Remarriage of father and inheritance

Q: I have a father that will be turning 60 years old this year. My mother passed away 10 years ago. My father recently became close with a woman living in our neighbourhood and yesterday he asked me, “I am thinking of remarrying to this woman, what do you think?” With regards to my father remarrying, how would this affect my inheritance?

A: As inheritance laws vary in each state, this column will focus on NSW inheritance laws.

Generally, when you marry or remarry, the will that your father previously had is invalid. In other words, if your father remarries, and a new will is not drafted and he passes away, inheritance of any estate will be determined under inheritance laws. In this case, the person he remarries is entitled to more than half of the estate.

However, even if the father refuses to marry this woman, if the two had been in an ‘internal relationship’ for a period of more than two years or the relationship was registered with the Relationship Register, even though they are not married, she has a right to inherit as a spouse.

If the father, for example, states in the will “I leave 100% of my estate to my daughter”, the internal relationship is accepted as stated above and the woman reserves a right to claim some of the inheritance under the Family Provision (similar to Japanese inheritance law). In other words, depending on the will, the deceased may not be able to freely distribute the inheritance. Furthermore, if the father marries the woman or a close relationship is established, you cannot avoid the consequences of the inheritance.

If your father and the woman have a child, your inheritance success rate will be even lower. If the woman has a child that has no blood relation with the father, lives with your father and is dependent on the family, then the child can also claim inheritance under the Family Provision. 

Additionally, when your father passes away, anyone that has a “close personal relationship” with him has a claim under the Family Provision. However, it is ultimately up to the court to decide whether or not the claim is to be granted and to what extent.

Another important note is that after your father has married the woman, and for example ends up with a condition such as dementia, loses his ability to judge or ends up in an accident (unless a power of attorney has been prepared), any medical decisions made by the remarried partner will take precedence over the children. In order to avoid any disputes, why not advise your father to create a power of attorney?