Leaving a legacy in your will

Even when you are no longer here, you can still make a difference to research into type 1 diabetes.

Would you like to support the non-profit Hippo and Friends / the Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetesfonds? You can name us as a beneficiary in your will. In doing so, you make sure that we can continue our research into type 1 diabetes undiminished.

A cure: that is what we are going for.

Why leave a legacy to a good cause?

You leave your estate, in whole or in part, to a good cause so that it can continue its fight after your death. You of course decide yourself which assets you wish to leave, and you contact the organisation or your notary to include it in your will. Good causes benefit from lower inheritance tax on the legacies they receive.

‍Contact us for more information

Order the guide “Goed Geregeld Goed Gegeven” free of charge or contact us by e-mail or by phone for free advice from a legal and tax expert. This is possible during a free home visit or at our office. We are happy to listen to your story.

‍In your will you can arrange your estate in the form of a legacy. In this way you can pass on your estate, in whole or in part, to one or more people and/or good causes. Hippo & Friends can therefore be one of your beneficiaries.

How do you name our organisation as a beneficiary?

With your will you can support the non-profit Hippo and Friends or KU Leuven and its Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetesfonds*.

Non-profit Hippo and Friends                                                                

“I bequeath to vzw Hippo and Friends (BE0728.817.319), Herestraat 49, bus 902, 3000 Leuven my entire estate/my movable and immovable property/certain specifically described assets.”

OR

KU Leuven

“I bequeath to KU Leuven, Oude Markt 13, 3000 Leuven my entire estate/my movable and immovable property/certain specifically described assets. I wish KU Leuven to allocate this legacy to its Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetesfonds.”

*the non-profit Hippo and Friends was founded in 2019 in order to work across Belgium on raising awareness of type 1 diabetes, to expand the sport and exercise projects diaT1op and diaT1op kids and also to raise funds for scientific research. The Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetesfonds has existed at KU Leuven since 2013 and supports scientific research into type 1 diabetes carried out by the Leuven Diabetes Lab at KU Leuven, led by prof. dr. Chantal Mathieu.

A will only takes effect upon death, and you can always change or cancel it.

0% inheritance tax for good causes in Flanders

On 17 March 2021 the Flemish Parliament approved a decree amending the tax rules on inheritance. The first measure is the exemption from inheritance tax for good causes, such as Hippo & Friends, as from 1 July 2021.

This means your legacy has an even greater impact on our work. Your entire legacy is used to support the work of Hippo & Friends and research into type 1 diabetes. Donations to good causes are no longer taxed either.

Would you like more information?

Please contact Dieter Vanhauw, coordinator Communication & Fundraising, if you would like more information.

Phone: 0456 99 08 31
E-mail: dieter.vanhauw@kuleuven.be

“My granddaughter has type 1 diabetes and thanks to Hippo & Friends and her Hippo cuddly toy she feels very supported. My husband and I have decided to include Hippo & Friends in our will." - Anonymous (67)

A legacy

A legacy is a gift made through a will. It is a part of your will in which you state that you are leaving something (an object, a certain amount, ...) to a natural person (children, grandchildren, friends, ...) or a legal entity (association, NGO, …). If you want to leave part of your property, or all of it if you have no legal heirs, to our non-profit or our fund, it is enough to name vzw Hippo and Friends / the Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetesfonds as a (partial) beneficiary.

The duo legacy

As a result of the new decree, duo legacies have offered a much smaller or even no tax advantage since 1 July 2021. Have you already drawn up a will containing a duo legacy? We advise you to have it reviewed and, if necessary, adjusted, so that you can be sure your will still reflects your wishes. For this you can turn to your notary or to the testament.be helpdesk (info@testament.be or +32 479 76 00 76).
‍

Please note! The above changes apply in Flanders only. In Brussels and Wallonia nothing has changed yet as regards inheritance tax for good causes or the duo legacy.

“When I was young, treatment for type 1 diabetes was completely different. Technological progress has improved a great deal, but a cure remains my hope. Hippo & Friends does an enormous amount for the type 1 community, and professor Mathieu's expertise made me realise that I want to support them when I die.”  - Louis (73)

New! The single person's reduction: a new and broader friends' inheritance from 2026

Flemish inheritance tax rates are high for people without children or a partner, so-called childless singles. With the new single person's reduction, the Flemish government wants to help them by allowing them to designate one or more loved ones to whom they can leave a substantial share at lower rates.

 If someone benefits from the single person's reduction, he or she pays:

- 3% inheritance tax on the first 50,000 euros,

- 9% inheritance tax from 50,000 euros to 100,000 euros.

If this heir inherits more than 100,000 euros, he or she first pays the aforementioned rates of 3 and 9%, and above that the ordinary inheritance tax rates (25% - 30/45% - 55%).

The single person's reduction must be granted in a will, whatever its form (handwritten or notarial), and it is essential that the will explicitly grants the tax advantage of this reduction.

Example of wording: 'I bequeath to my nephew Koen the specific legacy of 100,000 euros. This legacy shall benefit to the maximum extent from the tax advantage of the single person's reduction as provided for in article 2.7.4.2.5 of the Flemish Tax Code.'

An important restriction on the application of the single person's reduction is that it can only be obtained if it is provided for in a will and the deceased:

• leaves no partner,

• leaves no descendants or persons treated as such (e.g. stepchildren).

Any further questions? Contact us or your notary without obligation for more information.

Free advice

Are you considering including Hippo & Friends in your will? In doing so you help build a world without type 1 diabetes. Thank you in advance for this generous intention!

Would you first like some legal advice on how best to draw up your will or to adjust it in the light of the recent reforms? Contact us for personal advice or to request our guide free of charge. You are also welcome to come by for a personal conversation or to request a free home visit from a lawyer.  

In memoriam

Would you like to include an appeal for donations in the death notice of a loved one? Thank you for thinking of us in these difficult times.

Through the Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetesfonds at KU Leuven you can obtain a unique reference to include in the death notice. A gift from 40 euros entitles you to a tax certificate. You can contact us by phone or by e-mail.