Inheritance Tax Flashcards
What are the 3 main occasions when IHT is chargeable?
- Death
- Potentially exempt transfers (lifetime gifts to individuals made in the 7 years preceding death)
- Lifetime chargeable transfers (lifetime gifts into trust or company)
How is IHT calculated?
- Identify the transfer of value
- Find the value transferred
- Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
- Calculate tax at the appropriate rate
1. Identify the transfer of value
What are the 2 possible transfers of value?
Deemed transfer of estate on death
or
Lifetime transfer which reduces the value of the transferor’s estate
2. Find the value transferred
What is the value of the estate on death?
The open market value of the assets of the estate, less any debts & funeral expenses
2. Find the value transferrred
What is the value transferred for a lifetime transfer?
The amount of reduction in value of the transferor’s estate
2. Find the value transferred
What are the related property rules?
The value of each asset is the appropriate portion of the value of the group (most applicable where property transferred between spouses)
Applies where something worth more in a group rather than on its own
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What are the exemptions & reliefs which apply to both death & lifetime transfers?
- Spouse exemption
- Charity exemption
- Business Property Relief
- Agricultural Property Relief
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What is the spouse / civil partner exemption?
Any property transferred between spouses (incl. by survivorship or intestacy) is exempt
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What is the charity exemption?
Any gifts made to a qualifying charity are exempt
Nb. Also applies to certain bodies providing public benefit (eg. galleries) & to political parties w/ at least 1 MP
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What is Business Property Relief?
Reduces value of transfer when business is trading in nature
- Must be relevant business property
a. Business or interest in a business = 100% relief
b. Unlisted shares = 100%
c. Listed shares where transferor had voting control (>50%) = 50%
d. Land, machinery, buildings, plant owned by transferor personally but used by business in which transferor partner or had voting control = 50%
- Transferor must have owned the relevant business property for at least 2 years
- PETs only: transferee must still own property at time of transferor’s death
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What are the 2 categories of ‘relevant business property’ which attract 100% Business Property Relief?
a. Business or interest in a business
b. Unlisted shares
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What are the 2 categories of ‘relevant business property’ which attract 50% BPR?
c. Listed shares where transferor had voting control
d. Land, buildings, machinery, plant owned by transferor personally but used by buisness in which transferor was partner or had voting control
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
How long must the transferor have owned the relevant business property to qualify for BPR?
At least 2 years
(For PETs only: transferee must still own property at time of transferor’s death)
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What is Agricultural Property Relief?
Farms, agricultural land, farm buildings where individual owned land or rented on tenancy beginning on or after 1 Sept 1995 for the purposes of agriculture = 100% relief
3. Apply the relevant exemptions & reliefs
What are the exemptions & reliefs which apply to lifetime transfers only?
I. Annual exemption (£3,000)
II. Small gifts exemption (£250 or less) (PETs only)
III. Normal expenditure out of income
IV. Gifts given in consideration of marriage