Unless you have legally adopted your step children, they have no automatic right to inherit under the laws of intestacy. The only way to ensure that they will be provided for in the event of your death is to name them as beneficiaries in your will.
Using our online will writing service, you can determine exactly who you want your possessions to pass to in the event of your death. Without a valid last will and testament, your estate will be divided according to the laws of intestacy. It is in these circumstances that stepchildren can be left unprotected.
If you have stepchildren and wish for them to be provided for in the same way as your biological children, you must do so with a last will and testament. Without a will, they have less claim to your estate than, for example, an illegitimate child who can prove a blood relationship to you.
