Passing it on.
HMRC has a plan for your estate. You're allowed a better one.
A will decides who. The plan decides how much.
A couple can usually pass on £1m free of inheritance tax, but only if the home goes to children or grandchildren and the estate is under £2m. From April 2027, unused pensions count too.
What your family keeps is decided years before the tax is paid: by when you give, how you give and what you hold.
A £2.4m estate.
A surviving spouse leaves £2.4m to their children, including the home and £400,000 of unused pension. Today the pension usually sits outside the estate: £2m is taxed, after £1m of allowances, and the bill is £400,000.
From April 2027 the pension counts. The estate is £2.4m, the home allowance shrinks by £1 for every £2 over £2m, and the bill rises to £640,000.
The TRUTH about inheritance tax
A voluntary levy. An avoidable cost.
The biggest IHT bills are paid by people who did nothing wrong+
Saving, investing, and owning a home are not mistakes, but frozen thresholds now create tax exposure for ordinary families. IHT isn't a wealth tax. It's a penalty for a lack of planning.
The biggest cost is doing nothing+
Most IHT liabilities are accidental results of inertia. Every year without a plan compounds your problem. The most effective tools need time, and time can't be recovered.
Gifting is the most powerful tool, and the most underused+
You can essentially give away unlimited amounts during your lifetime. Yet most people give too little, too late - not because they can't afford to, but because they're afraid to.
Warm money beats cold money+
Gifts made while you're alive have far more impact than a legacy received when your heirs are already financially independent. The best plans don't wait for the worst day to transfer wealth.
Cashflow modelling reveals what you can really give and spend+
Most people overestimate what they need and underestimate what they can afford to give. The gap is your gifting opportunity, and it's often far larger than expected. Surplus wealth upon death reflects a life not fulfilled. Spend it or give it away. We can't take it with us when we pass.
Control is the real barrier, not the tax+
People avoid gifting because they fear losing control or "giving too much too soon." That fear is usually overstated. Structure can preserve control without keeping assets in your estate.
Surplus income is the most overlooked exemption+
Any income you don't spend can be gifted with no seven-year wait and no limit. It is the most powerful, under-utilised exemption in the tax code.
"Everything to spouse" is a deferral, not a plan+
Spouse exemption avoids tax on first death, but concentrates the problem into the second. The real cliff edge comes later, when the combined estate is taxed in full.
Life insurance doesn't reduce the bill, but it can solve the problem+
A policy in trust provides the liquidity to pay the tax without forced asset sales. It's a vital tool for families where gifting isn't practical.
Complexity is a cost, not a solution+
Taking large investment risks to save 40% tax isn't planning. If the asset falls further than the tax saved, nothing was gained. For most families, simple strategies work best.
The conversation matters as much as the structure+
IHT planning involves your family, your values, fairness, and mortality. Poor communication causes more damage than HMRC ever will. Silence can create surprises that become disputes.
The real cost is paid by the next generation+
Poor planning creates stress, forced sales, and family tension at the worst possible time. The goal isn't to beat the taxman. It's to pass the right assets, to the right people, with minimal friction.
What you'll have at the end.
An estate plan.
Wills and lasting powers of attorney.
Pension nominations.
A gifting record.
From paperwork to handover.
Organise.
Give.
Structure.
Hand over.
What clients ask us first.
Something not covered here? Ask us. We will reply within one working day.
Will my family pay inheritance tax?+
We work out your estate's likely bill today and as it grows, including your pensions under the rules due from April 2027.
How much can I give away now?+
Often more than you think, without risking your own security. We work out what you can afford to give, and the best way to give it.
Should I use a trust?+
Sometimes. A trust can keep control while money leaves your estate, but it adds cost and tax rules of its own.
How do I tell my children?+
Sooner than most people do. We can host the conversation, so everyone hears the same plan from the same people.
The best inheritance arrives with instructions.
We’ll listen, tell you honestly whether we can help, and what it would cost.