# Charitable estates fell 12% in 2019

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/06/10/charitable-estates-fell-12-in-2019/
- Published: 2020-06-10T10:05:36+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The number of charitable estates fell by 12% in 2019, figures from Smee & Ford
have shown.**

The 12% decrease was a drop of 4,500 charitable estates, with falling death rates
and a decline in the number of Grants of Representation (the document needed to 
confirm someone is the executor of a Will) the main contributors, according to findings
from [Smee & Ford](https://smeeandford.com/)’s upcoming Legacy Trends 2020 Report.
The drop affected nearly every causal area.

The number of deaths fell by 2% (10,000) year on year, which Smee & Ford state could
explain part of the drop. However, its figures show the main factor to be a sharp
decline in the number of Grants of Representation, which fell by 11% in 2019.

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Despite the drop in numbers, the value of legacies for 2019 is estimated at £3-3.1billion.
The value for 2018 was £3.4bn, although this included a one-off bequest to the Capricorn
Foundation of over £400m. Disregarding this large bequest then, the figure remains
almost flat year on year although this follows a trend of a continued increase in
legacy income over previous decade.

Mark Pincher, Data Analyst at Smee & Ford commented:

> “The average time between the date of death and the date of probate has grown 
> from 6 months in 2015 to 9 months in 2019 which is likely to be a contributor 
> to the decline. On a more positive note, the proportion of grants that have been
> identified as charitable has remained consistent at 14%, in line with the previous
> three years.”

The Smee & Ford Legacy Trends 2020 Report [will be published on Tuesday 16 June](https://go.wilmingtonplc.com/WBI-CHA-CON-Legacy-Trends-Report-2020_reg-interest.html).

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