The number of inheritance tax (IHT) investigations opened by HMRC has reached a six-year high according to new data. During the 2025-26 tax year, the tax office opened 4,940 formal IHT investigations, which is an 18% increase on the previous year. At the same time, nearly 5,000 further estates were referred to HMRC’s compliance team
He also reminded savers that, under the current rules, most people can normally access their defined contribution pension from the age of 55, although the normal minimum pension age is due to rise to 57 from April 2028. The 25% tax-free rule isn’t as simple as many people think One of the biggest misconceptions is
Charlene Young, of stockbroker AJ Bell, said HMRC’s proposal was “being billed as a measure to prevent bill shock twice a year, but it’s inevitably going to involve more admin, queries and phoning the creaking doom loop that is the HMRC helpline”. “There’s an obvious risk HMRC gets its sums wrong, as relying on tax
Council leaders warned that the surcharge would unfairly target people who had remained in the same home for years and had seen its value rise without any corresponding increase in their income. It said: “A home is the centre of family life, not an untapped tax stream. “Our residents have often lived in the same
Council leaders warned that the surcharge would unfairly target people who had remained in the same home for years and had seen its value rise without any corresponding increase in their income. It said: “A home is the centre of family life, not an untapped tax stream. “Our residents have often lived in the same
The top rate of income tax should be increased to 52pc to pay for workplace benefits for the self-employed, a Right-leaning think tank has said. This extra funding should be raised alongside a complete overhaul of National Insurance (NI) to facilitate offering the self-employed Universal Credit, parental leave and sickness pay, as well as state-funded
You may need to contact HMRC about the issue You may need to contact HMRC about a tax bill(Image: Getty) HMRC has clarified the rules around a £10,000 limit that applies to some taxpayers. A customer asked for help after receiving a message from their bank. The customer asked how to report dividend income from
Historically, Westminster has been more reliant on government funding because of its low tax take. But the Government has stripped back its funding over the next four years from £219m to £119m. Combined with an expected rise in costs, demand for services and inflation, the council believes it will be left with a £160m shortfall
New figures from HMRC show 30,440 people reported breaching their pension annual allowance during the 2024/25 tax year, up from 24,950 a year earlier – a jump of 22%. The total amount contributed above the limit also soared from £505 million to £672 million, an increase of 33% in just 12 months. The figures are
HMRC introduced the rules in April to collect more data on business owners as part of its mission to close the tax gap. Small businesses account for 62pc of the UK’s £59.2bn in uncollected tax. But the ATT said HMRC’s published guidance on the rules could cause confusion for business owners. In its notes accompanying