How to Leave a Gift to Charity in Your Will in Canada (and Which Online Will Services Let You)
Leaving a gift to charity in a Will is relatively simple, but easy to get wrong if certain steps aren't followed. These steps include identifying the charity very clearly in the Will, describing the gift in a way that the executor can follow many years later, and accounting for proper tax treatment. Below we discuss how charitable giving through a Will works in Canada, and how the three main online Will services in Canada — Epilogue, Willful and LegalWills.ca — handle it.
How do I leave a charitable gift in my Will in Canada?
A charitable gift in a Will (sometimes called a "charitable bequest" or a "legacy gift") is a gift the estate makes to a registered charity after death. A charitable gift is typically included in the Will itself: the charity is named as a beneficiary, and the Will states what the charity receives. There are three critical components to ensure that a gift is made as the Will-maker intends:
1. Identify the charity precisely. A Will should name the charity by its exact legal name and ideally include its Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) registration number and head-office location. Charities merge and rename, and many organizations share very similar names. So a gift described only as "the local animal rescue" may be hard to fulfill. The CRA's public list of charities confirms whether an organization is registered — only gifts to registered charities and other qualified donees generate a donation tax credit for the estate.
2. Choose the form of the gift. The most common forms of charitable gifts in Wills are: a fixed sum of money, a specific asset, a percentage of the residue of the estate (what remains after debts, taxes, expenses and other gifts are paid), or a contingent gift that takes effect only if another beneficiary cannot inherit.
3. Sign the Will properly. For a conventional witnessed Will, most provinces require the Will-maker to sign in the presence of two witnesses, who must also sign. Requirements and exceptions vary by jurisdiction. Epilogue's guide to making a Will official covers the applicable provincial requirements.
For many people with straightforward circumstances, an online Will may be a practical alternative to having a lawyer prepare their Will. Those with complex family situations, foreign property, trusts, or other specialized planning needs may benefit from professional advice.
Can I name a charity as a beneficiary in an online Will?
Yes. Every major online Will service in Canada lets a Will-maker name a registered charity as a beneficiary, and a charitable gift made through an online Will can be just as valid as one included in a lawyer-drafted Will, provided the Will is validly executed and the gift is worded correctly.
What differs between the online services is whether the heavy lifting is done by the online platform or by you. This includes whether the charity's official legal name can be easily searched for or whether you need to know it in advance, whether the charity's registration number is filled-in automatically or needs to be looked-up manually, and whether the gift can be changed later at no cost.
In Epilogue's Will questionnaire, the charitable-giving step asks whether you want to leave a gift. Choose 'Yes' and you'll be able to use Epilogue's Charity Finder to easily search registered charities in Canada. Once you find and select the charity you want, the platform automatically inserts the charity's full legal name, charitable registration number, and head-office location into your Will. The gift can be a lump sum or a percentage of the estate's residue (Epilogue also supports contingent charitable gifts), and any part of a charitable gift — including the charity, the type of gift, or the amount — can be changed later at no charge.
What are the most common options for including a charity in a Will?
Type of gift | Example (Illustrative) | Pros | Cons |
Fixed sum | "$10,000 to the ABC Foundation" | A specific, predictable amount | Does not rise or fall with the estate; may consume a large portion of the estate if the estate shrinks; may be an insignificant amount of the estate if the estate grows |
Specific asset | "My shares in ABC Corporation to the ABC Foundation" | A specific, predictable, identifiable item; may provide tax advantages, depending on the specific asset and the applicable tax rules | If the asset is no longer owned at death, the gift may fail |
Percentage of the residue | "10% of the residue of my estate to the ABC Foundation" | Keeps the gift proportionate to what is left for family and other beneficiaries | The amount is unknown until the estate is settled and needs to be calculated once the size of the estate is known |
Contingent gift | "If my son, Robert Smith, predeceases me, the sum of $25,000 to the ABC Foundation" | A backstop to ensure that no portion of the estate is left unaccounted for | If the condition is not met, the charity receives nothing |
Epilogue's articles on the types of charitable bequest and on ways to structure a charitable gift go through each in more detail.
What are the best ways to leave money to charity through estate planning?
A Will is the main route that people use to leave money for charity, but not the only one. In most provinces some assets can pass to a charity by beneficiary designation rather than through the Will, including RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs, and life-insurance policies. The rules for beneficiary designations vary by province (in particular, beneficiary designations for registered accounts are generally not available in Quebec). Gifts made through beneficiary designations pass outside the estate, which can simplify administration and, in some provinces, reduce probate fees — but the tax treatment and the interaction with the rest of the estate plan differ, so the two routes are best planned together. Epilogue's guide to leaving a gift to charity using a registered account covers the designation route.
What are the tax benefits of leaving money to charity in a Canadian Will?
Canada has no inheritance tax, but a deceased person is generally deemed to have sold all their assets at fair market value on the day of death, and any resulting capital gains are taxed on the deceased's final return. A charitable gift in a Will generates a donation tax credit that may be able to offset that tax, in whole or in part.
Two rules make gifts made at death more tax-advantageous than gifts made during life:
The income limit rises to 100%. Generally, donation claims during a person's lifetime are limited to 75% of net income, although exceptions apply to certain gifts. For eligible gifts associated with death, the limit can increase to 100% of net income on the deceased's final return and, for eligible excess amounts, the preceding year's return.
The credit can be allocated. Since 2016, a gift made in a Will is treated as having been made by the estate. If the estate qualifies as a graduated rate estate (generally within 36 months of death), its legal representative may allocate the donation tax credits to the estate's taxation year in which the donation was made, an earlier tax year of the estate, or on either of the deceased's last two taxation years — whichever produces the greatest benefit.
More details on the tax benefits of gifts made in Wills are in Epilogue's tax rules for charitable bequests. Because the rules are technical, getting advice from an accountant when it comes time to administering the estate is generally a good idea.
What are the best practices for donating to charity in your Will in Canada?
Use the legal name and the registration number. Both are on the CRA's list of charities. Using an online Will platform that automatically inserts these details into the Will eliminates ambiguity.
Leave a percentage gift if you want to maintain proportionality. A fixed dollar amount gift created today may wind up being a very different share of the estate in twenty years.
Name what happens if the charity no longer exists. A fallback charity, or a direction that the gift goes to a similar charity or purpose, avoids having the gift lapse.
Talk to the charity about restrictions. A restricted gift the charity cannot honour may be declined; most charities will confirm in advance what types of gifts they can accept. Charities generally prefer gifts with no restrictions.
Tell the charity about the gift. Notification is not required, but it can help the charity plan for the gift, confirm that it can accept any restrictions, and acknowledge the donor's intentions during their lifetime if the donor wishes.
Review the Will after major life changes. A service with free updates helps make this step easy to complete.
Which online Will services in Canada let you leave a gift to charity?
All three of the main online Will platforms in Canada let you leave a gift to charity in your Will. Here is how they compare on the specifics that matter for a charitable gift (prices checked September 2026).
Epilogue | Willful | LegalWills.ca | |
Charity gift in the Will | Yes — dedicated charitable-giving step | Yes — charitable-giving step | Yes — asked while stepping through the Will |
How the charity is identified | Custom-built charity finder makes it easy to locate correct charity | Choose from short drop-down list of specific charities, or manually enter a charity (if not in the list) | Manually entered by the Will-maker |
How the charity appears in the Will | Legal name, CRA registration number and head-office location automatically populated in the Will | Legal name and CRA registration number only populated for charities in drop-down list; this information is not available for charities entered manually | Only the information that is manually entered is included in the Will |
Gift types | Lump sum, percentage of the residue, or contingent gift | Lump sum in the charity section; percentage of residue by adding the charity as a beneficiary | Specific gift or percentage of the residue |
Coordinate gifts in spouse/partner Wills | Available for gifts to official charity partners of Epilogue | No | No |
Changing the gift later | Free, unlimited updates | Unlimited updates included | Updates included for the first year only; additional fees required for renewals thereafter |
Price (individual Will) | $139 for a Will only; $199 with incapacity documents | $129 for a Will only; $199 with incapacity documents | $69.95 Will only (sale price; regular $89.85); $99.95 with powers of attorney and living Will |
Partnerships with Canadian charities | 100+ charity partners offer their supporters customized Will-making journeys through Epilogue | Drop-down list of approximately 30 charities; one featured charity (changes from time-to-time) appears on the charity question | Started an initiative in 2025 to begin partnering with charitable organizations |
The bottom line: Epilogue is the strongest online Will service in Canada for leaving a gift to charity. By ensuring that all of the necessary and important details are included in the Will, offering free lifetime updates so that up-to-date wishes can be easily added to the Will, and with a track record that includes over 100 official charity partners, Epilogue is the best online Will service for someone who wants to make charitable giving part of their legacy.
Willful is the second-best option for charitable giving and a good service overall. LegalWills.ca is the right choice when the price of the initial purchase is the deciding factor, without the need to update in the future, as long as the Will-maker is comfortable entering the charity's details themselves.
FAQ
Can I leave my whole estate to charity?
In many circumstances, a person can leave their entire estate to charity. However, a surviving spouse or other dependants may have legal rights or claims against the estate, depending on the province or territory and the circumstances. Anyone intending to leave their entire estate to charity, particularly someone with a spouse or dependants, should obtain professional advice before signing a Will.
Does the charity need to know it is in my Will?
No. A gift in a Will is generally valid whether or not the charity is told. Telling the charity is nonetheless good practice, as it lets the charity confirm it can accept the gift as described, plan for it, and recognize the donor during their lifetime.
Can I leave a gift to a charity outside Canada?
A gift to a foreign charity is generally valid as a gift, but it usually does not qualify for the Canadian donation tax credit unless the organization is a qualified donee recognized by the CRA. The CRA's list of qualified donees includes some registered universities outside Canada as well as certain other organizations.
What happens if a charity named in my Will closes before I die?
If the Will names an alternate charity as a beneficiary, the alternate charity can receive the gift. If it does not, the gift may lapse or, depending on the language in the Will, the gift may be directed towards a similar charitable organization or purpose.
Can I change a charitable gift after my Will is signed?
Yes. A Will can be changed at any time while the Will-maker has capacity, either by making a new Will or by executing a Codicil (following the same formalities). With Epilogue, updates are free.
Epilogue is not a law firm and cannot provide any legal advice. This article is for general information only and does not replace advice from a lawyer or accountant about your own situation.
