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Estate planning

Plan your estate now, so more of it goes to the people you choose, not Inheritance Tax

A clear picture of your Inheritance Tax exposure, and a practical plan to reduce it, using your allowances, a sensible gifting strategy, and the right structure for your estate.

  • Fixed monthly fee
  • Xero, QuickBooks & FreeAgent certified
  • A named accountant, not a portal

What’s included

Everything, for one fixed fee

  • Estate & IHT calculation. Your estate valued and your likely Inheritance Tax bill calculated, based on the current nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band.
  • Allowance planning. Making full use of the nil-rate band, residence nil-rate band, and spouse exemption, including any unused allowance to transfer.
  • Gifting strategy. A lifetime gifting plan using the 7-year rule, annual exemptions and taper relief, with records kept for the estate later on.
  • Trust & solicitor liaison. Where a trust may help, we work alongside your solicitor on the tax planning while they handle the legal drafting.
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Sound familiar?

The job that costs you when it slips

Inheritance Tax catches more estates than people expect, largely because the nil-rate band has been frozen for years while property and asset values have kept rising. By the time it is due, it is too late to plan, the estate simply owes what it owes.

Most people either do nothing, assuming it will not affect them, or start thinking about it far too late to use the allowances and gifting rules that could have reduced the bill significantly. Planning ahead is where the real difference gets made.

  • An estate worth more than the £325,000 nil-rate band
  • A home that alone could push the estate over the threshold
  • No plan for using the residence nil-rate band
  • Wanting to start gifting but unsure of the rules
  • A business or second property with no plan for it
  • Assuming a trust will help without knowing if it actually does
What we do

Hand it over, and consider it handled

Estate planning is about making sure as much of what you have built passes on to the people you choose, rather than to Inheritance Tax. It starts with working out what your estate is actually worth, what allowances and reliefs already apply, and where the gaps are.

This is the tax planning side of estate planning: calculating your Inheritance Tax exposure, making full use of the nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band, structuring lifetime gifts, and reviewing how assets are held. Where a trust or a will genuinely needs drafting, that is legal work for a solicitor, and we work alongside one, but the numbers, the allowances and the gifting strategy behind it are exactly where an accountant adds value.

Estate & IHT calculation

Your estate valued and your likely Inheritance Tax bill calculated, based on the current nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band.

Allowance planning

Making full use of the nil-rate band, residence nil-rate band, and spouse exemption, including any unused allowance to transfer.

Gifting strategy

A lifetime gifting plan using the 7-year rule, annual exemptions and taper relief, with records kept for the estate later on.

Trust & solicitor liaison

Where a trust may help, we work alongside your solicitor on the tax planning while they handle the legal drafting.

Who it’s for

Is this you?

If any of these sound familiar, this is exactly what we can take off your plate. Not sure? A quick, free call will settle it.

Book a free consultation
  • Anyone whose estate is likely to exceed £325,000, or £500,000 with a home passing to children
  • Second-home owners and landlords with property that will form part of their estate
  • Business owners wanting to understand how their business fits into their estate
  • Anyone wanting to start a lifetime gifting strategy while they are able to
  • Blended families where a straightforward "everything to my spouse" plan is not enough
  • Married couples and civil partners who have not reviewed how their allowances work together
Why it pays

More than a box ticked, time and money back

Every allowance used

The nil-rate band, residence nil-rate band, spouse exemption and any transferable allowance, all applied properly so nothing is left on the table.

A gifting strategy that works

A clear, recorded plan using the 7-year rule and annual exemptions, so lifetime gifts genuinely reduce the eventual bill.

Honest advice on trusts

We tell you plainly whether a trust would help your situation, and work with your solicitor on the drafting if it does.

A number you can plan around

A clear calculation of your likely Inheritance Tax exposure today, so you know what you are actually planning for.

Transparent pricing

Know the price before we start

A fair fixed fee for your Inheritance Tax calculation and planning, quoted up front once we understand your estate, with no hourly billing.

  • A fixed quote, agreed before any work
  • No hourly billing, no year-end surprises
  • Cancel any time, no long tie-ins

A fixed monthly fee,
tailored to your business

Confirmed after a free, no-obligation quote.

Book a free consultation
Why Provense

A team that does the work, and picks up the phone

Clear calculations

Your Inheritance Tax exposure worked out properly, not guessed at, using the current nil-rate bands and reliefs.

Honest, not sales-driven

We tell you when a trust or a scheme is not needed, not just what generates more fees.

Joined up with a solicitor

We handle the tax planning and work alongside your solicitor on any legal drafting, so nothing falls between the two.

Still deciding?

The honest answers to what you’re thinking

How much does estate planning cost?

We quote a fair fixed fee for the calculation and planning work up front, based on the complexity of your estate. Given the sums involved, effective planning routinely saves many times the fee.

Isn’t this something my solicitor should handle?

A solicitor drafts your will and any trust, that is legal work we do not do. What we handle is the tax planning behind it: your Inheritance Tax exposure, allowances and gifting strategy, which is accountancy work that complements, rather than replaces, your solicitor.

I don’t think my estate is big enough to worry about.

It is worth checking rather than assuming. Between the nil-rate band, the residence nil-rate band and rising property values, more estates are affected than people expect. We will give you an honest number either way.

Is it too late to do anything once I am older?

It is rarely too late to do something, though some options (like the 7-year gifting rule) work best started early. We will tell you honestly what is still available to you and what genuinely helps at your stage.

How it works

Simple, from day one

  1. 01

    Value the estate

    We work out what your estate is worth today and what Inheritance Tax would be due if nothing changed.

  2. 02

    Build the plan

    We identify which allowances, exemptions and gifting strategies apply to you, and what they could save.

  3. 03

    Put it in place

    We help you act on the plan, and review it as your circumstances, and the rules, change.

FAQ

Estate Planning questions, answered

How much can I leave before Inheritance Tax applies?
Everyone has a nil-rate band of £325,000. If you leave a home to children or grandchildren, a further residence nil-rate band of £175,000 applies, giving up to £500,000 tax-free for a single person, or up to £1 million combined for a married couple or civil partners. Anything left to a spouse or civil partner is exempt regardless of value.
How does lifetime gifting reduce Inheritance Tax?
Gifts made more than 7 years before death are usually outside your estate entirely. Gifts made within 7 years may still be taxed on a sliding scale (taper relief). You can also give away £3,000 a year (carrying forward one unused year) and unlimited gifts of £250 per person, immediately free of Inheritance Tax. We help you plan and record this properly.
Do I need a trust?
Most people do not. A well-drafted will covers most estates, and trusts tend to suit specific situations, such as vulnerable beneficiaries or particular Inheritance Tax planning. Where a trust could help, we advise on the tax side, exposure, allowances, gifting into it, and work with your solicitor, who drafts the legal document itself.
Can an accountant help with my will?
We are not solicitors and do not draft wills or trusts, that legal work needs a qualified solicitor. What we do is the tax planning around your estate: calculating your Inheritance Tax exposure, making full use of your allowances, and planning gifts and structures, either before you see a solicitor or alongside one.
Does owning a business affect my Inheritance Tax?
It can. Certain business assets may qualify for relief that removes or reduces their value from your estate, subject to detailed conditions on the type of business and how long you have owned it. We review your specific situation rather than assuming a relief applies.

Ready to hand this over?

Book a free, no-obligation consultation and we’ll show you exactly how we can help, and what it would cost.