Inheritance Tax Flashcards
re: lifetime transfers
what is meant by liability? who is liable?
- the person(s) liable to pay HMRC the IHT (e.g. the PRs)
Statutory rules cannot be changed by express provision in the will
re: lifetime transfers
what is meant by burden?
the person(s) who ultimately bears the costs
Statutory rules on burden can be changed by express provision in the will
re: lifetime transfers
when does IHT liability arise on transfers made in D’s lifetime?
o Potentially exempt transfers; and
o Lifetime chargeable transfers
re: lifetime transfers
what is a potential exempt transfer?
- a gift by D to another person during D’s life or into a disabled trust
re: lifetime transfers
when does a PET become chargeable?
A PET is only chargeable to IHT if D dies within 7 years of making the gift i.e. if D lives for more than 7 years after making the PET, it is fully exempt
re: lifetime transfers
what is a lifetime chargeable transfer?
any transfer made during D’s life that isn’t a PET i.e. transfers to other types of trust after 22 March 2006 and transfers to companies
re: lifetime transfers
when is an LCT chargeable?
o LCTs are automatically chargeable. They are not like PETs which only become chargeable to IHT if they fail (i.e. D dies within 7 years of transfer)
re: lifetime transfers
what are the steps for this IHT calculation?
Stage 1 – identify the transfer of value
Stage 2 – find the value transferred
Stage 3 – apply exemptions and reliefs
re: lifetime transfers
what is meant by transfer for value?
any disposition made in D’s lifetime which reduces the value of the transferor’s estate i.e. a gift or sale at undervalue reduces the value, selling something at market value or above does not
re: lifetime transfers
when is a transfer for value not included?
A transfer for value is not included if it is for:
o The maintenance, education or training of the transferor’s child which is under the age of 18 or still in full-time education or training; or
o Maintenance of a dependent relative
re: lifetime transfers
explain ‘Stage 2 – find the value transferred’
i.e. the loss in value to the estate caused by the transfer
Usually the loss is the market value of the transferred property, however if the transferred property was part of a collection and only part of the collection was transferred (thereby increasing the loss), use this formula:
MV of collection minus MV of remaining collection = loss to estate
Related property rules also apply (see above)
re: lifetime transfers
what are the exemptions/reliefs?
Order of exemptions/reliefs:
1. Spouse/CP and charity exemption
2. BPR & APR
3. Lifetime exemptions
re: lifetime transfers
explain ‘spouse/CP and charity exemption’
- Same application as with transfers on death
- NB: it applies even if transferor dies within 7 years of the gift.
re: lifetime transfers
explain ‘BPR and APR’ reliefs
Same application as with transfers on death. However:
o Transferor dies within 7 years of gift > BPR only available if the transferee owns the RBV at D’s DOD (or their own if they predeceased D)
o Transferor dies more than 7 years after gift > BPR available
re: lifetime transfers
what is the annual exemption and how can the annual exemption be used?
- £3k per tax year is exempt from IHT
- Can be one or multiple smaller transactions to one or more people
- Any unused exemption can be carried forward into the next tax year but must be used within the next tax year (so can be a max of £6k)
re: lifetime transfers
what are the lifetime exemptions?
- annual exemption
- small gifts
- normal expenditure out of normal income
- gifts in consideration of marriage
re: lifetime transfers
explain small gifts
- NB: this exemption applies to PETs only (not LCTs)
- Gifts not exceeding £250 in total value to a donee are exempt from IHT
- There can be any number of donees, the limit applies to each donee
- If the gifts to a particular donee exceed £250, the exemption is lost (i.e. all the money paid to them becomes chargeable)
- This cannot be carried over to the next tax year
re: lifetime transfers
what does small gifts apply to?
PETs only, not LCTs
re: lifetime transfers
what happens if a small gift exceeds the limit?
- If the gifts to a particular donee exceed £250, the exemption is lost (i.e. all the money paid to them becomes chargeable)
re: lifetime transfers
explain ‘normal expenditure out of normal income’
give an example
A transfer is exempt if it can be shown that:
o It was made as part of their normal expenditure:
o It was made from their income; and
o The transferor had sufficient income to maintain their usual standard of living after these payments had been made
- Common example - parent to child for university living expenses
re: lifetime transfers
how many recipients can receive a small gift?
- There can be any number of donees, the £250 annual limit applies to each donee
re: lifetime transfers
explain gifts in consideration of marriage
These gifts on marriage are exempt. Any amount above this is chargeable:
o £5k from parent;
o £2.5k from another family member;
o £1k all other cases
re: lifetime transfers
if the transfer is a PET, what happens at stage 3?
- If it is a PET, there is no IHT liability at the time of the transfer, and it will be fully exempt if D survives for 7 years after the transfer.
- Therefore, the remaining net value can be deducted if D is still alive
- The net value of the PET calculated at the time of the transfer, is the figure that is used if the PET becomes chargeable in the future
re: lifetime transfers
explain stage 4 - calculate tax at the appropriate rate
- At this stage, we are looking at IHT at the time the transfer is made and D is alive. As above, there is no IHT charge on a PET whilst D is alive, so this is looking at IHT payable at the time of transfer on a LCT only.
re: lifetime transfers
what are the tax rates?
£0 - £325k @ 0%
20% on anything above
re: lifetime transfers
explain how tax on LCTs is calculated
give an example
The total of any LCTs made in the 7 years before the current transfer are culminated and then deducted from the NRB first. The remainder of the NRB can be used for the LCT and any excess will be taxed at 20%.
NB: if a transfer in the culmination period was a PET, it is not included in the calculation. This is because it is not yet chargeable.
- May 2023 – gift of £50k to trust (an LCT). Any other LCTs in the 7 years prior (i.e. from May 2016)?
- Yes > May 2019 & May 2020 - £140k each
- Culminative total of LCTs = £280k - £325k = £45k (remaining NRB)
- £45k NRB left for current gift > £45k @ 0% + £5k @ 20% = £1k IHT to pay
re: lifetime transfers
who is liable to pay IHT?
- Transferor is liable, but either the transferor or trustees can pay IHT
re: lifetime transfers
why might the trust pay IHT?
- Common for the trust to pay IHT. This is because there is a lesser IHT liability.
- The trust will pay IHT on the value of the property only, but IHT is paid from the trust fund so there will be less money for Bs
re: lifetime transfers
what is the effect of the transferor pays IHT?
- If the transferor pays, the IHT is payable on the value transferred, this is the loss to the estate cause by the gift (i.e. value of the asset plus the sum of IHT)
re: lifetime transfers
explain payable IHT when the transferor pays and when the estate pays
Transferor pays grossing up calculation for an LCT:
o Value of LCT x (100 / 80) = gross value transferred
o Gross value transferred @ 20% = IHT payable
Trustees pay loss to estate @ 20% = IHT
re: lifetime transfers
if the LCT was made after 5 April & before 1 October, when is IHT due?
IHT due 30 April the next year
re: lifetime transfers
if the LCT was made after 30 September & before 6 April, when is IHT payable?
IHT at the end of the 6 months after the LCT was made
re: lifetime transfers - death
what is the effect of lifetime transfers on death?
If the D has died within 7 years of making a PET and/or LCT, PRs will need to undertake stages to confirm the IHT liability
o It is important they check whether the BPR exemption still applies
o Important to remember where an LCT/PET is captured by a culmination period, if the transfer itself was 7 years before death, an IHT calculation doesn’t need to be done for that transfer, but it is included for culmination
The NRB available for the death estate will be reduced if there have been any chargeable lifetime transfers
PETs should always be calculated before LCTs
re: lifetime transfers on death
how do you approach a PET?
start with the earliest PET within the 7 years prior to death and apply the NRB against the earliest first
(each chargeable transfer has its own culmination period. The culmination value is the total of the relevant transfers before the transfer in question)
- Calculate the cumulative total for the PET being assessed, this will include:
o Any LCTs made 7 years before the PET being assessed (the effect is that this can capture LCTs made up to 14 years before the DOD)
o Any PETs within the 7 years before death that took place before the PET - Minus the culminative total from the NRB (or remaining NRB), this gives you the available NRB for the PET being assessed.
- The tax rate for any value above the NRB is 40% (unless taper relief applies)
* IHT is payable by the person who received the gift in D’s lifetime.
re: lifetime transfers on death
how do you approach an LCT?
Any LCTs must be recalculated if D dies within 7 years of making it. This is because PETs may now be chargeable, thereby reducing the NRB.
- Calculate the cumulative total for the LCT being assessed, this will include:
o Any LCTs made 7 years before the LCT being assessed (the effect is that this can capture LCTs made up to 14 years before the DOD)
o Any PETs within the 7 years before death that took place before the LCT - Minus the culminative total from the NRB (or remaining NRB), this gives you the available NRB for the LCT being assessed.
- The tax rate for any value above the NRB is the lower of either the rate at the time of transfer or DOD (36% charity tax rate n/a)
o NB: this does not mean they are taxed at the LCT lifetime rate (i.e. 20%). It means they are either taxed at the current death rate (i.e. 40%) or, the death rate at the time of the transfer, if this was lower.
- Credit is applied for IHT already paid on the LCT, but if the recalculated bill is lower, a tax refund will not be given.
re: lifetime transfers on death
what is tapering relief?
this reduced tax payable depending on when the transfer was made before death
re: lifetime transfers on death
how is tapering relief applied?
the % is applied to the assessed IHT liability
re: lifetime transfers on death
if the lifetime transfer was made 3 - 4 years before death, what % of tax is payable?
80% of death charge
re: lifetime transfers on death
if the lifetime transfer was made 4 - 5 years before death, what % of tax is payable?
60% of death charge
re: lifetime transfers on death
if the lifetime transfer was made 5 - 6 years before death, what % of tax is payable?
40% of death charge
re: lifetime transfers on death
if the lifetime transfer was made 6 - 7 years before death, what % of tax is payable?
20% of death charge
re: lifetime transfers on death
to what extent are PRs liable if the transferee does not pay IHT?
- PRs are only liable to the extent of the assets in the estate (or the assets they would have received, but for their neglect or default)
o PRs cannot escape liability on the grounds they have distributed the estate