what is the difference between an heir and a beneficiary 
an heir is someone who is set to inherit the property of the deceased when no will or testament has been made a beneficiary is someone who was chosen by the deceased to inherit their property as laid out in a will or testament an heir is typically a close living relative whereas a beneficiary can be anyone who is considered an heir children are considered to be heirs and are the most common example if no children are living then a person s grandchildren are considered to be heirs if a person has no children or grandchildren then the next closest living relative would be considered an heir the bottom linean heir is someone who is entitled to the estate of a recently deceased person most often when the deceased does not leave a will designating a beneficiary an heir is often the child of an individual the term heir has commonly been associated with lines of succession particularly in royal families however the term can also simply refer to any individual who will assume the estate of another individual this can be a child grandchild nephew niece or sibling 