Bereavement and tax
Updated on 21 June 2021
This looks at tax-related duties you may have to perform as an executor or personal representative, as well as the various tax and benefits consequences that can arise on death. This includes the knock-on effects of the death on you or other dependants.
Unfortunately, neither death nor taxes can be avoided forever. If you are lucky, your tax affairs will often fall into a regular and understandable pattern for long periods throughout your life. But then a life event happens which throws your tax world into confusion or means you have to make decisions, often without adequate information.
Death is one of those life events – it not only has to be dealt with in tax terms for the person who has died, but the effects of that death can significantly change the lives of others.
What information and help can I find in this section?
We provide information to assist you if you find that you have to act as an executor or personal representative. We also aim to help you understand the tax position for someone who has died and their survivors.
In particular:
- What taxes need to be dealt with when someone dies?
- How does the personal representative deal with the income tax and capital gains tax affairs of the deceased?
- How does the personal representative deal with income and capital gains arising after the deceased’s death?
- Death of a spouse or civil partner
- What happens to property owned jointly by the deceased and someone else?
- What happens to pension policies and life assurance policies the deceased held at death?
- What about income I received from the estate of a deceased person?
- What reliefs and exemptions are there from inheritance tax?
- What is the effect of death on state benefits and credits?
- Getting help with bereavement and inheritance tax
For information on the scope of our guidance, please see About us.
Tax guides
Information for employers What is the Job Retention Scheme? Illness or self-isolation Work changes Universal credit and employee pay Redundancy explained Support for limited company directors Working remotely for your UK employer while overseas Bonus payments for certain employees Self-employment income support scheme (SEISS) SEISS fourth grant SEISS fifth grant Self-employment support scheme ‘parental’ extension SEISS: where do I include the grants on my tax return? Further self-employment considerations Illness or self isolation Work changes Help for businesses in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales Tax credits and coronavirus £500 payment for working households on tax credits £500 Test and Trace Support Payment Taking money from your savings Taking money from your pension Tax penalties: coronavirus ‘relaxations’ Problems getting a National Insurance number High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC): What to do if your income falls Childcare support and benefits for children Scams: please be vigilant!
Introduction to the tax system How do I work out my tax? What income is taxable? What tax allowances am I entitled to? What tax rates apply to me? How is my tax collected? What if I cannot pay my tax bill? Do I need to complete a tax return? Self Assessment: understanding the basics What is Simple Assessment? How do I claim tax back? How do I claim back tax I have overpaid through PAYE on wages or pensions? How do I claim back tax if I complete a tax return? How do I claim back tax if I am taxed under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)? How do I claim back tax on savings income? How do I claim a marriage allowance refund? How do I claim back tax on a payment protection insurance (PPI) pay-out? Should I use a tax refund company? What is National Insurance? How do I get a National Insurance number? What are Adult Specified Childcare credits? What is Scottish income tax? What is devolution? Do I have to pay Scottish income tax? How does Scottish income tax work? What is Welsh income tax? Do I have to pay Welsh income tax? Do I have to join a pension scheme? Tax relief on your pension contributions HMRC digital services Enquiries, penalties, appeals, complaints and debt Enquiries How to survive an enquiry by HMRC Tax penalties Tax appeals Alternative Dispute Resolution How do I complain to HMRC? What if I cannot pay my tax bill? What if I have a tax credits overpayment?
Am I employed, self-employed, both or neither? Working through a limited company What is the national minimum wage? How do I work out my tax? What income is taxable? What tax allowances am I entitled to? What tax rates apply to me? How is my tax collected? How is tax collected on taxable state benefits? How do I check my coding notice? Do I need to complete a tax return? What tax do I pay on redundancy payments? Termination payments on leaving the armed forces Employment benefits and expenses What are benefits-in-kind? What payments and benefits are non taxable? What if I incur expenses in relation to my job? What travel expenses can I claim? What if I use my own car for business purposes? Payroll giving Allowances and expenses paid to armed forces personnel and deductions from their income Pensions and employees What is automatic enrolment for employees? What National Insurance do I pay as an employee? How do I repay my student loan? What if I do not pay enough tax? What if I pay too much tax? What if I work abroad temporarily? What if I am in the armed forces and work overseas? First time workers Apprenticeships
Am I employed, self-employed, both, or neither? How do I register for tax and National Insurance? What business records should I keep? Working out profits, losses and capital allowances When do I make Self Assessment payments and file my tax return? How do I pay tax on self-employed income? What tax allowances am I entitled to? What is the trading allowance? What National Insurance do I pay if I am self-employed? What is the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)? How do I work out my profits for universal credit? Do I have to pay VAT if I am self-employed? What is Making Tax Digital for VAT? Pensions and self-employment How do I repay my student loan if I am self-employed? Introduction to enquiries
Pension jargon buster Approaching retirement What is income? How do I work out my tax? What income is taxable? What tax allowances am I entitled to? What tax rates apply to me? How is my tax collected? How do I check my coding notice? Tax code problems on retirement What should I do if I have not paid enough tax? What tax do I pay on savings and dividend income? How do I claim any tax back? Do I need to complete a tax return? What National Insurance do I pay after retirement? What happens if I retire abroad? What is the tax position when I take money from my pension flexibly? How do I cash in my small pension? What tax do I pay on my state pension lump sum? What is state pension deferral? Pensions paid on leaving the armed forces
Taxes on death: overview Dealing with the deceased's own tax affairs Tax on income and gains after death Death of a spouse or civil partner Joint property on death Pension and life assurance policies on death Income from a deceased's person's estate Inheritance tax State benefits on death Getting help with bereavement and inheritance tax Bereavement jargon buster
