Will you include a gift in your will?
September is My Legacy Month and EOPD.ie are proud members of My Legacy, a charitable umbrella organisation comprising of over 90 charities working together to make legacy giving the norm in Ireland. My Legacy raise awareness for the importance of including a legacy gift in wills.
Reasons for including a legacy:
- By including a gift for a charity in your will, you’ll be part of a growing philanthropic movement to create a better future for Irish society,
- Legacy gifts in wills, large or small, can make a big impact,
- Including a legacy gift is a simple, easy action. Making a will can take as little as an hour and be taken care of in three easy steps.
Online Research in Republic of Ireland about Wills
My Legacy recently conducted online research asking people about leaving a gift to charity in a will. Some key findings in this report include that 27% of people living in Republic of Ireland aged 18+ have a will, and just 14% of people that have a will have left a gift to charity in it. The report with all the findings can be read here.
My Legacy Press Release
On the launch of My Legacy Month in September, My Legacy released a statement about the findings from the online research and statements from My Legacy calling on the Government to incentivize and encourage legacy giving, including providing a tax break for those who leave a charitable gift in their will. You can read the full press release here.
My Legacy Pre-Budget 2025 Submission
My Legacy released their pre-budget submission setting out their calls to the Government. These calls include;
- To incentivise and grow charitable wills in Ireland through Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT), which would mean that a charity that benefits from a legacy does not have to pay tax on that account.
- Gift in Wills conversation prompt mechanisms, such as a modest income tax credit against the solicitor fee for charitable will writing services.
You can read the full My Legacy Pre-budget Submission here, which includes My Legacy’s ambition, the explanation and rationale of their submission, as well as other legacy gift growth strategies for Ireland.
You can also read a a piece by Charlie Weston at the Irish Independent that was in the paper on Monday 2nd September – Giving tax breaks to beneficiaries in wills would boost gifts to charity, says charity umbrella body | Irish Independent
As proud members of My Legacy, we would encourage that you read the My Legacy documents and visit www.mylegacy.ie to find out more.