Information for solicitors and executors administering a will or enquiring on behalf of a client who wants to leave a gift to the University in their will.
For solicitors enquiring on behalf of clients
Name and address
The University should be referred to as ‘University of Leeds’. Our address is: Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, UK, LS2 9JT.
Charitable status
The University is an ‘exempt charity’ under Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011. It does not have a registered number issued by the Charities Commission but is in law a charity by Royal Charter, granted in 1904.
The University’s reference number with the charity division of HM Revenue and Customs is X6861.
Please see suggested wording for pecuniary and residuary legacies for more details.
For solicitors and executors administering a will
Contact
Sally Hind is authorised to give a proper receipt and discharge to executors. Email Sally Hind at s.hind@leeds.ac.uk, or call Sally on +44 (0)113 343 0239.
Sally can also help with legacies for a specific faculty, school or department, or for the University’s libraries, Special Collections or galleries.
We would be grateful if you could advise us quickly that the University is a beneficiary of a will. We’ll then amend our records promptly to prevent future mailings being sent to the deceased. Please provide the following:
- the full name and title of the deceased
- their last address
- the date of death
- the executor’s name and contact details
- a copy of the will
Payments
Please make cheques payable to ‘University of Leeds’ and send to:
Sally Hind, Development Officer, Advancement Team, 11th Floor E C Stoner Building, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, LS2 9JT.
To pay by bank transfer or other means, please email Sally Hind at s.hind@leeds.ac.uk, or call Sally on +44 (0)113 343 0239.
Property, shares and non-monetary gifts
We prefer to receive the sale proceeds of property or shares gifted to the University.
However, each individual case is different so before taking action to either transfer or sell the property or shares, please email Sally Hind at s.hind@leeds.ac.uk, or call Sally on +44 (0)113 343 0239.
To find out about giving items to the University’s libraries, galleries or Special Collections please contact Sally. Read the Library’s gifts and deposits policy.
Please note that we do not usually collect items but we may be able to arrange to do so in exceptional circumstances.
Tax
Because the University has charitable status, gifts are deducted from the estate before inheritance tax is calculated. The University is also usually exempt from capital gains tax, and we can reclaim income tax that has been deducted at source.
Tax is a complex area, so to avoid the estate paying more tax than necessary, please consult a professional adviser.