Guidance for Executors

Letting us know we’ve been named in a Will 

Administering a loved one’s estate and probate can be a complex process. If The Salvation Army is named in a Will, here is how to ensure we receive it.

If you are acting as an executor, you should know a gift in a Will is for us if it contains some or all the following information:

•  Our name appears in the Will – The Salvation Army
• Registered Charity Number (RCN) –England (214779), Wales (214779), Scotland (SC009359) and the Republic of Ireland (CHY6399)
•  Our current or a previous addresses relating to The Salvation Army

How do I pay in a Legacy?

Firstly, when you make a legacy payment, please contact our Legacy Team by email at legacies@salvationarmy.org.uk, phone 0207 367 4656 or post:

Legacy Unit
The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters
1 Champion Park
London
SE5 8FJ

Please provide the following details:

• The full name and title of the deceased
• Their last address – this will also allow us to prevent any future mailings, as we know this can be distressing at a difficult time.
• The date of death
• Your name and contact details.
• A copy of the Will/Will Clause – this will help us to ensure the gift is allocated correctly. If you do not have this, we can confirm this at a later date
• Any information about the reason for the legacy
• If you prefer to make payment of the gift by cheque, please send a cheque made payable to “The Salvation Army”.

Your details as executor will not be added to any mailing list because of contacting us about a legacy.

Information we need as Residuary Beneficiaries

If The Salvation Army is named as a residuary beneficiary, it would be helpful if you could send:

• A copy of Will
• A note of the Assets and Liabilities - This is usually prepared by the Executor at the start of the estate administration and lists the deceased person’s possessions and finances along with any debts or responsibilities they had.
• Estate (and Executry) accounts - This is prepared by the Executor at the end of the estate administration. It shows the total funds received and paid out during the administration of the estate.

If The Salvation Army is named as Executor

We will need a copy of the Will as soon as possible so we can ensure that the estate is protected and administered efficiently.

Gifts in Wills and tax exemption

As a registered charity, we are exempt from inheritance tax, capital gains tax and some aspects of income tax. These exemptions apply to gifts in Wills and estate administration can increase the value of a gift at no cost to any other beneficiary. If you are an executor, see what this means for you.

However, these exemptions have limitations, and can be complicated to work out. You may need to get specialist advice to avoid the estate paying more tax than necessary, if you would like to discuss any element of the estate administration please contact us, our Legacy Administration team would be more than happy to support you. Alternatively, you may also find HMRCs website and helpline 0845 302 0900 useful.

If you need any definitions of legal or financial terms you have come across when writing or executing a Will, take a look at our Glossary.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Legacy Team by email on legacies@salvationarmy.org.uk or phone 0207 367 4656 and we will do everything we can to help.