Legatee

A legatee is a person or entity named in a will to receive a legacy, which is a gift of personal property or money from the estate of a deceased person. In many common-law jurisdictions, the legatee is the beneficiary of a bequest. Gifts of real property are usually described as devises, and the recipient of such property is called a devisee; the term legatee is generally used for personal property or money.

Legacies can be categorized by their relationship to the estate: specific legacies are directed to a particular item, general legacies are for a stated amount payable from the estate as a whole, demonstrative legacies specify an amount paid from a designated source, and residuary legacies dispose of the estate’s remaining assets after other gifts and debts are settled. Legatees may be subject to conditions in the will, survivorship requirements, or other restraints. If a legatee predeceases the testator, anti-lapse provisions or the terms of the will may substitute another beneficiary or otherwise regulate the gift.

Rights and limitations: A legatee generally has the right to claim the bequest once the estate is administered, subject to creditor claims, taxes, and any probate procedures. Some jurisdictions allow a legatee to disclaim or renounce a legacy under certain circumstances. The concept contrasts with heirs, who take property by intestate succession rather than by will.