How to distribute an intestate estate

These are a prescribed set of rules which determine who gets what. The outcome depends on whether there is a surviving spouse or civil partner, the number of surviving children and the make-up of the rest of the deceased’s family.

For details of these rules, see our guide “Intestacy – who are the beneficiaries?”

Deed of variation

It may be possible to vary the distribution of an intestate estate using a deed of variation. See our guide “What is a deed of variation?”.