How to manage UK probate fee increases

Currently most applications made by solicitors for a UK grant of representation for a deceased’s estate incur a flat fee of £155 payable to the Probate Registry.  However, perhaps within a little over two months’ time, a grant could cost as much as £20,000!  How did we get here and, more importantly, what can be done about it?

A simple way for non-dom married couples to manage the Inheritance Tax on UK residential property from 6 April 2017

Offshore companies holding UK residential property will no longer be opaque for UK Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes from 6 April 2017.  The change is being achieved, courtesy of the Finance Bill 2017 as currently drafted, by removing IHT ‘excluded property’ status from an interest in a closely held company (see the 15 December 2016 blog for a brief definition) which derives its value, directly or indirectly, from UK residential property. 

Finance Bill 2017 tax changes: how can UK resident non-doms protect their offshore trusts?

To date, UK resident non-doms may not have been greatly impacted by the UK tax system’s plethora of measures to try to get the foreign income and gains received by offshore trusts (i.e. trusts that are not UK tax resident) taxed in the UK.  This is because one of the key anti-avoidance provisions, the ‘S.86 Settlor Charge’ which can make a trust’s settlor liable for the offshore trust’s gains, only applies to settlors who are both resident and domiciled in the UK.

Long term UK resident non-doms to be deemed UK domiciled

The UK Government has released draft legislation giving effect to its proposal to deem the domicile status of certain UK resident non-doms to be UK domiciled, regardless of their actual domicile.

The changes only apply to non-doms who, on or after 6 April 2017, have been tax resident in the UK for 15 out of the previous 20 tax years.   For example, in tax year 2017/2018 beginning on 6 April 2017, the changes would only affect any individual who has been resident in the UK continuously since UK tax year 2002/2003 or earlier.  These non-doms will be deemed to be UK domiciled.

Becoming deemed UK domiciled has a number of implications for UK taxes.

‘Toxic’ survivorship clauses: does your Will contain one?

Do you have a survivorship clause in your Will?  Chances are you do, if you leave assets to someone outright in your Will.  The mischief that these clauses are designed to avoid is this.  If A gives a gift to B in his Will and B dies the day after A, B’s estate will get the gift and it will be B’s Will that decides where A’s gift ends up.  However, in these circumstances, A may have wanted someone else to get the gift instead (A may not like B’s choice of heirs!).  Survivorship clauses are meant to solve this problem.  They also prevent the delay associated with the same money being administered through two separate estates and can reduce the total Inheritance Tax bill on both estates. 

Survivorship clauses introduce a condition of survivorship to an otherwise outright gift in a Will – for example: ‘I give £100,000 to my nephew if he survives my death by 28 days’.  Sometimes a catch-all survivorship clause is included instead; for example: ‘My estate is to be divided as if any person who dies within 28 days of my death had predeceased me’.  However, this exact catch-all phrase unfortunately caught out the estates of the late Mr and Mrs Winson, as recently decided in the case of Jump v Lister [2016] EWHC 2160 (Ch).

UK residential property in offshore structures: more surprises from the Government

The Government has confirmed its intention to make UK residential property held indirectly by non-doms through an offshore structure chargeable to UK Inheritance Tax (IHT).  As planned, this will begin on 6 April 2017.

Although the proposal was first announced as far back as July 2015, draft legislation effecting this change was only published on 5 December 2016 – and it contains some surprises.

Get ready for another ATED valuation date

The Autumn Statement on 23 November contained no further detail about how the Government’s proposals for achieving Inheritance Tax transparency for offshore structures from 6 April 2017 is going to work in practice.  However, in rather ominous fashion, the Government did use the occasion to confirm that the changes are going ahead as planned from 6 April 2017. 

Non-doms owning UK residential property through offshore trusts, companies or other vehicles need to get their skates on if they are to get any reorganisations finished by 6 April 2017 (see my blog of 3 November 2016 for one reason why doing so may be desirable).  However, there may be another good reason – some may find their company’s Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) bill goes up substantially too.  Here’s why.