9 Ways to Pay Less Inheritance Tax

Inheritance tax (IHT) often conjures up worries among those planning their financial futures. It's a tax on the estate (the property, money, and possessions) of someone who's passed away. Understanding how to navigate this tax can save your beneficiaries thousands of pounds, ensuring more of your estate goes to your loved ones rather than the taxman.

Understanding Inheritance Tax

Inheritance Tax is a tax on the estate of someone who has died. This includes all property, possessions, and money. Following death, the executors of the Will must calculate the value of all assets and deduct any liabilities (debts). The remainder is called your “estate”, and this is the value that’s liable to inheritance tax.

9 Ways to Pay Less Inheritance Tax

Key Strategies to Reduce Inheritance Tax

Make a Will

Making a will is essential for anyone looking to exert control over their posthumous financial affairs. It's one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes. A will allows you to minimize the inheritance tax bill legally, ensuring your loved ones receive what you intend for them.

• Control Over Your Assets: Writing a will lets you decide exactly how your assets are managed and distributed upon death. This is crucial for unmarried couples or those wanting to pass assets to step-children.

• Tax Efficiency: A will can be structured to exploit inheritance tax allowances and exemptions effectively.

• Flexibility: Post-death, a will can be altered via a deed of variation to further reduce inheritance tax, particularly beneficial when the intended beneficiary already has a substantial estate.

Utilize Allowances

Understanding and using various allowances and reliefs can significantly reduce inheritance tax liability.

• Inheritance Tax Threshold: The first £325,000 of an individual's estate is not subject to inheritance tax. This is known as the “nil rate band”. For married couples or civil partners, any unused threshold can be transferred to the surviving spouse, potentially doubling the threshold to £650,000.

• Residence Nil Rate Band: An additional £175,000 allowance is available when your main residence is passed on to direct descendants. This can combine with the standard nil rate band, providing a total allowance of £500,000 per person, or £1,000,000 for a couple.

Making Gifts

Gifting assets during your lifetime is a practical way to reduce your estate's value for inheritance tax purposes. There are two main types of gifts for inheritance tax: Potentially Exempt Transfers (PETs) and Chargeable Lifetime Transfers (CLTs).

• Potentially Exempt Transfers (PETs): These are outright gifts to individuals that, if you survive for seven years after making the gift, fall outside of your estate for inheritance tax purposes.

• Chargeable Lifetime Transfers (CLTs): These are gifts into certain types of trusts and have immediate inheritance tax implications if they exceed the nil rate band.

Use Your Gifting Exemptions

Certain gifts are completely exempt from inheritance tax, offering another avenue to reduce your estate's taxable value.

1. Gifts to Spouses: Gifts made to a spouse or civil partner during your lifetime or upon death are typically exempt from inheritance tax.

2. Annual Exemption: You can give away £3,000 per year without any inheritance tax implications.

3. Wedding Gifts: Parents can give up to £5,000, grandparents up to £2,500, and anyone else up to £1,000 as wedding gifts tax-free.

4. Gifts to Charities or Political Parties: Unlimited amounts can be gifted to charities or political parties tax-free.

5. Small Gifts: Up to £250 per recipient per year can be given without incurring inheritance tax.

Use Business Relief

For those owning a business or certain types of investments, Business Relief could provide significant tax relief. This relief can reduce the value of a business or its assets when calculating the estate for inheritance tax purposes, potentially to zero.

Use Life Insurance

A life insurance policy, especially if written in trust, can be a practical tool in inheritance tax planning. The policy pays out upon death and, if correctly structured, does not form part of your estate for inheritance tax purposes.

Use Trusts

Trusts can be an effective way to manage and reduce an inheritance tax bill. Assets placed in a trust may no longer be considered part of your estate, depending on the trust type and conditions. However, setting up a trust can be complex and often requires professional advice.

Invest Tax-Efficiently

Investments that qualify for Business Relief, such as certain types of enterprise investment schemes or shares in AIM-listed companies, can be exempt from inheritance tax if held for at least two years.

Use Pensions

Most pensions are outside of your estate for inheritance tax purposes. Therefore, passing on your pension can often be done tax-free, making it an effective tool in inheritance tax planning.

Spend More

Finally, one straightforward strategy is to simply spend more of your assets. This reduces the size of your estate, thereby reducing the potential inheritance tax liability.