One of the tax issues that the Conservative Party promised to legislate for, a promise they made during the recent election campaign, was the easing of the Inheritance Tax charge for home owners in the UK. The much publicised change was to take family homes of up to £1m out of Inheritance Tax charge completely.
The Chancellor’s announcement last month confirmed this intention, but it will not happen for some time. The mechanism to achieve this relief is to be called the main residence nil-rate band (MRNB).
This will be set at:
- £100,000 from April 2017
- £125,000 from April 2018
- £150,000 from April 2019
- £175,000 from April 2020
It will then increase in line with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) from April 2021 onwards. Any unused nil-rate band will be able to be transferred to a surviving spouse or civil partner.
The additional nil-rate band will also be available when a person downsizes or ceases to own a home on or after 8 July 2015 and assets of an equivalent value, up to the value of the additional nil-rate band, are passed on death to direct descendants.
There will be a tapered withdrawal of the additional nil-rate band for estates with a net value of more than £2 million. This will be at a withdrawal rate of £1 for every £2 over this threshold.
The existing nil-rate band will remain at £325,000 from 2018-19 until the end of 2020-21.
The MRNB relief will be available to married couples and civil partners.
The £1m overall relief will not be achieved until April 2020. From this date, on the death of the first spouse or civil partner, if they leave their share in the family home to the surviving spouse or civil partner, this will pass IHT free and the deceased parties’ unused MRNB will pass to the surviving spouse. If the rest of the deceased person’s estate passes to the surviving spouse then their unused nil rate band of £325,000 will also pass to their surviving partner.
On the subsequent death of the survivor, if they leave their home to a direct descendant, their estate may be able to claim a combined MRNB of £350,000 (2 x £175,000) plus £650,000 combined nil rate band (2 x £325,000); a total relief of £1m.
