I Own a Business
The most valuable asset in your estate is often the one with the least succession planning around it.
Business Property Relief has protected private company shares from IHT for decades. The April 2026 £1m cap changes the maths for anything worth more than that.
What typically applies
Most business owners rely on Business Property Relief to pass shares to the next generation free of IHT. From April 2026, that relief is capped at £1m per person, with 50% relief above that.
Alongside the tax question sits the succession question: who runs the business, who owns it, and how do you protect the surviving family if you die suddenly.
A proper plan usually involves gifting (over time), a cross-option agreement backed by Term Assurance, and — for larger businesses — a family investment company or trust structure that separates ownership from control.
Where to go from here
In-depth problem page
Family Business Succession & Inheritance Tax
In-depth analysis of the BPR cap and what it means for family businesses.
Regulated adviser
Protect Your Business, Your Partners and Your Family
Term Assurance and cross-option agreements — regulated advice.
Two lanes
Control How Your Wealth Passes to Your Family
Trusts, including family investment and discretionary trusts.
Regulated adviser
Reduce IHT Without Giving Your Money Away
Business Relief Investments for surplus capital.