Frequently asked questions about Inheritance Tax (IHT)

IHT is a tax on the estate of someone who has died. This includes their property, money and possessions. As an estate owner, you do not pay IHT. IHT is paid by your executors after you pass, and before the balance is paid to your beneficiaries.

On certain occasions, IHT is also payable on certain lifetime gifts, such as a gift into a trust.

As an estate owner, you do not pay IHT. The person responsible for paying IHT is the Executor/Administrator of your estate. Your beneficiaries and Executors/Administrators can be the same person, or different.

IHT is due to be paid within six months of the donor’s death. If IHT is not paid within six months, then HMRC will begin charging interest on the outstanding amount.

It is possible to pay IHT in instalments on certain types of asset.

Given the short time frame of six months to pay an IHT bill, finding the funds to pay the amount due can be stressful, particularly if the estate’s value is tied up in property and possessions.

Different ways you can consider paying an IHT bill include:

• Using your own funds
• Paying the bill from the accounts owned by the deceased
• Taking out an IHT loan
• Paying in yearly instalments

No matter how you decide to pay, it is important to seek professional and personalised advice due to the different complexities of these routes.

Speak to us for further advice and support.

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Married partners and civil partners are allowed to pass their estate to their spouse without paying IHT when they die.  Legacies to charity are also usually exempt from IHT.

IHT is often payable at 40% on estates over the Nil Rate Band (NRB) of £325,000.

However, there is also an additional allowance, which is known as the Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB), which, if you are eligible, could entitle you to an extra £175,000 tax free, meaning IHT is sometimes not payable on allowances up to £500,000.

Married couples and civil partners are able to transfer their unused Nil Rate Band and Residence Nil Rate Band between them, in certain circumstances.

The main requirements to be able to make use of RNRB are that:

• Your home forms part of your estate,
• The total value of your estate is under £2million, and
• You have left your home to your ‘direct descendants’.

Yes. IHT is a flat rate of 40% on death.

The IHT due is based on what you own at death. So yes, there are steps you can take to reduce the size of your estate before you pass.

This includes gifting if you can afford to do so. Everyone is entitled to gift up to £3,000 per year, also known as the ‘annual exemption’.

You are also entitled to gift £250 to any number of people per year, which is a good way to reduce the size of your estate if you have grandchildren etc.

If you have surplus income, you can give that surplus income away which is usually based on regular gifting.

These are known as lifetime exemptions, and you do not have to survive 7 years after making these gifts.

Gifting larger amounts to individuals will generally require you to survive 7 years in order to become fully exempt.

You can watch our recent series on life and estate planning, or speak to us for advice on your Inheritance Tax planning.

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No, it does not have to be cash gifts. You could consider giving away property, but you should bear in mind that there may be other tax liabilities if you gift other items. For example, you could gift a rental property, however, you may be subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) because the property would be a chargeable asset for CGT. Whereas gifting cash has no other tax implications.

Currently, yes, you can. BPR and APR look at the nature of the assets you own within your estate when you pass away.

You do not necessarily have to own a business to qualify for BPR, it may, for example, be shares you have in a trading company. APR may be land you own that is used for agricultural purposes. The length of time you have owned these assets will impact whether you qualify for BPR/APR, together with a range of other conditions.

For further information on BPR, you can read our recent article.

Under the proposed changes announced in the Autumn Statement, full relief will only apply to the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property, with a reduced relief rate of 50% thereafter. Additionally, the reduced 50% relief will extend to shares designated as ‘unlisted’ on recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) market, from April 2026.

More details on this change are anticipated in early 2025. HMRC has confirmed that spouses cannot transfer the £1 million relief limit between them, and this cap will also apply to trusts. Furthermore, a rule effective from 30 October 2024 will prevent the creation of multiple trusts to claim additional relief.

Currently, in the majority of cases, no. It’s important to understand though that pensions are complicated, and there are often limits as to how much you can deposit and there are tax implications to withdrawing funds.

From 6 April 2027, it is proposed that the rules will change significantly.  Most unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within the value of a person’s estate for IHT purposes. Pension Scheme Administrators will be liable for reporting and paying any IHT due, and this will require the Administrator to liaise with the personal representatives of the deceased.

We will update these FAQs as the implementation for this becomes clearer.

You can make your beneficiary wishes known to your pension provider, and they will take this into account when deciding whom to pay your pension pot to. However, it is not always guaranteed and can depend on the type of pension you have. You can also consider adding a family trust or a charity as a beneficiary.

Yes, life insurance policies are effective ways of managing your IHT. They will pay out a lump sum on your death, and this lump sum could help towards, or completely pay, the IHT bill due.

Life insurance policies are often held on trust so that they do not form part of your estate.

Speak to us for advice on your Inheritance Tax bill.

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Currently, a pension fund will always fall outside of your estate and does not pass in accordance with your Will. The same is true for life insurance policies that are held in trust.  You can still contact your providers and let them know who you wish to be your beneficiaries.

Our recent life and estate planning video provides further detail on this area.

However, from 6 April 2027 the rules around IHT and pensions will change significantly. Please refer to our ‘Is a pension fund subject to IHT?’ question above.

Any cash or tangible assets left to a UK charity will be exempt from IHT. It is also worth noting, that if you gift a charity at least 10% of your ‘net estate’ at the date of death, then the overall IHT rate on death would reduce from 40% to 36%.

‘Net estate’ is defined as the value left over after deducting exemptions, including the Nil Rate Band, and any other reliefs available to you.

This used to be the case however, HMRC has declared that some reliefs on gifts made in Wills to non-UK charities would be removed.

This now means that donations will now be classified as chargeable lifetime transfers for IHT purposes.

If inheriting a property means you own two or more properties, then you will be liable to pay CGT if you make a profit when you sell a property that is not your main home.

You will likely not be able to avoid IHT even if you create a Trust, as Trusts are liable to pay their own type of inheritance charges. Trusts are, however, an effective method of estate planning as assets remain outside the beneficiaries’ estates for Inheritance Tax purposes, and are not included in any calculation for means-tested benefits.

You will, however have to pay an entry charge, exit charge and ten-year charge if you set up a Trust during your lifetime.

Trustees will need to seek professional advice in relation to Trusts.

Speak to us for advice on your IHT and end-of-life planning.

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Family Investment Companies (FICs) can be used as part of an overall IHT strategy in a number of ways.  Owners of investment companies can consider a number of options to either gift value to their intended beneficiaries, or ensure that growth in investments is attributed to others and not the donor.  There may also be income tax benefits to such structures. These require detailed advice. For more information please read our FICs article.

A relief that only applies on gifts, if the donor passes away within three to seven years after making a donation and the entire value of their gifts exceeds the IHT threshold (£325,000), then the IHT owed on the gifts is reduced gradually.

There are anti-avoidance measures in place that prevent an individual from giving away an asset and continuing to benefit from it, such as receiving the income the asset produces, or using the asset personally.  It is not therefore possible to reduce your IHT exposure by giving away the property you live in and continuing to live in it unless additional measures are taken.  This is a complex area and more detailed advice is recommended.

Domicile is a legal concept that for tax purposes is used to determine your permanent home – this is generally the country you have the most ties too, rather than the country you are currently living in. Your domicile status impacts on the scope of UK inheritance tax, as generally UK IHT is limited to assets situated in the UK only for a non-domiciled individual.

However, it was announced in the Autumn Budget that the non-dom regime will end in April 2025. Anyone previously classified as non-domiciled will be considered domiciled for IHT purposes if they have been a UK resident for at least 10 of the past 20 tax years prior to a chargeable event, such as death. For those affected by this, overseas assets held at death or gifted into a trust will now come into the scope of UK IHT for the first time.

This is a complex area, particularly where the non-domiciled individual holds funds in offshore structures such as a trust, and detailed advice is recommended.

Deeds of variation are used to vary the terms of a Will to alter the terms of the will, such as to redirect an asset to a new beneficiary.  A deed of variation must be filed within two years of death and certain clauses are required to the make the deed effective for tax purposes.  Providing the deed has been properly drafted and within the time limit, it can be used to re-calculate the IHT position of the deceased – this may increase or decrease the IHT exposure depending on where and how the assets are distributed.

No. UK IHT laws apply to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.