Planning for the future with Wills and Trusts
Our Wills and Trusts team can help you make arrangements to help safeguard the future of your autistic loved one.
Wills and Trusts
We understand that as parents and carers you might be worried about the future, but we can help you plan for it. Inheriting a lump sum of money could affect an autistic person’s benefit entitlement and care, so it is important to put plans in place to ensure their financial protection and your peace of mind.
Why write a will?
Writing a will means you can set out everything you want to happen with any property, money and belongings you own (your ‘estate’) when you pass on. If you have an autistic child who is under 18, you can also include guidance on how you want them to be looked after by naming a guardian.
Why create a trust?
A trust is a bit like a pot you can put savings, property and any other assets in. You then appoint one or more responsible people, known as ‘trustees’, to look after it. This way the money in the trust doesn’t actually belong to your loved one, and the amount they’re given can be kept within the limits for means testing in order for it not to affect any of their benefits or care.
Wills and Trusts Phone Service
The National Autistic Society’s Wills and Trusts Phone Service allows you to speak to a specialist solicitor who can talk through your options, answer your questions, and provide the information you need before starting to make your arrangements.
The phone service operates on a call back basis every second Friday between 11am – 1pm. Please complete this form to request a call and we’ll be in touch shortly with further information about an appointment.
Unfortunately, we cannot currently offer appointments to those permanently living outside England or Wales as the advice is only legally applicable to England and Wales.
Please note that there is a currently a waiting time of around 4 months for a Phone Service appointment, due to demand.
Wills and Trusts Webinar
We run Wills and Trusts Webinars every few months for you to hear advice directly from a specialist solicitor on how to safeguard means tested benefits and how to provide financial security for your autistic loved one, as well as the rest of the family. There is also guidance on why it is important to make a Will and Letter of Wishes, the different Trust options available and choosing the right Trustees.
To stay informed of when the next webinar will be held, or to receive a recording of the last webinar, please email us directly at willsandtrusts@nas.org.uk.
If you have any issues with using the online form, please email the Wills and Trusts Team directly at willsandtrusts@nas.org.uk to book your place on the webinar.
Additionally, if you’re unable to attend the upcoming webinar, you can email willsandtrusts@nas.org.uk for a link to the recording of the last Wills and Trusts Webinar held in March 2026.
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If your need for advice is more urgent, then we would recommend contacting a specialist solicitor directly through the specialist solicitor list we can provide you by emailing willsandtrusts@nas.org.uk, or contacting a solicitor listed through The Law Society or STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners).
If an autistic loved one has already received an inheritance without suitable provisions being made for them to manage this, then you should look into options such as a Lasting Power of Attorney or applying to the Court of Protection. Our Wills and Trusts Service would not be able to assist in these situations.
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For those based in Northern Ireland, although we currently do not have a Wills and Trusts Service we do have a FAQs page to answer your common questions about wills and trusts in Northern Ireland.
Please note that this FAQ is specific to Northern Irish law, and the FAQ does not apply to England, Wales, or Scotland.
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For those based in Scotland, although we currently do not have a Wills and Trusts Service we do have a list of specialist solicitors in Scotland who may be able to assist you. Please email willsandtrusts@nas.org.uk.