FORTHCOMING CHANGE relating to IHT on pension death benefits: At Autumn Budget 2024 on 30 October 2024, the government announced that it will bring unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension into a person’s estate for IHT purposes from 6 April 2027. This will apply both to defined contribution and defined benefit schemes, as well as to UK registered schemes and qualifying non-UK pension schemes. A technical consultation on the implementation of these changes ran from 30 October 2024 to 22 January 2025. For more information, see : Autumn Budget 2024—Private Client analysis — Inheritance tax.

When a person dies, they will usually have owned assets which form part of their estate, whether it be land, Investments, cash, furniture etc. A Grant of Representation may or may not be necessary depending on what those assets consist of and where they are situated. In general the production of a Grant of Probate or letters of administration will be proof that the persons named as personal representatives (PRs) in the grant