Professional
INHERITANCE TAX
ACCOUNTANT
INHERITANCE TAX
Your Online Inheritance Tax Accountant
Inheritance Tax Made Simple — What Every UK Family Should Know in 2026
Inheritance Tax (IHT) catches more British families off guard each year because thresholds have remained unchanged for over a decade while property values have steadily climbed. As an online inheritance tax accountant UK families turn to, we believe clarity is the first step towards proper estate planning. The standard nil-rate band sits at £325,000 per individual, and the residence nil-rate band adds £175,000 where a qualifying home passes to direct descendants. Both allowances are now frozen until April 2031 following the November 2025 Autumn Budget, meaning married couples and civil partners can pass on a combined £1 million tax-free, but only if their estate is structured properly. Above these thresholds, IHT applies at 40%, falling to 36% where 10% or more goes to charity. We help you understand exactly where your estate sits today.
Why Pro Tax Accountant Stands Out
Inheritance tax planning is deeply personal work, demanding experience, sensitivity, and razor-sharp technical knowledge. With more than 18 years of tax accounting expertise, our CEO has guided hundreds of London families and clients across the UK through estate planning conversations, often during emotionally difficult times. Our wider team of qualified accountants and tax advisers specialises in IHT calculations, lifetime gifting strategies, trust structures, and probate-related tax matters. We interpret complex rules around Potentially Exempt Transfers, the seven-year clock, taper relief, and the residence-based domicile framework. Our staff attend continuing professional development seminars, subscribe to HMRC bulletins, monitor First-tier Tribunal decisions, and follow each Budget closely so no recent change escapes our attention. We don't simply file forms — we explain the reasoning behind every figure, in plain English, until you feel genuinely confident in the plan we have built together.
Tools, Software & Secure Online Service Across the UK
Modern inheritance tax work demands modern tools. We use HMRC-recognised, cloud-based accounting software to model different estate scenarios, calculate transferable nil-rate bands, and prepare IHT400 and IHT100 forms with complete accuracy. Secure client portals, e-signature platforms, video consultations, and encrypted document sharing mean you can review draft IHT computations, lifetime gift records, or trust accounts from your own living-room sofa, without ever needing to post sensitive paperwork. Being an online inheritance tax accountant UK clients can reach from anywhere — Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Cardiff, or a small Welsh village — geography is never a barrier to senior-level advice. We integrate seamlessly with your solicitor or financial planner where one exists, and where one doesn't, we will happily recommend trusted partners we have worked with for years. Technology speeds up the work; relationships make it human.
Get Started — Your First Conversation Is Free
Inheritance tax is one of the few areas where doing nothing is itself a costly decision. The longer you wait, the fewer planning options remain genuinely open — particularly as the seven-year gifting clock cannot be hurried. Whether you are a first-time homeowner who has only just realised your estate may exceed the threshold, a parent thinking carefully about supporting children with a deposit, or a business owner concerned about the new £1 million APR/BPR cap, an early conversation rarely hurts and often saves substantial sums. Your initial consultation with our inheritance tax team is completely free, entirely without obligation, and held in friendly, jargon-free language. We will listen, ask sensible questions, and only suggest steps that genuinely fit your family's circumstances. Get in touch today by phone, email, WhatsApp, or our quote form — your future beneficiaries will quietly thank you.
Q1. What is the current Inheritance Tax threshold in the UK?
A. For 2026/27, the standard nil-rate band is £325,000 per individual. If you leave a qualifying main home to direct descendants, you can add a £175,000 residence nil-rate band. Both allowances are frozen until April 2031, so married couples can potentially pass on up to £1 million tax-free.
Q2. What rate is Inheritance Tax charged at?
A. IHT is charged at 40% on the value of your estate above your available nil-rate bands. The rate falls to 36% if at least 10% of your net estate is left to charity. Lifetime chargeable transfers, such as gifts into certain trusts, are taxed at 20% during life.
Q3. Do I need to pay IHT if I leave everything to my spouse?
A. Generally no. Transfers between UK-resident spouses or civil partners are fully exempt from IHT. Your unused nil-rate band can also be transferred to your surviving spouse, doubling the threshold available on the second death — but the claim must be made actively; HMRC does not apply it automatically.
Q4. What is the seven-year rule on gifts?
A. Gifts you make to individuals are usually Potentially Exempt Transfers. If you survive seven years from the date of the gift, it falls outside your estate completely. If you die within seven years, taper relief may reduce the IHT payable on gifts above the nil-rate band.
Q5. How are inherited pensions changing?
A. From April 2027, most unused pension pots inherited on death will be brought within the scope of Inheritance Tax. This represents a significant change to a long-standing planning route, so reviewing your pension nominations and overall estate strategy well in advance is increasingly important.
Q6. What's changing for farms and family businesses?
A. From April 2026, Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief at 100% will be capped at the first £1 million of combined qualifying assets. Above that, relief drops to 50%. Any unused £1 million allowance is now transferable between spouses following the November 2025 Budget.
Q7. Do I need a UK accountant if I live abroad?
A. Yes — and possibly more so. The new long-term residence framework introduced in April 2025 affects UK IHT exposure for many internationally mobile individuals. We regularly help expats, returning UK residents, and former non-doms understand how the rules now apply to their worldwide assets.
Q8. Can you help with probate and IHT400 forms?
A. Absolutely. We assist personal representatives in valuing the estate, completing IHT400, IHT205, and supporting schedules, claiming reliefs, calculating any tax due, and liaising with HMRC. We work alongside solicitors handling the probate side, providing the tax expertise needed at this difficult time.
Q9. How much does your inheritance tax service cost?
A. Our fees are transparent and agreed up front, typically as a fixed price for a defined piece of work. Initial consultations are free. The total cost depends on estate size and complexity, but you will always know exactly what you are paying — no hidden hourly creep, no surprises at the end.
Q10. How do I get started?
A. Simply visit our Get a Quote page, send us a message via WhatsApp on 07985 689912, or email info@protaxaccountant.co.uk. We will arrange a free initial consultation by video, telephone, or in person at our Ealing office, and take it from there at your pace.
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