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Expert Tax and Estate Planning Services for UK Individuals and Families
Protecting your wealth, minimising your tax liability, and ensuring your wishes are carried out exactly as you intend requires comprehensive tax and estate planning services tailored to your specific circumstances. At Apex Accountants, our chartered accountants and specialist tax advisors have been helping UK individuals, families, and business owners structure their estates efficiently and confidently since 2006.
From inheritance tax mitigation and trust planning to lasting powers of attorney and business succession, we deliver every element of your estate plan with clarity, precision, and your long-term interests at the centre of everything we do.
Our Tax and Estate Planning Services
Apex Accountants offers a complete range of estate planning services designed to protect your assets, reduce tax liabilities, and ensure your wishes are carried out as intended. Every service is tailored to your personal circumstances, whether you are approaching estate planning for the first time or reviewing and updating an existing arrangement.
Wills and Will Trusts
A valid, clearly drafted will is the foundation of any effective estate plan. We prepare legally sound wills that reflect your precise wishes, minimise the risk of family disputes, and ensure your assets are passed to the right people. Under UK law, your will must be signed in the presence of two independent witnesses to be legally binding. We also structure will trusts where appropriate, providing additional layers of protection and flexibility for more complex estates.
Inheritance Tax Planning
Inheritance tax is one of the most significant financial concerns for UK families with sizeable estates. Our specialist team designs bespoke IHT mitigation strategies that draw on allowances, exemptions, gifting programmes, and trust structures to ensure the maximum possible share of your estate reaches your beneficiaries rather than HMRC. With thresholds frozen until April 2031 and upcoming reforms to pension taxation and business reliefs, professional IHT planning has never been more important.
Lifetime Trusts
Lifetime trusts let you transfer assets out of your taxable estate while retaining some control over how and when they are distributed. Our advisors help you establish the right trust structure to achieve your broader tax planning and estate planning objectives, balancing protection, flexibility, and compliance with HMRC requirements.
Lasting Power of Attorney
A lasting power of attorney ensures a trusted individual can manage your financial affairs and healthcare decisions if you lose mental capacity. We guide you through the two types of LPA available in England and Wales, covering property and financial affairs and health and welfare, respectively; handle all required documentation; and register the arrangement with the Office of the Public Guardian.
Probate Support
We simplify the estate administration process for executors and grieving families, from applying for the grant of probate through to overseeing the orderly distribution of assets. Our involvement reduces administrative burden at an already difficult time and ensures the entire process is handled correctly, efficiently, and in accordance with your legal obligations.
Trust Registration
Most UK trusts are now required to be registered with HMRC under the Trust Registration Service rules. Our team manages the entire registration process on your behalf, ensuring full compliance and protecting you from financial penalties.
Care Home Fee Planning
Long-term care costs can significantly erode an estate if not planned for in advance. Using legitimate trust structures and financial planning tools, we help you protect assets and reduce exposure to care home fees, preserving more of your estate for the people who matter most.
Support for Vulnerable Beneficiaries
If a beneficiary is disabled or at risk, we must carry out careful trust planning. We advise on specialist trust structures that protect the beneficiary’s assets while preserving their eligibility for means-tested state benefits, ensuring they receive genuine, lasting financial protection.
International Estate Planning
If you hold assets abroad or are a foreign national with UK property, cross-border planning is particularly complex. Our team provides specialist advice on international estate and tax planning, helping you avoid double taxation, maintain compliance across multiple jurisdictions, and structure your global assets as efficiently as possible.
Business Succession Planning
For business owners, estate planning extends to ensuring the continuity of the business itself. We structure ownership transfers, advise on Business Property Relief to reduce IHT exposure, and prepare succession plans that protect both the business and the personal wealth tied up within it. With significant changes to BPR and Agricultural Property Relief taking effect from April 2026, early planning is essential for owners of high-value business or agricultural assets.
Gifting Strategies
Strategic lifetime gifting is one of the most effective tools in estate tax planning. We advise on the annual gifting exemption of £3,000 per tax year (which can be carried forward by one year if unused); small gift exemptions of up to £250 per recipient; wedding and civil partnership gifts; and larger potentially exempt transfers under the seven-year rule. Every gift is properly documented and positioned within your broader estate strategy.
Why Tax and Estate Planning Cannot Wait
Many families delay estate planning until a significant life event forces the issue, and by then options are often more limited and tax exposure greater. Effective tax and estate planning puts you in control while the full range of planning tools is still available.
Without a robust estate plan in place:
- Intestacy laws, not your wishes, determine how your estate is divided
- Your family may face a substantial and entirely avoidable inheritance tax bill
- Assets intended for specific beneficiaries may be tied up in lengthy probate proceedings
- Business assets may pass in a way that disrupts continuity or triggers unnecessary tax charges
- Vulnerable family members may receive assets without the protection a properly structured trust would provide
Working with a specialist estate planning accountant at Apex Accountants helps you identify and address these risks proactively before they become costly problems.
Inheritance Tax: Current Thresholds and Planning Opportunities
Understanding the current IHT landscape is the starting point for every estate planning engagement. The key thresholds for the 2025/26 tax year, which are frozen until April 2031, are as follows:
- Nil-rate band (NRB): £325,000 per individual
- Residence nil-rate band (RNRB): up to £175,000 per individual where a main residence is left to direct descendants such as children or grandchildren
- Combined individual threshold: up to £500,000 per person where the RNRB applies
- Married couples and civil partners: unused NRB and RNRB can be transferred to the surviving spouse or civil partner, creating a potential combined threshold of up to £1 million
- RNRB taper: the residence nil-rate band is reduced by £1 for every £2 by which the net estate exceeds £2 million
Estates above these thresholds are charged IHT at 40% on the excess. However, with structured tax planning and estate planning, much of this liability can be legitimately reduced or eliminated through:
- Spousal and civil partner exemptions, with assets passing between spouses free of IHT
- Annual gifting exemptions of £3,000 per tax year, with one year of carry-forward
- Potentially exempt transfers, where gifts made more than seven years before death fall outside the taxable estate
- Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief, subject to the revised rules taking effect from April 2026
- Charitable giving, with qualifying gifts exempt from IHT
- Trust planning, which can remove assets from the taxable estate while retaining a degree of control over their use
It is also important to note that from April 2027, most unused pension funds and death benefits will fall within the scope of an individual’s estate for IHT purposes. This represents a significant change to current rules, under which pensions generally sit outside the taxable estate, and it makes pension-integrated estate planning an urgent priority for many clients.
Our estate planning accountant team will assess your estate, calculate your current and projected IHT exposure, and build a strategy that meaningfully reduces what HMRC receives.
Business Property Relief: What Business Owners Need to Know Now
From 6 April 2026, significant changes to Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief came into effect. Business owners and farmers should be aware of the following:
- The first £2.5 million of combined qualifying business and agricultural assets continues to attract 100% IHT relief
- Assets above that £2.5 million threshold now qualify for 50% relief only, resulting in an effective IHT rate of 20% on the excess
- The £2.5 million allowance is transferable between spouses and civil partners, meaning couples may be able to pass on up to £5 million of qualifying assets free of IHT
- For trusts holding qualifying assets, separate allowances apply depending on when the trust was established
These changes represent the most significant reform to business asset IHT planning in a generation. If your estate includes business or agricultural assets, we strongly recommend a review of your current arrangements without delay.
Passing On Property: What You Need to Know
Your home is frequently your most valuable asset and the one that generates the most questions during estate planning. The rules governing how property is passed on and how it is taxed depend on ownership structure, your chosen beneficiaries, and whether any mortgage is outstanding.
Key considerations we address as part of our estate planning services include:
- Joint tenancy vs tenants in common: the structure of your ownership determines what can be left in a will and how IHT interacts with the property on death
- Residence nil-rate band eligibility: the conditions that must be met and how to structure your estate to qualify, including the taper for estates over £2 million
- Gifting your home during your lifetime: the Gift with Reservation of Benefit rules and how to avoid inadvertently creating an IHT liability
- Equity release and lifetime mortgages: for those aged 55 and over, these products can provide access to property wealth without selling, but they reduce the value of your estate and require careful consideration in the context of your overall estate plan
- Mortgaged properties: how outstanding debt interacts with estate valuation and distribution on death
We ensure your property intentions are clearly documented in your will and structured in a way that minimises tax and maximises what your family receives.
Tax Estate Planning for Business Owners
Business owners face a distinct set of estate planning challenges. Your business may represent the majority of your personal wealth, and without careful estate tax planning, a significant portion of that value could be lost to inheritance tax or a poorly managed succession.
We work with business owner clients to cover the following:
- Assessing eligibility for Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief under the revised rules applying from April 2026
- Structuring share ownership and shareholder agreements to facilitate a clean and tax-efficient succession
- Preparing family investment companies as tax-efficient wealth-holding structures
- Planning for management buyouts and third-party sales in a way that minimises tax for all parties
- Aligning business succession planning with your personal estate objectives and family circumstances
- Reviewing pension arrangements in light of the April 2027 changes, under which most unused pension funds will become subject to IHT
Whether you are planning to pass the business to family members, sell to a management team, or wind down over time, we build a plan that protects both the business and your personal estate.
How We Work: Our Estate Planning Process
Every client engagement begins with building a thorough understanding of your financial position before any recommendations are made.
1. Free Initial Consultation We discuss your assets, family circumstances, existing arrangements, and objectives with no obligation and no jargon.
2. Estate Assessment We review your current estate value, IHT exposure, existing wills and trusts, pension arrangements, and any business interests or cross-border complications.
3. Bespoke Planning We design a tailored tax planning and estate planning strategy addressing your specific priorities, whether that is reducing IHT, protecting a vulnerable beneficiary, restructuring business assets ahead of April 2026, or ensuring business continuity.
4. Implementation We prepare and execute all required documentation, including wills, trust deeds, LPAs, gifting records, and HMRC registrations, with full legal and regulatory compliance throughout.
5. Ongoing Review Your estate plan should evolve as your life and the law change. We provide regular reviews to keep your arrangements aligned with changes in your personal circumstances, family structure, and tax legislation.
Why Choose Apex Accountants for Estate and Tax Planning?
Choosing the right advisors for estate and tax planning is one of the most important financial decisions you will make. Here is why individuals and families across the UK trust Apex Accountants with their estate planning:
- Chartered Accountants with Specialist Tax Expertise: our team combines accounting rigour with deep knowledge of UK inheritance tax, trust law, and succession planning
- Truly Comprehensive Service: from wills and LPAs to international planning and business succession, everything is handled under one roof
- Bespoke Advice, Every Time: no templates and no generic solutions, with every plan built around your estate, your family, and your goals
- Trusted for Nearly 20 Years: families and business owners across the UK have relied on us since 2006 to protect their legacies and navigate complex tax issues
- Up-to-date with changing legislation from the April 2026 BPR reforms to the April 2027 pension changes: we keep your estate plan current and effective
- Transparent Fixed-Fee Pricing: clear costs from the outset with no hidden charges
- Plain-English Communication: we explain complex legal and tax matters clearly so you can make fully informed decisions
- Free Initial Consultation: every relationship starts with a no-obligation conversation about your objectives and how we can best help
Secure Your Legacy with Expert Tax and Estate Planning
Your family’s financial security and the preservation of everything you have built deserve expert, personalised attention. Apex Accountants delivers comprehensive estate planning services that are rigorously structured for tax efficiency, fully current with the latest legislation, and designed to give you and your family lasting peace of mind.
Contact us today to arrange your free initial consultation and begin developing a robust, tax-efficient estate plan.
Frequently Ask Questions
A will is a single legal document recording how you want your assets distributed after death. An estate plan is the broader strategy encompassing your will, trusts, LPAs, IHT planning, gifting arrangements, and succession planning, ensuring your wealth is protected and transferred efficiently both during your lifetime and after it.
The potential saving depends on the size and structure of your estate, but even straightforward planning can make a substantial difference. A married couple with a combined estate of £1.5 million, for example, could face a significant IHT liability without proper planning. By maximising available nil-rate bands, making structured use of gifting exemptions, and establishing appropriate trusts, you can often substantially reduce or eliminate that liability.
The earlier, the better. Many of the most effective planning tools, particularly the seven-year gifting rule and lifetime trusts, require time to achieve their full benefit. That said, it is always possible to put an effective plan in place. We work with clients at every stage of life and across a wide range of estate sizes and structures.
For tax-focused estate planning, particularly IHT mitigation, trust structuring, and business succession, a specialist accountant brings distinct expertise that a generalist solicitor may not offer. At Apex Accountants, we work alongside your existing legal advisors where appropriate and can refer you to trusted solicitors for elements of your plan requiring legal drafting, such as formal trust deeds or will documentation.
Chartered accountants, specialist tax planners, or independent financial advisers (IFAs) with expertise in inheritance tax and trust planning are best for estate planning.
What happens if I die without a will? If you die intestate, the Rules of Intestacy determine how your estate is distributed regardless of your wishes. This can result in assets passing to unintended beneficiaries, an unmarried partner receiving nothing at all, and your family facing a more complicated and time-consuming probate process. Dying without a will also removes any opportunity to incorporate IHT planning at the point of death.
It is recommended to review your estate plan every three to five years or whenever significant life changes occur, such as marriage, the birth of a child, divorce, or the acquisition of new assets.
Under current rules, most pension funds sit outside your taxable estate and are not subject to IHT. From 6 April 2027, IHT will apply to most unused pension funds and death benefits. Pensions passed to a spouse or civil partner will continue to be exempt, but those passed to other beneficiaries may be subject to IHT at 40% where the total estate exceeds available thresholds. This is a significant change that makes reviewing your estate plan now a priority if your estate includes pension wealth.
Trusts are legal arrangements where a trustee holds assets on behalf of beneficiaries. They can help manage and protect assets during your lifetime and after your death, providing tax benefits and ensuring your wishes are followed.
A power of attorney is a legal document that allows you to appoint someone to manage your financial or healthcare decisions if you become incapacitated. It ensures that your affairs are handled according to your wishes.
Estate tax planning involves strategies to reduce estate taxes, such as setting up trusts, making charitable donations, and gifting assets during your lifetime. Professional advisors can help optimise your estate to minimise tax liabilities.
You should appoint someone trustworthy, organized, and capable of managing financial matters. It is also wise to have a backup executor or trustee in case your first choice is unable or unwilling to serve.
Start by listing your assets and determining your goals for their distribution. Consult with Estate Planning Advisors UK for professional advice and comprehensive estate planning services to create a plan tailored to your needs.
Estate planning costs typically range from £500 to £3,000+, depending on complexity, assets, and services like wills, trusts, and tax advice.
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Client Success Stories
We are delighted by the positive feedback from our clients on our estate planning services, reinforcing our commitment to protecting wealth, minimising tax, and securing their financial future.
Estate Planning Advisors UK helped us create a comprehensive estate plan that ensures our children are taken care of no matter what. Their expertise and attention to detail were impressive.
As an unmarried couple, we were worried about our legal protections. Estate Planning Advisors UK guided us through setting up wills and partnership agreements, giving us peace of mind.
The team at Estate Planning Advisors UK made the process of setting up trusts for my grandchildren so simple. Their knowledge in estate tax planning saved us a significant amount of money.
We are so grateful for the advice we received from Estate Planning Advisors UK. Their estate planning services ensured that our family business will be smoothly transitioned to our children.
Estate Planning Advisors UK helped us with both our financial and healthcare powers of attorney. It’s a relief knowing that our wishes will be respected if we are ever unable to make decisions ourselves.
After the birth of our second child, we needed to update our estate plan. Estate Planning Advisors UK provided excellent service, ensuring all our new assets and family changes were included.
The professional and compassionate service we received from Estate Planning Advisors UK was outstanding. They made the complex process of estate planning easy to understand and manage.
Thanks to Estate Planning Advisors UK, we now have a solid estate plan that covers all our needs, including detailed estate tax planning. Their expertise was invaluable.
We were impressed by the thoroughness and professionalism of Estate Planning Advisors UK. They helped us establish a trust that will protect our assets and benefit our children for years to come.