Inheritance Tax Allowance

The Inheritance Tax (IHT) Allowance is the amount of wealth that you can receive, tax-free, from someone who passed away. In the 2023/2024 tax year, it’s £325,000.

Sometimes the IHT Allowance can increase:

1. If your parent or grandparent is leaving you their main home, the IHT Allowance increases to £500,000
2. The first parent to pass away can also leave their estate to the other parent, in which case they add up, and your IHT Allowance can be as high as £1,000,000
3. The IHT allowance increases by an additional £175,000 if the deceased leaves their main residence to their direct descendants (children or grandchildren). This is known as the Residence Nil-Rate Band (RNRB), making the total IHT allowance £500,000

If the estate’s value is below the IHT Allowance, you’ll still need to report it to HMRC, even if you don’t need to pay any Inheritance Tax. Also, if your spouse or civil partner leaves everything to you, it’s all tax-free: any gifts between spouses and civil partners are tax-free.