Ways of giving

Leaving a gift in your Will - legacy giving

Throughout its history Imperial College has benefited from the generosity of its distinguished alumni including gifts from those who have chosen to support us in their Wills. Two of the College's earliest benefactors, Sir Alfred Beit and Sir Julius Wernher, both bequeathed significant legacy gifts to the early development of the College over one hundred years ago.

Including Imperial in your Will is one of the most tax-efficient ways of supporting the College. Your estate may be subject to inheritance tax and it may be advantageous to distribute your estate so that your family and friends are left gifts below the tax threshold and therefore not subject to inheritance tax.

At present, if the value of your estate exceeds the 'nil-rate band' (currently £312,000), Inheritance Tax is payable at 40 per cent on the rest of your estate. It is possible for married couples to each make use of the full nil-rate allowance by leaving up to the value of the allowance to whoever they choose.

However, beyond this it is increasingly difficult to avoid the impact of Inheritance Tax in a cost-effective manner. Money from an estate that is bequeathed to an organisation with charitable status* is exempt from Inheritance Tax. You may wish to consider leaving some of your estate in this way for causes of your own choosing so as to benefit them in a way that you have personally specified.

*Imperial College London has charitable status for all UK tax purposes (Inland Revenue reference X2361) and is exempt under section 505 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988. We receive all the same tax benefits as a registered charity.

For more information, please contact the Office of Alumni and Development on +44 (0)20 7594 6132 or supporting@imperial.ac.uk.

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