Probate IHT400 Estate Calculator 2026/27
Worked IHT400 estate examples for 2026/27: nil-rate band, residence nil-rate band and its £2m taper, the 36% charity rate, payment deadline and schedules.
Estimate the Inheritance Tax an IHT400 will show: nil-rate band £325,000, residence nil-rate band up to £175,000, 40% on the rest, or 36% where enough goes to charity.
Estate scenarios
Single person, no lifetime gifts in the last 7 years, no transferred bands, a home worth at least £175,000 left to children, and no business or agricultural relief. Estate value is after debts. In the charity example the gift of £120,000 is 10.2% of the £1,175,000 baseline, so the 36% rate applies.
| Scenario | Estate value | Residence band | Taxable | Rate | IHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estate of £400k | £400,000 | £175,000 | £0 | 40% | £0 |
| Estate of £750k | £750,000 | £175,000 | £250,000 | 40% | £100,000 |
| Estate of £1.5m | £1,500,000 | £175,000 | £1,000,000 | 40% | £400,000 |
| Estate of £1.5m, £120k to charity | £1,500,000 | £175,000 | £880,000 | 36% | £316,800 |
| Estate of £2.5m (RNRB tapering) | £2,500,000 | £0 | £2,175,000 | 40% | £870,000 |
| Estate of £5m (RNRB gone) | £5,000,000 | £0 | £4,675,000 | 40% | £1,870,000 |
Frequently asked questions
How do the nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band stack?
The nil-rate band is £325,000. The residence nil-rate band adds up to £175,000 where a home passes to direct descendants, limited to the value of that home. Together that is £500,000 for one person, and up to £1,000,000 for a surviving spouse or civil partner who inherits the unused bands. The residence band falls by £1 for every £2 the estate is over £2,000,000, so a single person's is gone at £2,350,000.
How does leaving 10% to charity cut the rate to 36%?
The rest of the estate is taxed at 36% instead of 40% if the charitable gift is at least 10% of the baseline amount (IHTA 1984 Sch 1A para 2). The baseline is the estate after the nil-rate band, with the charitable gift added back; the residence nil-rate band is not deducted (Sch 1A para 5). The gift itself is exempt.
Which IHT400 schedules might I need?
Common ones are IHT402 (transfer of unused nil-rate band), IHT403 (gifts), IHT404 (jointly owned assets), IHT405 (houses and land), IHT406 (bank accounts), IHT407 (household and personal goods), IHT409 (pensions), IHT410 (life insurance), IHT411 and IHT412 (listed and unlisted shares), IHT413 (business relief), IHT414 (farms and farmland), IHT416 (debts due to the estate), IHT418 (trusts), IHT419 (debts owed), and IHT435 to claim the residence nil-rate band.
When is Inheritance Tax due?
By the end of the sixth month after the month of death - for a death in January, by 31 July. Interest runs after that at the HMRC late-payment rate, which is Bank Rate plus 4 percentage points. Executors can ask the deceased’s bank to pay the tax directly from the deceased’s account, and tax on some assets such as property can be paid in yearly instalments.