Insights
Inheritance tax: how it works and how to plan for it
How UK inheritance tax works in 2026/27: the £325,000 nil-rate band, the £175,000 residence nil-rate band, the 40% rate, the main exemptions, lifetime gifts, trusts and life cover, and the pension changes from April 2027.
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Capital gains tax for individuals: rates, reliefs and reporting
How UK capital gains tax works for individuals in 2026/27: the £3,000 exemption, the 18% and 24% rates, main home relie…
How savings interest, dividends and investment gains are taxed
How UK tax applies to savings interest, dividends and investment gains, the allowances that cover them, and how ISAs, p…
Moving to or leaving the UK: residence and tax
How the UK statutory residence test works, split-year treatment, the residence-based rules that replaced non-dom status…
Self assessment: who has to file a tax return and when
Who needs to file a UK self assessment tax return, the deadlines for registering, filing and paying, how payments on ac…
Selling or giving away a second home: the tax to plan for
The capital gains tax, 60-day reporting and inheritance tax points to plan for when you sell a second home or give it t…
Trusts and tax: what trustees need to register, report and pay
How UK trusts are taxed: Trust Registration Service rules, inheritance tax entry, ten-year and exit charges, income tax…
Combining old pensions: when it helps and what to check first
When it makes sense to combine old UK pensions into one, the guarantees and benefits that can be lost on transfer, the…
Drawdown, annuities and lump sums: turning your pension into an income
The ways to take money from a UK defined contribution pension: tax-free cash, flexi-access drawdown, annuities and lump…
Giving money to your children: the tax rules for lifetime gifts
The inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax rules for gifts to children and grandchildren, including the annu…
How much do you need to retire? A practical way to work it out
A step-by-step way to work out how much you need to retire in the UK: estimating your spending, checking your State Pen…
ISAs or pensions: where to put your long-term savings
A comparison of ISAs and pensions for UK savers: tax relief going in, tax on the way out, access, the £20,000 ISA and £…
Pension tax relief for higher and additional-rate taxpayers
How pension tax relief works for UK higher earners: claiming higher-rate relief, the £60,000 annual allowance, the tape…
Pensions and inheritance tax from April 2027
From 6 April 2027 most unused pension funds will be included in the estate for UK inheritance tax. What is changing, wh…
Protecting your family: life cover, income protection and critical illness
How life insurance, family income benefit, income protection and critical illness cover work, how much cover a family n…
Saving for children and grandchildren: Junior ISAs, pensions and trusts
The main ways to save for children and grandchildren in the UK: Junior ISAs, children's pensions, bare trusts and discr…
Buying a home in England: the legal steps and stamp duty
The conveyancing steps when buying a home in England, from offer to completion, stamp duty land tax rates from April 20…
Contesting a will: the grounds, the time limits and the alternatives
How wills are challenged in England and Wales: lack of capacity, lack of knowledge and approval, undue influence and im…
Deeds of variation: changing an inheritance after a death
How a deed of variation lets beneficiaries redirect an inheritance in England and Wales within two years of a death, th…
Lasting powers of attorney: the two types and why you need both
How lasting powers of attorney work in England and Wales: the property and financial affairs LPA, the health and welfar…
Making a will: what to include and when to update it
How to make a valid will in England and Wales, what it should cover, including executors, guardians, gifts and trusts,…
Probate and estate administration: what executors need to do
A step-by-step guide for executors in England and Wales: valuing the estate, inheritance tax, applying for the grant of…
Trusts explained: the main types and how families use them
How trusts work in England and Wales: bare trusts, life interest trusts and discretionary trusts, lifetime trusts and w…
Unmarried couples: protecting each other with wills, property and pensions
The legal and tax position of unmarried couples in England and Wales: no common law marriage, intestacy, joint tenants…
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