Inheritance Tax threshold: nil rate bands and allowances explained for 2026/27
The Inheritance Tax threshold determines how much of an estate can potentially pass without Inheritance Tax (IHT) becoming payable. For 2026/27, the standard Nil Rate Band remains £325,000, while qualifying estates may also benefit from the Residence Nil Rate Band of up to £175,000.
These allowances can become particularly important for married couples and civil partners because unused qualifying allowances from the first person to die can potentially be transferred to the survivor’s estate. In the right circumstances, this can allow a married couple or civil partnership to pass up to £1 million to direct descendants without Inheritance Tax.
However, the £1 million figure is not an automatic Inheritance Tax allowance for every couple. The amount available depends on the estate, what happens on the first death, whether a qualifying residence passes to direct descendants and whether the Residence Nil Rate Band is restricted for a larger estate.
This guide explains the Inheritance Tax threshold UK rules for 2026/27, including the Nil Rate Band, Residence Nil Rate Band, transferable allowances and the taper that can affect estates worth more than £2 million. These allowances sit within the wider tax planning framework explained in our ultimate guide to personal tax in the UK.
What is the Inheritance Tax threshold?
The standard Inheritance Tax threshold is known as the Nil Rate Band. It determines the amount that can generally fall within an estate before Inheritance Tax becomes payable, subject to the availability of other exemptions and reliefs.
For 2026/27, the standard Nil Rate Band is £325,000.
An estate exceeding £325,000 does not necessarily mean that Inheritance Tax will automatically be payable. Other exemptions and reliefs may affect the calculation, and an additional Residence Nil Rate Band may be available where a qualifying home is left to direct descendants.
The wider circumstances of the estate therefore need to be considered rather than simply comparing its total value with £325,000.
Inheritance Tax nil rate band
The Inheritance Tax nil rate band is the standard tax-free threshold used when calculating an estate’s potential IHT liability.
For 2026/27, it remains £325,000 per individual.
Broadly, where the taxable value of an estate after applicable exemptions and reliefs is within the available Nil Rate Band, there may be no Inheritance Tax to pay.
Where the taxable estate exceeds the available threshold, the excess may become subject to Inheritance Tax.
The amount actually available can also be affected by certain lifetime gifts. Gifts made within seven years before death may need to be considered when determining how much of the Nil Rate Band remains available to the estate. Establishing this figure accurately depends on valuing an estate correctly for IHT purposes, since both the estate and any relevant lifetime gifts need to be assessed together.
How the Residence Nil Rate Band works
The Residence Nil Rate Band is an additional allowance that can apply alongside the standard Nil Rate Band.
For 2026/27, the maximum Residence Nil Rate Band is £175,000 per person.
Where the full Nil Rate Band and full Residence Nil Rate Band are available, an individual could potentially have total tax-free thresholds of up to £500,000.
However, unlike the standard Nil Rate Band, the Residence Nil Rate Band is subject to additional conditions. It is not available simply because the deceased owned a property.
Who qualifies for the Residence Nil Rate Band?
Direct descendants can include:
- Children.
- Grandchildren.
- Stepchildren.
- Adopted children.
- Foster children in qualifying circumstances.
- The spouses or civil partners of qualifying direct descendants in certain circumstances.
The deceased must generally have owned a qualifying residential interest, although additional provisions can sometimes preserve the allowance where someone previously owned a qualifying home but downsized or disposed of it.
The amount available can depend on the value of the qualifying residence, the value passing to direct descendants and the overall size of the estate.
Can married couples pass on £1 million tax-free?
A married couple or civil partnership can potentially have combined allowances of up to £1 million where all relevant conditions are satisfied.
This figure can arise from:
- Two standard Nil Rate Bands of £325,000 each, giving up to £650,000.
- Two Residence Nil Rate Bands of £175,000 each, giving up to £350,000.
Together, this can provide total potential thresholds of £1 million.
However, it is important not to describe £1 million as an automatic Inheritance Tax threshold for married couples.
The full amount generally depends on unused allowances being available for transfer and the Residence Nil Rate Band conditions being satisfied. Larger estates may also have some or all of their Residence Nil Rate Band tapered away.
Transferring unused Inheritance Tax allowances
Where one spouse or civil partner dies without using all of their Nil Rate Band, the unused percentage can generally be transferred to the surviving spouse or civil partner’s estate.
The same principle can apply to the Residence Nil Rate Band.
The transfer is based on the unused percentage of the relevant allowance rather than simply carrying forward a fixed historical cash amount.
For example, if none of the first spouse’s standard Nil Rate Band was used, the survivor’s estate may potentially claim an additional 100% Nil Rate Band when the survivor later dies.
Similarly, an unused Residence Nil Rate Band may potentially be transferred where the relevant requirements are met.
These transferable allowances are important because assets frequently pass entirely to a surviving spouse or civil partner on the first death under the spouse or civil partner exemption.
Does the transfer happen automatically?
Unused allowances should not simply be assumed to have transferred automatically.
When the surviving spouse or civil partner dies, their personal representatives may need to claim the transferable amount and provide information relating to the estate of the first person who died.
Keeping documents from the first estate can therefore be important even where no Inheritance Tax was payable at that time.
Relevant information may include:
- The will.
- Probate or estate administration documents.
- Details of assets passing to the surviving spouse.
- Lifetime gift information.
- Previous Inheritance Tax calculations or returns.
Missing historical records can make it more difficult for executors to establish how much unused allowance is available many years later.
How the £2 million Residence Nil Rate Band taper works
The Residence Nil Rate Band can be restricted where the value of an estate exceeds £2 million.
For estates above this level, the available Residence Nil Rate Band is reduced by £1 for every £2 by which the estate exceeds the £2 million taper threshold.
This restriction is based on the value of the estate rather than simply the value of the family home.
For sufficiently large estates, the Residence Nil Rate Band can therefore be completely eliminated.
This is particularly important for individuals whose wealth includes substantial property, investments or business interests. An estate may contain an ordinary family home but still lose the Residence Nil Rate Band because the overall estate exceeds the taper threshold.
Worked example: Residence Nil Rate Band taper
Consider an individual whose estate is worth £2.2 million and who would otherwise qualify for the full £175,000 Residence Nil Rate Band.
The estate exceeds the £2 million taper threshold by £200,000.
Because the Residence Nil Rate Band is reduced by £1 for every £2 above the threshold, the reduction would be £100,000.
The potential Residence Nil Rate Band would therefore be reduced from £175,000 to £75,000, assuming no other restrictions apply.
This illustrates why the value of the entire estate must be considered when assessing the available residence allowance.
What happens when an estate exceeds the Inheritance Tax threshold?
Exceeding the standard Inheritance Tax threshold UK does not mean the whole estate becomes taxable.
The estate calculation needs to consider the available Nil Rate Band together with any qualifying Residence Nil Rate Band, transferable allowances, exemptions and reliefs.
Inheritance Tax is then generally considered on the taxable amount remaining after the relevant deductions and allowances have been applied.
This distinction is important because an estate worth more than £325,000 can still have no IHT liability where sufficient exemptions or additional allowances are available.
Worked example: Inheritance Tax threshold for a married couple
David dies and leaves his entire estate to his wife, Helen. Assuming the spouse exemption applies, the transfer does not use his standard Nil Rate Band.
When Helen later dies, her executors may potentially claim David’s unused Nil Rate Band as well as Helen’s own allowance.
If the relevant Residence Nil Rate Band conditions are also satisfied and the qualifying allowances from David remain available, Helen’s estate could potentially benefit from:
- Her own £325,000 Nil Rate Band.
- David’s transferred unused Nil Rate Band.
- Her qualifying Residence Nil Rate Band.
- David’s qualifying transferred Residence Nil Rate Band.
In the appropriate circumstances, these combined allowances can reach £1 million.
The actual position depends on the history of both estates, lifetime gifts, the destination of the family home and whether the Residence Nil Rate Band taper applies.
Lifetime gifts can affect the available threshold
The standard Nil Rate Band cannot always be considered in isolation from gifts made during the deceased’s lifetime.
Certain gifts made within seven years before death may use some or all of the available Nil Rate Band before the estate itself is considered.
For example, a substantial lifetime gift could mean that less of the Nil Rate Band remains available against the estate on death.
This is one reason executors need accurate records of significant lifetime transfers when calculating the final Inheritance Tax position.
The detailed rules for lifetime gifts, Potentially Exempt Transfers and the seven-year rule are separate from the threshold calculation itself and should be considered as part of the wider Inheritance Tax position.
Common mistakes when calculating Inheritance Tax allowances
Common mistakes include:
- Assuming every individual automatically has a £500,000 tax-free allowance.
- Assuming every married couple automatically has a £1 million Inheritance Tax threshold.
- Confusing the standard Nil Rate Band with the Residence Nil Rate Band.
- Assuming owning a home automatically qualifies an estate for the Residence Nil Rate Band.
- Ignoring the requirement for qualifying property to pass to direct descendants.
- Failing to consider the £2 million Residence Nil Rate Band taper.
- Overlooking lifetime gifts that may have used part of the Nil Rate Band.
- Failing to establish how much allowance remained unused on the first spouse or civil partner’s death.
- Not retaining documents needed to support a transferable allowance claim.
These issues can materially change the amount of an estate exposed to Inheritance Tax, particularly where property values and other assets have increased substantially over time.
Key takeaways
The standard Inheritance Tax threshold for 2026/27 is based on a £325,000 Inheritance Tax nil rate band. A further Residence Nil Rate Band of up to £175,000 may be available where a qualifying home passes to direct descendants and the relevant conditions are satisfied.
Unused allowances between spouses and civil partners can potentially be transferred, which means qualifying couples may ultimately have combined thresholds of up to £1 million. However, this figure is not automatic, and the Residence Nil Rate Band can be reduced for estates exceeding £2 million.
Understanding the different components of the Inheritance Tax allowance, checking whether transferable allowances remain available and considering the Residence Nil Rate Band taper are essential when calculating the potential IHT liability of an estate.
