33873157 - inheritance. people divide the house in half. vector illustrationWhen you’re acting as a personal representative for the estate of a deceased person (often a spouse, parent, or older relative) you can save yourself a lot of time by using this short guide that explains what forms you’ll need to complete, depending on your unique situation.

In this capacity you’ll be known as the executor if you’re working with a valid Will, or an administrator if the deceased person had no Will, or their Will is deemed invalid.

Grant of Representation

The Grant of Representation is a certificate with the names of the personal representative(s) of the case, along with a document that you, as a personal representative, are using as evidence of your entitlement to act as the executor/administrator of the deceased person’s estate.

Which Inheritance Tax (IHT) Forms?

The number of forms you’ll have to fill in as the estate’s executor/administrator will depend entirely on whether or not there is IHT to pay and, if no IHT is due, how easily you can prove this.

Forms IHT205 and IHT217

If there is no IHT to pay you only need to fill in form IHT205. There’s no IHT due if the value of the estate is below the £325,000 (2016-17) threshold, or if its full value if left to a charity or a community amateur sports club.

If the individual who died had a spouse or civil partner who didn’t use any or part of their IHT threshold, you can transfer up to 100% of it, thus making it possible for an estate worth up to £650,000 (2016-17) to be IHT exempt. In this situation you’ll need to complete form IHT217 alongside IHT205, and send it in with any supporting evidence.

Form IHT400

If there is IHT to pay you need to fill in form IHT400, along with a number of supplementary pages (forms IHT401-430) depending on the details of the deceased person’s estate. These supplementary forms can all be found on this page (scroll down until you reach the ‘supplementary pages’ heading).

In certain cases estates with no IHT to pay will be required to fill in form IHT400, along with a number of supplementary pages, if certain conditions can’t be met within form IHT205. If you believe the estate you’re a personal representative of owes no IHT, we strongly recommend you read form IHT205 all the way through before you begin filling it in.

Regardless of what forms you’re sending in, they must be received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) “within a year of the end of the month the person died,” or you risk receiving a penalty.

Experienced Inheritance Tax Accountants

To speak with a professional accountant to discuss which inheritance tax forms you need to complete if you’re a personal representative of an estate, or for anything else, contact us today on 020 8780 2349 or get in touch with us via our contact page to arrange a complimentary, no obligation meeting.