Text of the provision
Art. 915. A compulsory heir may, in consequence of disinheritance, be deprived of his legitime, for causes expressly stated by law.
(848a)
Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full; verified verbatim against the LawPhil and ChanRobles official-text renderings.
What this article means
A compulsory heir may, in consequence of disinheritance, be deprived of his legitime — but only for causes expressly stated by law.
Disinheritance is the sole mechanism by which a compulsory heir’s legitime — the portion of the estate the law reserves for certain heirs and ordinarily protects from being taken away — may nonetheless be withheld. Because the deprivation is exceptional, it is not left to the testator’s discretion alone: the causes must be among those the law itself expressly enumerates, and, as the following article specifies, the disinheritance must be carried out through a will rather than by any informal declaration. A testator who simply disfavors an heir, without invoking a recognized cause, cannot use disinheritance to defeat that heir’s legitime.
Questions about this provision
- What can adult children actually cite in a will to legally disinherit a parent who abandoned or abused them?
- Can a parent write any reason into a will to cut a child out of their inheritance?
- My father tried to disinherit me in his will but cited a reason that isn't actually one of the legal grounds — what happens to my share?
- What grounds does the law allow a dying spouse to cite to disinherit an unfaithful husband or wife?
- What is the legitime and can it be taken away from an heir?
Related provisions
- Article 904 — The Legitime Cannot Be Taken Away.
- Article 916 — Disinheritance Must Be in a Will.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.