INHERITANCE TAX IS EASY MONEY FOR HMRC

TODAY’S BLOG

INHERITANCE TAX IS EASY MONEY FOR HMRC

Few weekends go by without one of the main newspapers doing a story on inheritance tax. I imagine that is because inheritance tax is often cited as the most loathed tax. The general view being that Government gets taxes whilst you are alive and the final indignity is to take more upon death. A 2015 YouGov report indicated its unpopularity.

If you have been reading any of my blogs over the years, you will know that I am rather sceptical of surveys and their results being understood to represent an entire population. The survey in question had a sample size of 1,975 adults. Not enormous out of a population of 66million. There are all sorts of problems with sampling data – but I digress, it is from my anecdotal experience of 3 decades, unpopular.

In March, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projected 15% growth in inheritance tax (IHT) receipts from £5.2bn in 2020/21 to £6bn for 2021/22. They projected this sum to rise to £7.1bn in IHT receipts in 2024/25, after allowing for indexation of the bands which had been due to start in April 2021.

FROZEN – LET IT GO?

As you know, (page 12 of our client magazine Spotlight) the Chancellor elected to freeze all allowances in the last Budget. At the time, due in part to lower house prices the reprojection was £1bn less by 2024/25. However, it is clear that house prices have continued to defy logic by rising. If the rise in IHT receipts continue at the same rate as that experienced over April, May and June this year the 2021 total yield will likely exceed £6bn, rather more than anticipated (easy money eh?).

It’s always surprising that only around 25,000 estates bear IHT each year, but this year it could exceed 30,000. The nil rate bands (£325,0000) frozen until the end of 2025/26, then, unless values fall materially, this trajectory will continue.

And while on the subject of IHT, let’s not forget:

There are two Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) reports on IHT reform that have, substantially, not been acted upon by the Government
There have been a number of calls for wider reform of IHT from the likes of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Inheritance and Intergenerational Fairness.
A 2015 YouGov report found that IHT was the most disliked of all the personal taxes

If you are married (or are a widow/er), own your own home and have children, your nil rate band may well be £1m. However, if your estate is too large the additional main residence relief is reduced potentially to nothing.

If you are single and have no children, HMRC treat you as worthy of no favours, you have the standard nil rate band of £325,000 and no more.

SOLUTIONS? CLICK HERE!

Of course! there are solutions that may be helpful to you – so get in touch.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

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INHERITANCE TAX IS EASY MONEY FOR HMRCDominic2025-01-21T15:48:28+00:00

THE AUTUMN BUDGET 2021

TODAY’S BLOG

THE AUTUMN BUDGET 2021

In terms of your personal finance, not a lot has changed. Indeed, most of the announcements merely confirmed previous announcements, such is the way of our politicians. As a reminder, the next tax year begins on 6th April 2022. The main changes for most are really for those that receive dividends or pay National Insurance

iNCOME TAX RATE ON DIVIDENDS	2022/23	2021/22 (NOW)
Basic rate taxpayer	8.75%	7.50%
Higher rate taxpayer	33.75%	32.50%
Additional rate taxpayer	39.45%	38.10%
Rate for Trusts	39.35%	38.10%

National Insurance for employers increases from 13.8% to 15.05% which basically makes it more expensive to employ people. Employees will also pay rather more at the main rate, rising from 12% to 13.25% and then at the upper or higher rate increased from 2% to 3.25%. Remember the thing about National Insurance is that there is a threshold for the main rate after which you simply pay a flat, reduced rate (currently 2% but increasing to 3.25%). The self-employed main rate increases from 9% to 10.25%. Self-employed people do not fully enjoy the same benefits for their NI payments.

MAIN ALLOWANCES

For those of you using your pensions, the annual allowance remains at £40,000 but if you have begun drawing income from investment-based pensions it is restricted to £4,000 the delightfully named “Money Purchase Annual Allowance” or MPAA. The Lifetime Allowance (the total value of your pensions permitted before excess charges) remains frozen as previously indicated at £1,073,100. This is equivalent to a pension income of £53,655.

ISA and JISA limits remain as they were (£20,000 and £9,000) which are fairly substantial allowances but indicate a “kick the can down the road” policy of Government worrying about tax in the future. Capital Gains Tax (CGT) allowances and rates remain as they are (which is daft).

If you own a second property or inherit one, the capital gains rate and requirement for payment are important to understand. However, one small improvement is that you now have 60 days to pay the liability rather than 30 (with immediate effect). I imagine one of Rishi’s friends was offloading and was worried about an extra charge (surely not!).

As for inheritance, the nil rate remains at £325,000 per person and those with children inheriting the family home the residential nil rate band adds a further £175,000. However, this is tapered when an estate is worth more than £2m.

In short, for all the bluff and thunder and 200 pages, not much is in it for you and I. Remember – death and taxes.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – info@solomonsifa.co.uk
Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY | DATA PROTECTION

GET IN TOUCH

Solomon’s Independent Financial Advisers
The Old Mill Cobham Park Road, COBHAM Surrey, KT11 3NE

Email – info@solomonsifa.co.uk Call – 020 8542 8084

7 QUESTIONS, NO WAFFLE

Are we a good fit for you?

Take Survey

PRIVACY POLICY | DATA PROTECTION

THE AUTUMN BUDGET 2021Dominic2025-01-21T16:33:57+00:00

Til death do us part… more IHT issues

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Til death do us part…

If you have ever taken marriage vows, you were probably not bothered by the inheritance tax advantage that couples enjoy. More accurately, it is of course the beneficiaries of the estate that will actually enjoy any inheritance tax benefit from marriage.

This is because everyone has a “nil rate band” and whilst much has been made of this “allowance” it is a personal one, so a couple naturally has a doubling advantage. Sometimes people set up their finances so that on the first death, an amount of assets is released from the estate to the beneficiaries, rather than them having to wait for their inheritance.

This does come with some rather obvious potential snags – such as where does the money come from to be released and how best to achieve this. Of course the surviving spouse may have his or her circumstances significantly altered since such an agreement was originally made, so may also be reluctant to release funds if they believe that they are needed.

Nil Rate Wedding Bands

It is quite a common practice for solicitors and Will writers to include the transfer of the “nil rate band” upon death, so you ought to think through if this is right for you. Just because it was good advice at the time does not mean that it will remain best advice.

Think about how the money might be released and to whom. If it does pass to your children, please remember that around 1 in 3 marriages end in divorce, so should that happen to one of your children, the inheritance might be “diluted” as a result of divorce. This is where Trusts can protect family wealth as the money isn’t paid to an individual but to a Trust. The Trustees, then will be directed by the terms of the Trust and depending on how it is set up have discretion about how to pay funds.

IHT402

IHT402 is a form that is used to transfer the nil rate band and any unused relief. It is worth downloading and having a look at (click on this text to open a pdf of it). You should review your Will regularly to ensure that it remains suitable. However perhaps more importantly, the bigger question you should reflect on before gifting or transferring any substantial sum is to ensure that you aren’t going to run out of funds yourself. Hence a financial plan will keep you up to date and on track and rather vitally, will explore this fundamental concern.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

Til death do us part… more IHT issuesDominic2025-01-21T15:48:50+00:00

As safe as houses… more IHT

As safe as houses…. more IHT

You have probably heard that the nil rate band or inheritance tax allowance is increasing on a main residence, provided that it is inherited by your family and provided that it isn’t worth too much. As probably intended, many are under the impression that this new “£500,000” allowance has started… it hasn’t and many will not see the benefit.

For starters, the new “Main Residence Nil Rate Band” … MRNRB is being gradually introduced from April 2017 starting with an extra £100,000 rising each tax year by £25,000 until the full extra £175,000 becomes applied from April 2020. However if the net value of the estate is worth more than £2m, then this extra allowance is gradually lost. I think that’s called giving with one hand and taking with the other and of course is ignored by those who think that this is a tax break for the super rich…. reality is quite different.

IH405

IHT405 is the form you use to tell HMRC about all of your properties upon death. Have a look at the form, the valuation of a property (or plural) can and will make a considerable difference to the value of an estate. If you have a second (or further) property, then please keep really good records about it. This includes dates and purchase prices, valuations, work done, insurance costs and so on. You need to be fastidious in your record keeping… not least because these records may also be pretty vital whilst you are alive.

Getting your house/s in order

If you have acquired property over the years, perhaps just for your own family use or perhaps as a commercial concern to generate rental income, this all needs accounting…(sorry for stating the obvious). The value of property obviously changes and there is some degree of flexibility in how this is valued for probate… on the basis that what someone will actually pay for a property is more fluid than a simple figure.

As an aside, landlords that are off-setting interest against rental income, thereby reducing profit and tax, are having the amount permitted altered (another feature of the last Budget). So beware! Also as an aside, those with second properties that have soared in value are loaded with capital gains and thus subject to capital gains tax. There are ways to manage this… which I shall outline at another time – but be advised that there are solutions that may appeal.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

As safe as houses… more IHTDominic2025-01-21T15:48:51+00:00

Estates: Inheritance Tax

So it’s 8th July already and into the second half of the Wimbledon Championships. Looking at your own life, which half do you imagine you are in? (ouch… didn’t see that coming!). Like most people inheritance tax (often referred to as IHT) probably isn’t something that is top of your current concerns (you don’t pay it) however it is a tax that generates more ire than most. In essence, inheritance tax is paid by the Executors of an estate following someone’s death. The amount of tax due will depend on the value of the estate and how it was arranged.

Today the Chancellor will give yet another Budget, but this one, the first as a Conservative Government. Like many I shall be waiting to hear what he says and see how he plans to deliver it. One of the pre-election manifesto promises was to increase the threshold for inheritance tax, perhaps to £1,000,000 for a couples main residence.

He may be less willing to follow through with this now as it was announced that in April HMRC collected £397m as inheritance tax payments, the largest in a single month and way above the longer term average of £260m a month. In fact March, April and May 2015 saw over £1bn of inheritance tax paid to HMRC. If interested, you can see the various taxes collected by HMRC from the data they published at the start of the month, just click here.

The Budget 8 July 2015

We shall simply have to wait for the Chancellor to tell us how and if he intends to adjust the nil rate band (the amount an estate can be worth before any inheritance tax is payable). The nil rate band has been frozen at £325,000 since 2009 and had historically increased with inflation each year, but of course that was before the credit crunch. As ever our APP will be updated with all the changes as quickly as possible (usually before the end of the day). Don’t forget it’s free and easy to use.

Pensions and ISAs are now IHT friendly

The main gripe is that property has continued to soar in value and is invariably the main asset that is left once someone dies. The pension freedom rules have enabled pension funds to be exempt from inheritance tax (though some taxes may apply) and ISAs are able to be passed on to a surviving spouse (previously they would have lost the tax-free status of an ISA).

As a result more people, or rather estates have been brought into the inheritance tax threshold, probably not the original intention of the tax. However the Chancellor will be seeking some wriggle room to keep things as they are given that it raises such significant sums for the Treasury.

A 40% tax rate

As of this morning, inheritance tax is charged at 40% on the excess value of estates worth £325,000. Each individual has a nil rate band and so a couple effectively has a nil rate band of £650,000. In addition, for those that have been previously married to someone now deceased, it is possible to use part of their allowance too.

Dominic Thomas
Solomons IFA

You can read more articles about Pensions, Wealth Management, Retirement, Investments, Financial Planning and Estate Planning on my blog which gets updated every week. If you would like to talk to me about your personal wealth planning and how we can make you stay wealthier for longer then please get in touch by calling 08000 736 273 or email info@solomonsifa.co.uk

Estates: Inheritance TaxDominic2025-01-21T15:48:52+00:00