Estate planning ensures that your estate is distributed according to your wishes, but what happens if both you and your beneficiary pass away at the same time? This situation, often arising from accidents or disasters, can create legal uncertainty in determining who inherits the estate.
The Legal Presumption of Survivorship
Under Malaysian law, the Presumption of Survivorship Act 1950 applies when it is uncertain who passed away first. According to Section 2 of the Act, if two or more individuals die in circumstances where the order of death cannot be determined, the law presumes that the younger individual survived the older one. This presumption can significantly impact the distribution of the estate.
For instance, if a father and his son pass away simultaneously, the law assumes the father died first, and the son inherited his estate before passing away. As a result, the son’s estate (together with the father’s estate) will then be distributed to the son’s beneficiaries according to his will or Distribution Act (if the son did not have a will).
The Impact on Your Estate
Without clear estate planning, simultaneous deaths can cause unintended consequences:
- The estate may be transferred twice: If a beneficiary is presumed to have survived the testator, the estate is first transferred to them and then distributed again to their own estate plan.
- Unintended heirs may inherit: If the beneficiary has their own family, the testator’s estate may end up going to in-laws or distant relatives —rather than staying within the intended lineage.
- Legal disputes may arise: Family members might contest the inheritance distribution, leading to lengthy legal battles and delays in estate administration.
How to Prevent Issues in Simultaneous Death Situations?
To ensure your estate is distributed as intended, consider these solutions:
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Include a Commorientes Clause in Your Will
- This clause specifies that a beneficiary must survive the testator by a set period (e.g., 30 days) to inherit. If the beneficiaries does not survive the period, the estate passes directly to substitute beneficiaries.
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Name Substitute Beneficiaries
- Instead of relying solely on one beneficiary, list backup beneficiaries in case your primary beneficiary does not survive you.
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Regularly Update Your Will
- If family circumstances change (e.g., marriage, childbirth, or death), updating your Will ensures the estate is still distributed according to your latest intentions.
Case Study: A Tragic Accident
Mr. Lee, a businessman, named his wife as his sole beneficiary in his Will. Unfortunately, they both passed away in a car accident, leaving their two young children behind. Since the order of death was uncertain, the law presumed that Mr. Lee passed away first, making his wife the temporary heir.
Her estate, including the estate inherited from Mr. Lee, was then distributed according to her Will, which named her siblings as beneficiaries. As a result, Mr. Lee’s children did not receive his estate, which was not his original intention.
Had a commorientes clause or substitute beneficiaries been included in his Will, the outcome would have been different.
The possibility of simultaneous deaths is rare but should not be overlooked in estate planning. By including a commorientes clause and naming substitute beneficiaries, you can ensure your estate is distributed according to your true intentions, avoiding unintended consequences and legal complications.
You may make an appointment with our legal advisor here: https://calendly.com/finex-and-co-legacy-advisory/tea-talk-with-legal-expert
如果你的受益人和你同时去世，遗产该由谁继承？
立遗嘱是为了确保你走后，你的资产能按照你的意愿分配。但如果你和受益人在同一时间去世，比如发生意外或天灾，这种突发情况会造成法律上的不确定——到底谁才是最终继承人？
马来西亚的“先亡推定”
在马来西亚，《1950年幸存者推定法令》（Presumption of Survivorship Act 1950）适用于无法确定谁先去世的情况。根据第2条文 ，如果有两人或以上在同一事件中身亡，而无法判断谁先谁后去世，法律会推定年纪较轻的人比年长者晚死。
举个例子：如果一位父亲和他的儿子在意外中同时离世，法律会假设父亲先过世，父亲的遗产会由儿子继承，然后再由儿子的遗嘱（或无遗嘱时按1958年分配法令）分配。这样一来，父亲的资产 就会和儿子的遗产一起，由儿子的继承人继承。
这会对你的资产造成什么影响？
如果没有做好安排，这种“同时离世”的情况可能会带来以下后果：
- 遗产可能被两次转移：如法律假定受益人比你晚去世，遗产会先转到他/她名下，再由他/她的遗嘱或法定继承人继承。
- 原本不想给的人反而得到了：比如说你的受益人有配偶或兄弟姐妹，那你的资产就可能流到他们手上，而不是你自己的子孙或家族。
- 家人可能因此争产：谁应该拿、谁不应该拿，搞不清楚就会出现争议，结果拖延整个分产过程，还可能闹上法庭。
如何避免这类问题？
为了确保资产真正按你的意思分配，你可以在立遗嘱时加入以下几个做法：
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加入“同时死亡条款”（Commorientes Clause）
- 这个条款会写明：受益人必须在你过世后存活至少某个时间（比如：30天）才能继承你的遗产。如果没有，就跳过他/她，直接给下一位指定的继承人。
2. 设定替代受益人
- 不要只写一个受益人，可以多加几个“万一他/她不在了就由谁继承”的备选。
3. 定期更新你的遗嘱
- 如果家庭状况有改变，比如结婚、生孩子、有人去世等，记得要重新检查和更新你的遗嘱，确保不会出现漏洞或误分。
案例分享：一场意外造成孩子失去继承权
李先生是一位生意人，他在遗嘱中只写了太太为唯一受益人。很可惜的是，夫妻俩在一场车祸中双双去世，只留下两个年幼的孩子。
由于无法确认谁先去世，法律假定李先生先离开，太太继承了他的资产。接着，太太的资产（包括李先生的资产）按照她的遗嘱分配，但是 太太在遗嘱里 把她的兄弟姐妹列为受益人，结果这些资产最后给了太太的的兄弟姐妹。
最终，李先生的孩子反而拿不到爸爸的资产——这完全不是他本来的意愿。如果当初有加上“同时死亡条款” 或指定替代受益人，情况就会大不同。
虽然“同时去世”的机率不高，但它确实有可能发生。一份清楚、全面的遗嘱，可以帮你避免遗产落入不该落入的人手中，也可以省下家人不必要的纠纷和麻烦。
