Inheritance Tax

Expert Inheritance Tax Solicitors to Protect Your Estate

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Inheritance Tax at Woodstock Legal Services


Inheritance tax can significantly reduce the value of what you leave to your loved ones, and more families are finding their estates affected as property values rise and the rules change. With the right planning, it’s often possible to reduce the amount payable and make sure more of your estate passes to the people you choose. Woodstock Legal Services advises individuals, families and executors on inheritance tax across England and Wales.


Our private client lawyers advise on inheritance tax planning during your lifetime, tax-efficient wills, using available allowances and exemptions, lifetime gifts and trusts, reliefs for business and agricultural property, and inheritance tax returns and payments when dealing with an estate.



You’ll work directly with an experienced lawyer who explains the rules in plain English, gives you a clear picture of your potential liability, and helps you make informed decisions about your estate.


Planning During Your Lifetime


Inheritance tax planning works best when it starts early. Several allowances and exemptions are available, including the nil-rate band and the residence nil-rate band, as well as exemptions for gifts between spouses and civil partners and gifts to charity. Unused allowances can often be passed to a surviving spouse.


Our lawyers review your assets and likely liability, and advise on practical ways to reduce it, such as structuring your will tax-efficiently, making lifetime gifts and using trusts. We’ll explain how the seven-year rule applies to gifts, and how upcoming changes to the treatment of pensions and business and agricultural property may affect you.


Where your planning involves investments or pensions, we work alongside your financial adviser and accountant, so your plan is joined up and effective.


Inheritance Tax on an Estate


When someone dies, their executors are responsible for working out whether inheritance tax is due, reporting the estate to HMRC and paying any tax. In many cases, some or all of the tax must be paid before probate can be granted, and interest is charged if it’s paid late.


Our private client lawyers value the estate, identify the allowances, exemptions and reliefs available, and prepare and submit the inheritance tax forms. We deal with HMRC on the executors’ behalf, including arranging payment and handling any queries. Where appropriate, we can also advise beneficiaries on varying the terms of a will after death.


We’ll make sure the estate’s tax position is handled accurately and efficiently, protecting executors and beneficiaries alike.

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Inheritance Tax FAQs

  • Who pays inheritance tax?

    Inheritance tax is usually paid out of the estate by the executors or administrators before it’s distributed to beneficiaries. Inheritance tax may also be payable on some lifetime gifts if the person who made the gift dies within seven years. Whether tax is due depends on the value of the estate and the allowances, exemptions and reliefs available.

  • What is the seven-year rule?

    Gifts made during your lifetime are usually free from inheritance tax if you survive for seven years after making them. If you die within that period, the gift may be taken into account when calculating inheritance tax on your estate, although taper relief can reduce the tax on some gifts made between three and seven years before death. Some gifts, such as small annual gifts and regular gifts from surplus income, are exempt immediately.

  • Can I pass my unused allowance to my spouse?

    Yes. If you’re married or in a civil partnership, any unused nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band can usually be transferred to your surviving spouse or civil partner. This can significantly increase the amount they can leave free of inheritance tax. Gifts between spouses and civil partners are also generally exempt.

  • Can a will be changed after death to reduce inheritance tax?

    In some cases, yes. Beneficiaries can redirect all or part of their inheritance using a deed of variation, usually within two years of the death. If done correctly, the variation can be treated for inheritance tax purposes as if it had been made by the person who died. This can be useful for tax planning or passing assets to the next generation.

  • Are the inheritance tax rules changing?

    Yes. Changes are being introduced to how pensions and business and agricultural property are treated for inheritance tax purposes. These could affect estates that were previously outside the scope of inheritance tax. If you have significant pension savings, a business or farmland, it’s worth reviewing your plans. We’ll explain how the changes may affect you.

Why Choose Woodstock Legal Services?

Low Caseloads: Your Matter Gets Time

As consultants, our private client solicitors manage their own caseloads and only work for a handful of clients at any one time. Whether you’re writing a will or administering an estate, your matter gets the time, care and attention it deserves.

Proactive Updates: No Chasing

Our consultancy model means you deal directly with your lawyer, not a call centre or a rotating team. They keep you informed at every stage and are on hand to answer your questions, so you’ll never need to chase.

Advice for Individuals & Families

From wills and lasting powers of attorney to inheritance tax planning and probate, we help you protect your loved ones now and support your family later. You’ll get clear, compassionate advice in plain English, tailored to your circumstances.