Inheritance Tax and tax on inherited money and property
Inheritance Tax is a tax on an estate (the property, money and possessions) of someone who's died.
There's normally no Inheritance Tax to pay if:
- the value of the estate is below the threshold
- the estate is left to a spouse or civil partner, a charity or a community amateur sports club
Find information about how Inheritance Tax works on GOV.UK, including:
- when you have to pay Inheritance Tax
- Inheritance Tax rates, thresholds, reliefs and exemptions
- who pays the tax to HMRC
- passing on a home
- rules on giving gifts
- what happens when someone living outside the UK dies
- paying your Inheritance Tax bill
Reduced rate calculator
If you leave at least 10% of your net estate to charity you may qualify to pay Inheritance Tax at a reduced rate. Your net estate is what’s left after debts, loans and any other money you owe have been paid.
Use the reduced rate calculator on GOV.UK to work out the amount needed to qualify if you're:
- preparing your own will
- the executor of the deceased's will or administrator of their estate
Business Relief
If you inherit the estate of someone who died and part of that estate includes a business or its assets, you can apply for Business Relief. This can reduce the business’s value by 50% or 100% so you pay less Inheritance Tax.
Find information about Business Relief for Inheritance Tax on GOV.UK, including:
- how Business Relief works
- how to claim relief
- what qualifies for Business Relief
- what doesn't qualify
- giving away business property or assets
- how to get Business Relief on a gift
Tax on property, money and shares you inherit
If you inherit property, money or shares, any Inheritance Tax due will usually be paid before you receive the inheritance.
But you may have to pay other types of tax on what you’ve inherited, including:
- Income Tax
- Capital Gains Tax