Estate & Inheritance Tax Planning
Passing on what you have built, with the tax position understood rather than discovered later.
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Inheritance tax has been described as a voluntary levy paid by those who dislike their heirs more than they dislike HMRC. That is unfair, but it makes a point: the position is often better than people fear and worse than they assume, and the difference is usually planning.
Why this is worth reviewing now
The nil rate band has been frozen at £325,000 since April 2009 and is not due to change until at least April 2031. The residence nil rate band has been fixed since 2020. Freezes of that length let inflation draw more estates into paying inheritance tax without any rate ever rising.
Two announced reforms make a review more pressing:
Business and agricultural reliefs. From 2026/27 the 100% relief is capped at £2.5 million per individual combined, with any excess qualifying for 50%. Unused allowance is transferable to a surviving spouse or civil partner. Eligible AIM-listed shares move to 50% relief.
Pension death benefits. Most pension death benefits are due to fall within the scope of inheritance tax from 6 April 2027, having previously sat outside it.
If you have no estate planning in place, the pension change alone is a reason to start. If you do have a plan, it was probably built under different rules.
Planning rarely sits on its own
Estate planning tends to touch everything else. Changing one element — how a pension is designated, when a gift is made, how a business is held — can have consequences for retirement provision or income. We look at it as a whole rather than in isolation.
Where to start
A free initial appointment, at either office, with no obligation.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax or estate planning advice. Tax treatment varies according to individual circumstances and is subject to change.