What Can You Leave in a Canadian Will? Categories of Specific Bequests

A specific bequest is the answer to "but what about [specific thing]?" — the wedding ring, the cottage's snow blower, the Aeroplan account, the family Bible, the violin. This guide covers what counts as a specific bequest in a Canadian Will and how to handle the long tail of items people actually care about.

What a specific bequest is #

A gift of a particular item or specified amount to a particular named recipient in your Will.

Examples:

• "My grandmother's pearl necklace to my daughter Emma"
• "$10,000 to my niece Sarah"
• "My golf clubs to my brother Tom"
• "My Aeroplan account balance to my son James"
• "The complete works of Margaret Atwood from my bookshelf to the Toronto Public Library"

Specific bequests are honoured first — before the residue of the estate is calculated.

Common categories — what people leave #

Cash and specific dollar amounts #

• "$5,000 to each grandchild"
• "$25,000 to my alma mater"
• Straightforward and rarely disputed

Real property and vehicles #

• The family cottage
• A rental property
• A specific vehicle ("my 2018 Honda Civic")
• Requires title transfer; specific to provincial Land Title or vehicle registration procedures

Jewellery and watches #

The most common category of sentimental specific bequest:

• Wedding rings, engagement rings
• Heirloom pieces (grandmother's brooch)
• Watches (often passed father-to-son or grandfather-to-grandson)
• Specific identification matters — "my pearl necklace" is ambiguous if you own three

Art, collections, antiques #

• Specific paintings ("the [artist] in the dining room")
• Coin or stamp collections
• Antiques with family history
• Often paired with a Letter of Wishes capturing provenance

Firearms #

Specific Canadian considerations:

• Recipient typically needs valid PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence)
• Specific firearm class restrictions
• Specific procedures for transfer
• Restricted firearms have additional requirements
• Consult RCMP Canadian Firearms Program for specifics

Musical instruments #

• Pianos, guitars, violins
• Often pass to family members who play
• Sometimes to schools or conservatories

Tools, equipment, and craft supplies #

• Workshop tools to family member who'll use them
• Quilting or sewing supplies
• Photography equipment

Loyalty program points #

Subject to each program's terms:

• Aeroplan — permits transfer to a named beneficiary of the estate per Aeroplan's estate policy. Estate contacts Aeroplan with appropriate documentation; points transferred to beneficiary's account.
• AIR MILES, hotel points, retail rewards — each program has specific rules
• Credit card rewards — varies significantly by issuer (see credit card rewards points at death)

See loyalty points and airline miles at death for details.

Digital assets #

• Photo archives (often stored in iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox)
• Domain names
• Online businesses
• Cryptocurrency (special access considerations)
• Specific platform earnings

See wills with digital assets — and remember: don't put passwords in the Will itself (it becomes public after probate). Use a separate secure document.

Pets #

• Name a specific caregiver
• Optional care fund ($5,000-25,000 typical)
• Backup caregiver
• See estate planning for pet lovers

Family heirlooms — the items with stories #

• Grandmother's recipe box
• Great-grandfather's pocket watch
• Family Bible with handwritten records
• The cottage cookbook
• Photos in albums (and digital archives)

These are where a Letter of Wishes matters most — the Will provides the legal authority for who receives the item; the Letter of Wishes captures the story, the reason, the family lore that makes the item worth more than its market value.

See family recipes and heirloom stories letter of wishes.

How specific the description needs to be #

Specific enough that the executor knows exactly which item.

Too vague:

• "My ring to my daughter" (which ring? which daughter if you have more than one?)
• "My car to my son" (which car if you have multiple?)
• "The blue painting"

Specific enough:

• "The pearl necklace inherited from my grandmother Mary, currently stored in the safety deposit box at [Bank]"
• "My 2021 Subaru Outback, VIN [number if known]"
• "The watercolour painting titled 'Cottage at Dawn' by [artist] currently hanging in the master bedroom"

When in doubt, add more detail. Photograph items and reference the photos in a Letter of Wishes.

What happens if you don't own the item at death #

The bequest lapses — fails. The intended recipient gets nothing for that item.

Common causes:

• You sold the item during life
• You gave it away during life
• The item was destroyed or lost
• The investment was redeemed

The Will doesn't substitute another item unless it specifically provides for that. Better — review specific bequests during annual Will review and update if circumstances change.

What happens if the recipient predeceases you #

Depends on Will provisions:

• Without a substitute named: the bequest lapses; item falls into residue
• With a substitute named ("...to my daughter Emma, or if she predeceases me, to her children per stirpes"): substitute takes
• Specific Will Creator handling — best practice is to name a backup for each significant specific bequest

The Will Creator approach #

The Will Creator handles specific bequests as a single open-ended section. You enter:

• What you're leaving — described in your own words
• Who receives it — named recipient with relationship
• Backup recipient — optional but recommended

This works for everything from a $1,000 cash bequest to a complex provision for the family cottage with care funds for ongoing maintenance.

For niche items (loyalty points, pets, digital assets), the Will section is the legal authority; companion documents capture the practical details:

• Letter of Wishes — non-binding guidance and stories
• Funeral Pre-Planner — funeral preferences in detail
• Life Discovery Kit — comprehensive asset inventory for the executor including loyalty program account numbers, digital asset access locations, and where to find specific items

Practical tips for specific bequests #

Keep an updated list alongside the Will — "items referenced in my Will and where to find them." Helps the executor.

Photograph valuable items — establishes existence and identification.

Discuss with intended recipients where possible — reduces surprise; sometimes reveals that the intended recipient doesn't want the item.

Get appraisals for substantial items — relevant for estate accounting and possible tax purposes.

Review annually — items sold, given away, lost, or no longer relevant should be removed; new items added.

Add a clean-up clause — "any items not specifically mentioned shall fall into the residue and be distributed by my executor as part of the residue" — prevents specific items not in the Will from creating confusion.

Related guides #

• Loyalty points and airline miles at death in Canada
• Credit card rewards points at death in Canada
• Family recipes and heirloom stories — the Letter of Wishes
• Wills with digital assets
• Estate planning for pet lovers
• Three essential people in your Will
• Forgotten residue clause