My son has married a woman with two children and they have just had one of their own. If I leave assets to my grandchildren, will my son’s stepchildren be included?

No, unless....


Step-relations are not “descendants” for purposes of North Carolina inheritance law. Unless your son legally adopts them or you specifically include them in your definition of descendants in your estate planning documents they will not inherit. This is not true for half-relatives. In North Carolina a half is generally as good as a whole. For example, if you die intestate (without a will) and you leave a full sibling and a half-sibling, they will share your estate.