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The monthly note · July 2026

Going away? Leave the important stuff where someone can find it.

A couple sitting together at home, looking at a tablet on the table between them
 

Hi there,

Welcome to the first monthly note from FamilySafe. Once a month you'll get one practical job, one piece of news that affects families and a few things worth reading. That's all.

Summer is when most of us are furthest from home. Passports, insurance, the vet's number. It's all fine until something goes wrong and the person who knows where everything is happens to be the one laid up in a hotel in Portugal.

So this month's job is small, and it pays off the first time you need it.

 

This month's one job: fill in an emergency information sheet

About 20 minutes.

1. Note who's travelling, where you're staying and how to reach you.
2. Add your travel insurer, policy number and 24-hour emergency line.
3. List GP details, allergies and regular medicines for each person.
4. Say who should be called first, and who's looking after the house, pets and post.
5. Give a copy to someone staying at home and tell them where it is.
 

Or keep it in FamilySafe, where only the people you choose can see it.

 
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What’s changed: pensions will count for inheritance tax from April 2027

This is now law. The Finance Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 18 March. For deaths on or after 6 April 2027, most unused pension pots and pension death benefits will count as part of the estate for inheritance tax.

Pensions left to a husband, wife or civil partner stay exempt. Death-in-service benefits are left out. Executors will be the ones who report and pay any tax due on pensions.

What to do now: list every pension you have, including old workplace ones, and check who you've named to receive each. It'll save whoever sorts your affairs a lot of chasing.

Source: GOV.UK policy paper and HMRC technical note

 

Worth a read

The one-hour just-in-case setup

The smallest useful version of getting organised.

 

What your family can find while you're away

A quick test worth doing before you pack.

 

A family information pack that travels

What to take and what to leave behind.

 
 
 

Free template

Emergency information template

The few details someone needs about you in the first minutes of an emergency, on one page.

Get the free template
 

From FamilySafe

The free plan is open. It gives you 10 information cards and 5 document uploads, which covers an emergency sheet, your travel insurance and a copy of your will. No card details needed.

 
 
 

Enjoy the summer.

Brian and Richard, FamilySafe

 

P.S. If the only copy of your passport photo page is on your phone, it goes missing when the phone does. Keep a second copy somewhere else.

 

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One short, useful note a month. Practical household steps, plain-English wills and probate news, and the odd FamilySafe feature.

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This is the July 2026 edition of the monthly note. Links and dates were correct at the time of sending.

FamilySafe, Halifax, West Yorkshire

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