Latest Probate and Estate Administration

Business owners who have built up a valuable private investment company (holding cash, private or quoted equity and/or property), accumulated either from scratch or after the sale of a trading company subsidiary, will be all too aware that the lack of entitlement to Business Property Relief (BPR) creates a problematic inheritance tax (IHT) exposure –…

The government is to push ahead with plans to change the fees for applying for probate, which will see many executors faced with funding significantly higher fees in order to obtain probate to enable them to administer the estate. The changes, which are planned to come in from next April, will see the introduction of…

Whiting & Partners host their second annual Wealth Preservation Event at Huntingdon Racecourse on Wednesday 24 October. Discover how to manage your wealth effectively with advice from experts in investment strategy as well as tax and financial planning. The free event will welcome speakers from Whiting & Partners Tax and Wealth Management departments as well…

For deaths occurring on or after 6 April 2017, an additional exemption is available where a residence passes to a direct descendant.  At the moment, this amounts to £100,000 but it’s set to increase over the next few years, to a maximum of £175,000 in April 2020.  Commonly known as the Residence Nil Rate Band…

The government’s proposed increase to probate fees – from the current £215 to a potential maximum of £20,000 – have been scrapped, as there will not be sufficient time for the regulations to pass through parliament before the snap general election. These changes were highly controversial due to the size of the increase – the…

Probate: Fees hike to go ahead. Despite an overwhelmingly negative response to its proposals, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed that it is pressing ahead with the introduction of a new scale of fees to be imposed on the executors of deceased estate. Up to now, when executors apply for probate, a flat rate fee…

We can assist in this process by assisting in assessing risk and then advising on introducing appropriate mitigation: Robust Financial Management Undertaking a voluntary or statutory audit as, both, a preventative and detective measure. Introducing appropriate financial controls, timely financial reporting procedures and other examples of best practice governance. Registering for the Companies House PROOF…

Use Lifetime Trusts to Save Inheritance Tax. With the government confirming in the last Budget that the current inheritance tax nil rate band of £325,000 will be frozen until 2018, more and more people will find the taxman taking a sizeable slice of their estate on death. Making gifts during your lifetime is one solution…

Examples of the most helpful and generous tax elections and claims include: s222(5a) TCGA 1992 (Nomination of main residence) This capital gains tax election, often referred to as ‘flipping’, enables taxpayers, who own and reside in more than one home, to inform HMRC which of these homes is their principal private residence. For those who…