Estate
The total assets, liabilities, and legal arrangements of a person, typically considered after death.
Testator
The person who makes a will.
Beneficiary
A person or organisation who receives something from an estate — money, property, or a specific item.
Executor
The person appointed to carry out the wishes in a will and manage the estate after death.
Guardian
A person appointed to care for a child or dependant if both parents die.
Bequest
A gift left to someone in a will — it can be a specific item, a sum of money, or a share of the estate.
Trust
A legal arrangement where assets are held by one person (the trustee) for the benefit of another.
Codicil
A document that amends a will without replacing it entirely.
Probate
The legal process of proving a will is valid and administering the estate. Called 'confirmation' in Scotland.
Intestacy
When someone dies without a valid will. The estate is distributed according to the laws of their jurisdiction.
Jurisdiction
The legal territory whose laws apply to an estate — for example, England & Wales, Scotland, or New York.
Will
A legal document stating how a person wants their estate distributed after death.
Power of attorney
A legal document giving someone authority to act on your behalf, often for financial or health decisions.
Asset
Anything of value owned by the deceased — money, property, investments, personal belongings, digital accounts.
Property
Real estate — houses, flats, land, or commercial buildings owned by the deceased.
Liability
A debt or financial obligation owed by the deceased — mortgages, loans, credit cards, unpaid taxes.
Life interest
The right to use or benefit from an asset during your lifetime, after which it passes to someone else.
Nonprobate transfer
An asset that passes directly to a named beneficiary without going through probate — such as life insurance or pension nominations.
Conformance level
How thoroughly an INHERIT document has been checked. Level 1 checks the data structure. Level 2 also checks that all cross-references between entities are valid.
Extension
Additional fields for a specific jurisdiction's legal requirements — for example, IHT thresholds for England & Wales or faraid rules for Islamic succession.
Schema
A structured template that defines what information an INHERIT document can contain and what format it must be in.
Catalogue
A simplified INHERIT document that lists assets only, without the full estate structure — useful for asset inventories and valuations.
Valuation
A recorded assessment of what an asset is worth, including who valued it, when, and the method used.
Kinship
A family or legal relationship between two people — parent, child, spouse, sibling, etc.
Wish
A non-binding request from the testator — preferences for funeral arrangements, pet care, or personal messages.
Proxy authorisation
Permission given to someone to act on another person's behalf — covering powers of attorney, deputyships, and healthcare decisions.