Inheritance Tax Planning Services
4 Key Components of Estate Planning
Inheritance Tax (IHT) Review & Mitigation Strategy
Comprehensive assessment of current IHT exposure, identification of available reliefs (e.g., business/agricultural property relief, nil-rate band transfers), and tailored planning to reduce or eliminate future liabilities.
Will & Trust Structuring
Advice on drafting or reviewing wills, setting up discretionary trusts, life interest trusts, or bare trusts to protect assets, control distributions, and provide for vulnerable beneficiaries or blended families.
Business & Asset Succession Planning
Integration of business interests (shares, partnerships, property portfolios) into estate plans, including share class restructuring, buy-sell agreements, and use of reliefs to ensure smooth, tax-efficient transfer to the next generation.
Lifetime Gifting & Wealth Transfer Advice
Guidance on potentially exempt transfers (PETs), regular gifting from surplus income, downsizing proceeds, and trust funding to utilise annual exemptions and reduce the estate value over time while maintaining control where needed.
Case Studies
High-Value Estate with Property & Investments Who: A retired couple with a combined estate exceeding £2.5m, including a main residence, investment properties, and share portfolio.
Challenge: Significant potential IHT liability on second death; concerned about care home fees depleting assets and wanted to protect wealth for children and grandchildren.
Solution: Matplus reviewed the estate, recommended lifetime gifting of surplus income and annual exemptions, set up a discretionary trust for part of the investment portfolio, and advised on will provisions utilising both nil-rate bands and residence nil-rate band.
Result:
- Projected IHT saving of over £400,000 through strategic gifting and trust planning.
- Assets protected from means-tested care fees via trust structure.
- Clear succession plan in place with reduced family tax burden.
Family Business Owner Who: A 65-year-old owner of a successful family trading company valued at £1.8m, with two children active in the business.
Challenge: Risk of IHT on business shares without reliefs applied correctly; wanted to pass control gradually while retaining some income and security in retirement.
Solution: Matplus structured share classes (voting vs non-voting), implemented a partial gift of shares qualifying for 100% business property relief, and drafted wills/trusts to balance control and protection for non-business children.
Result:
- Full business property relief preserved, eliminating IHT on transferred shares.
- Smooth generational handover with retained income via dividends.
- Family harmony maintained through equitable planning.
Blended Family Arrangement Who: A remarried individual with children from a previous marriage and step-children, owning a main home and savings.
Challenge: Concern that the surviving spouse would leave everything to their own children, disinheriting the first family; needed protection for all beneficiaries without creating immediate tax issues.
Solution: Matplus advised a life interest trust in the will for the residence (qualifying for residence nil-rate band), with remainder to the first children, plus discretionary trust for other assets to provide flexibility.
Result:
- Surviving spouse secured for life with right to occupy home.
- Original children protected for inheritance after second death.
- Full use of available nil-rate bands and residence relief achieved.
Estate planning is essential for protecting your wealth, ensuring your wishes are carried out, and minimising inheritance tax (IHT) for your loved ones. With the IHT nil-rate band frozen at £325,000 (plus £175,000 residence nil-rate band where applicable) until at least 2030, many UK families face substantial tax exposure on estates above these thresholds. At Matplus, we provide comprehensive estate planning services to help individuals and families reduce IHT liabilities, safeguard assets, and achieve smooth succession — whether involving family homes, investments, businesses, or blended families.
Effective planning starts with a full review of your estate: assets, liabilities, family dynamics, and potential reliefs such as business/agricultural property relief, spousal transfers, or charitable gifts. We develop tailored strategies including lifetime gifting (using annual exemptions and potentially exempt transfers), trust structures (discretionary, interest in possession, or bare trusts), and will provisions that maximise nil-rate bands and protect vulnerable beneficiaries. For business owners, we integrate succession planning to pass shares or assets tax-efficiently while maintaining control during your lifetime.
Common goals include protecting the family home from care fees, providing for children from previous relationships, funding grandchildren’s education, or ensuring a business continues under the next generation. Matplus coordinates with solicitors where needed for will drafting or trust deeds, while focusing on the financial and tax implications to keep plans compliant and optimised. We also advise on ongoing reviews as life circumstances change (marriage, divorce, births, or asset growth).
Partnering with Matplus for estate planning gives you peace of mind through clear, proactive advice that aligns with your values and objectives. By acting early, you can significantly reduce future tax burdens, avoid family disputes, and ensure your legacy is preserved exactly as intended. Contact us for a confidential estate review to explore how we can help protect what you’ve built for the people who matter most.
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