IHTM09222 - Exchange of information with tax offices (form 982 procedures): receiving information from tax offices

If the tax office is aware that a taxpayer has died they will review their papers and look out for cases where

• at any stage in the 7 years immediately prior to death the estate is estimated to have been worth more than £250,000 and there has been either an unexplained decrease in capital of at least £50,000 or assets to that value have been gifted or transferred for less than their full value
• based on information in the latest tax return there is suggestion that the value of the estate returned for IHT purposes may be understated by at least £50,000
• no grant of probate or letter of administration or confirmation have been obtained within 1 year of death and the value of the estate is estimated to be more than £250,000
• an enduring power of attorney (EPA) was executed during the deceased’s lifetime.

The tax office will let us know by completing form 982 (part 3) or by sending us a memo. All form 982’s are sent to RRLT in Nottingham who will record the receipt of the form, stamp it as recorded. They will pass it to you to consider. If you receive a 982 without a stamp you should return it to RRLT.

You should compare the information provided by the tax office with that on your file. If the information is not sufficiently detailed you should either speak to the tax office to clarify the position or call for the tax papers ( IHTM09303) to establish the facts for yourself. The next page ( IHTM09223) gives some guidance on how to use the information provided by the tax office.