Letter of instruction

What it means

A letter of instruction is not legally binding. It carries the information that makes everything else workable: where documents are, which accounts exist, who to call, funeral wishes, passwords held somewhere secure.

Because it is not binding, it can be updated freely — which is what makes it more current than the will it accompanies.

It should not contradict the will. Where the two disagree, the will governs and the letter creates an argument.

Why it matters

The gap between having a will and being findable is where most of the work after a death actually is. A family that knows where things are saves months.

It is also the least intimidating document to start with, and the one most likely to be written at all.

When you are likely to meet it

• When helping a parent get organized.
• When making your own plans.
• When nobody can find a policy that is known to exist.

Related terms

• Anatomical giftA legally binding decision to donate organs, tissue or a body, which the family generally cannot override.
• Digital assetAn online account or file that has value or meaning — email, photographs, cloud storage, domains, currency accounts, loyalty balances.
• Guardian nominationNaming, in a will, who should raise your children — or care for a dependent adult — if you cannot.
• Legacy contactA person you name inside an online account itself, whom the provider will let reach it after you die. It usually beats anything written in a will.
• Pet trustA legal arrangement funding the care of an animal after its owner dies or can no longer look after it.
• Preneed funeral contractAn agreement, usually paid for in advance, for funeral goods and services to be provided when the person dies.
• Safe-deposit boxA box rented at a bank. Getting into one after the renter has died is its own procedure, and often a slower one than the family expects.
• Tangible personal propertyThings you can touch and move — furniture, jewellery, tools, a car, the contents of a house. Not land, and not accounts or shares.
• WillA written document saying who should receive what, and who should be in charge of seeing that it happens.

Sahvelo guidance that uses this

• Account and asset inventory
• Essential documents