Who needs it
- Only executors dealing with a death between 6 April 2011 and 31 December 2021, where the person lived permanently in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and the estate is unlikely to owe Inheritance Tax.
- A separate older IHT205 covers deaths on or before 5 April 2011.
What you need before you start
- For deaths from 1 January 2022: the estimated value of the estate, and HMRC's check of the type of estate on GOV.UK.
- For an older death: the paper IHT205 for the right period, printed and posted.
How to file IHT205
- 1Check the date of death.
- 2For deaths on or after 1 January 2022, use GOV.UK's check-the-type-of-estate guidance.
- 3If the estate is excepted and you need probate, report its estimated value in the probate application.
- 4If it isn't excepted, complete IHT400 and its schedules.
What replaced IHT205
HMRC's IHT205 page limits it to deaths from 6 April 2011 to 31 December 2021, for people who lived permanently in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and points everyone else to the guidance on checking whether you need to send full details of the estate. There is no new form number for excepted estates.
For deaths from 1 January 2022, GOV.UK says that if the estate is excepted and you're applying for probate, you report its estimated value even though there's no tax to pay. If probate isn't needed, there's nothing to report.
When full details are needed
If Inheritance Tax is due, or the estate isn't excepted, you send full details of assets, debts, gifts, reliefs and exemptions on the IHT400 within 12 months of the death and before applying for probate.
Scotland
IHT205 never applied in Scotland. Executors apply for confirmation using the inventory C1; HMRC's C1 forms for deaths on or after 1 January 2022 are on GOV.UK.
Common mistakes
- Downloading IHT205 for a death in 2022 or later. It doesn't apply.
- Looking for the online IHT205. HMRC closed that route for these deaths in March 2023.
- Assuming an excepted estate never reports anything. If probate is needed, you still report the estimated value.
Related
What else will you need?
- IHT400IHT400 Inheritance Tax accountIHT400 is HMRC's Inheritance Tax account: the full report of an estate's assets, debts, gifts, reliefs and exemptions.
- IHT421IHT421 probate summaryIHT421 is HMRC's probate summary, now used only to apply for a grant of representation in Northern Ireland.
- IHT402IHT402 transfer unused nil-rate bandIHT402 is the HMRC claim, sent with the IHT400, to transfer the unused Inheritance Tax nil-rate band of a spouse or civil partner who died first to the estate of the one who died later.
- ChecklistExecutor tax checklistAn executor tells HMRC about the death, usually through Tell Us Once, settles the person's tax up to the date of death, values the estate to see whether Inheritance Tax is due, and reports and pays any tax within the deadlines.PDF
Rather we did it?
Countify can handle this for you, for a fixed fee agreed upfront.
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
Can I still use IHT205?
Only on paper for a death between 6 April 2011 and 31 December 2021 in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. For later deaths, it doesn't apply.
What do I file for an excepted estate now?
No separate form. If you're applying for probate, you report the estate's estimated value in the application.
What if the estate isn't excepted?
Complete IHT400 and its schedules, and pay any tax due.
Checked against GOV.UK on · Reviewed by Kamran Ishaq FCCA, Founder & CEO, on .
Sources: Report an excepted estate for deaths to 31 December 2021 (IHT205) (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs); Valuing the estate: check if you need to send full details (opens in a new tab) (GOV.UK); Inheritance Tax: confirmation (C1) (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs).
Countify is an independent accountancy practice. We aren't part of, or endorsed by, HM Revenue & Customs. Always file using the official form or service.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (opens in a new tab).