Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts from April to December 2024 have reached £6.3bn – £0.6bn higher than the same period last year.
If this trend continues, we could see 2023/2024’s record of £7.5bn beaten by the end of this tax year.
This article isn’t personal advice. Tax rules can change, and any benefits depend on your circumstances. Investments will rise and fall in value, so you could get back less than you invest. If you're not sure what's right for you, ask for financial advice.
Why are tax bills rising?
The surge in IHT receipts is largely because of soaring property values and frozen IHT thresholds.
However, other tax receipts for the UK have been on the rise as well thanks to frozen thresholds.
Income tax, capital gains tax, and National Insurance contributions for the same period have totalled £330.9bn – £9.2bn higher than the year before.
But the sharpest increase has been in capital gains tax, with £808mn collected in the last three months of 2024. This marks a dramatic 60% year-on-year rise, hitting home the tax burden being placed on individuals and families across the country.
We could see another big jump in 2027 when the government's plan to make pensions subject to IHT kicks in.
How to reduce your IHT bill
The go-to way to reduce your IHT bill is to gift your money before you die. But this requires careful planning.
There are a number of gifts you can make which are immediately exempt from IHT.
Every tax year you can gift up to £3,000 without it being counted as part of your estate. You can also carry forward any unused annual exemption to the following tax year, but only for one year. This is available per person, so a couple could use their combined annual exemptions
Wedding or civil ceremony gifts are exempt up to £1,000 per person, or up to £5,000 for a child and £2,500 for a grandchild or great-grandchild
Gifts to charities (UK registered) and political parties are usually immediately exempt as well
You can also give up to £250 per tax year to any number of people, provided they haven’t received a gift from you which uses another exemption. Although these exempt amounts might seem relatively small, gifting in these ways over time can add up to a big difference.
It’s also important not to give away too much too soon as it could lead to financial struggles later on.
Find out more about gifting and other ways to reduce your IHT bill in our Essential Guide to Inheritance Tax.
How financial advice can help with estate planning
If you want to pass on as much wealth as possible to your loved ones, financial advice can help you understand the complexities of inheritance tax and suggest ways to pass on your wealth within your means.
An adviser can help by making sure you’re using available exemptions and allowances, creating trusts, timing your gifts, and more.
Looking to the future, an adviser can also help you prepare for potential tax changes which could have a knock-on effect on things like your retirement plans.
Book a call with our advice team today to find out more.
They’ll explain more about our service and the costs involved but they won’t provide personal advice at this stage.