold onto funds for at least that long before distributing.

If you're dealing with this and would like some guidance, we're happy to help.

01524 571032

Address

The Gatehouse, White Cross Business Park, South Road
Lancaster
LA14XQ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

01539 728020

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