Bequest Language for Making a Gift in Your Will, Living Trust or with a Codicil

An excellent way for you to support The University of Texas at Arlington's (UTA) mission is to leave a bequest in your will, living trust or with a codicil. One significant benefit of making a gift by bequest is that it allows you to continue to use the assets, property, or money you will leave to charity during your life. Another benefit is that you are able to leave a lasting legacy.

Please provide the following suggested language to your legal and/or financial advisors. This language is in compliance with The University of Texas System (UT System) policies.

A gift in your will or living trust is accomplished through a worded bequest, a statement of promise to gift assets, property (residential, farmland, commercial, etc.) or money to another person or organization at a future time. Several bequest types follow below.

If you have already included a bequest for The University of Texas at Arlington in your estate plan, please contact us to let us know. We would like to confirm your intention now in order to provide direction at the time of the gift and to acknowledge you for your gift.

Types of Bequests - There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to The University of Texas at Arlington.

SPECIFIC BEQUEST (restricted, or unrestricted – inserting Amount of Cash, Percentage of Assets, or Description of Property). A specific bequest involves making a gift of a specific asset such as real estate, a car, or other property, or a gift for a specific dollar amount/percentage. For example, you may wish to leave your home or $10,000 to The University of Texas at Arlington.

Suggested Specific Bequest Language:

I, (full name) of (city, state, zip code) give, devise and bequeath a gift of (insert amount of cash, percentage of assets or description of property) to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System for the benefit of (restricted – insert college, school, program, department, project; or unrestricted – insert where needed most) at The University of Texas at Arlington.*

RESIDUAL BEQUEST (restricted, or unrestricted – inserting from 100% to –any number –%). A residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after the will or trust has given away each of the specific bequests. A common residual bequest involves leaving a percentage of the residue of the estate to charity. For example, you may wish to leave 30% of the residue of your estate to The University of Texas at Arlington.

Suggested Residual Bequest Language:

I, (full name) of (city, state, zip code) give, devise and bequeath a gift of (insert the word "all" for 100%, or another number for "partial" percentage) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate of whatever kind or wherever situated to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System for the benefit of (restricted – insert college, school, program, department, project; or unrestricted – insert where needed most) at The University of Texas at Arlington.*

CONTINGENT BEQUEST (restricted, or unrestricted – inserting his, her, or their). A contingent bequest is made to charity only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to The University of Texas at Arlington.

Suggested Contingent Bequest Language:

In the event that the beneficiaries heretofore mentioned (or mentioned in paragraph(s) or section(s)_________) are not living or for some reason are unable or unwilling to accept my bequest, then I devise and bequeath (his, her, their) portion to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System for the benefit of (restricted – insert college, school, program, department, project; or unrestricted – insert where needed most) at The University of Texas at Arlington.*

*LEGAL NAME for The University of Texas at Arlington to use in Your Will or Trust:

Most legal documents and distributions should use the full legal corporate title: Board of Regents of The University of Texas System for the benefit of The University of Texas at Arlington (add College, School, Department). The EIN is 30-0710145. This is important because nearly all estate gifts to University of Texas at Arlington are accepted, processed and administered through the UT System's Office of Development and Gift Planning Services.

Bequest Benefits

A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be changed or modified at any time. You can choose to designate that a bequest be used for a general or specific purpose so you have the peace of mind knowing that your gift will be used as intended. Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your heirs.