In this section:
- Who pays Inheritance Tax?
- When Inheritance Tax is due - payment deadlines
- Finding the money to pay Inheritance Tax
- How to make an Inheritance Tax payment
- Paying Inheritance Tax in yearly instalments
- Paying Inheritance Tax on account
- Interest on Inheritance Tax - when and how it is charged
- Inheritance Tax and record keeping
When Inheritance Tax is due - payment deadlines
If an estate owes Inheritance Tax, you must usually pay it within six months after the death or interest will be charged. In some cases, you can pay by instalments once a year over ten years. The ‘due date’ differs if Inheritance Tax is due on a trust.
On this page:
- Inheritance Tax ‘due date’ after a death
- Inheritance Tax ‘due dates’ in connection with a trust
- What happens if you don’t pay by the due date?
- Penalty charges
- More help?
- More useful links
Inheritance Tax ‘due date’ after a death
The due date for Inheritance Tax is six months after the end of the month in which the deceased died (see table below).
Please note that you must pay Inheritance Tax before you can get the grant of probate (or confirmation in Scotland).
Month when the person died |
Due date |
|---|---|
January |
31 July |
February |
31 August |
March |
30 September |
April |
31 October |
May |
30 November |
June |
31 December |
July |
31 January |
August |
28/29 February |
September |
31 March |
October |
30 April |
November |
31 May |
December |
30 June |
If you’re paying Inheritance Tax by instalments
If you’re paying Inheritance Tax by instalments, the first instalment is due six months after the death on the due date above (see table). The second instalment is due 12 months after that.
Find out more about paying Inheritance Tax by instalments
If you’re paying Inheritance Tax on a gift
If someone gives you a gift and doesn’t survive for seven years after making it - and the gift is liable to Inheritance Tax - the payment on the gift is also due six months after the death on the due date above (see table).
Read our guide to Inheritance Tax planning for more about gifts
Inheritance Tax ‘due dates’ in connection with a trust
If the value of the assets being transferred exceeds the Inheritance Tax threshold (£325,000 in 2009-10), Inheritance Tax can be due:
- on transfers into trust
- on transfers out of a trust
- every ten years after the original transfer into trust
The due date depends on when the assets are transferred.
- For transfers made between 6 April and 1 October, the due date is 30 April in the following year.
- For transfers made between 30 September one year and 6 April the next, the due date is six months after the end of the month in which the transfer was made.
Find out more about Inheritance Tax and trusts
What happens if you don’t pay by the due date?
If you don’t pay Inheritance Tax in full by the due date, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will charge interest on the amount outstanding, whatever your reason for not paying by the due date. It also charges interest if you pay by annual instalments.
Find out when and how interest is charged on Inheritance Tax
Read about paying Inheritance Tax by instalments
Penalty charges
If Inheritance Tax is due, you have 12 months from the end of the
month in which the death occurred to send in a full Inheritance Tax
account - this includes form IHT400, any supplementary pages and papers
relating to probate (or confirmation in Scotland).
Unless you have a reasonable excuse for not delivering a full and accurate
account within 12 months, you may have to pay a penalty in addition
to any interest you owe.
Find out more about penalty charges and what qualifies as a reasonable excuse
More help?
Contact the Probate and Inheritance Tax Helpline
