If a gift is regular, made out of income and does not affect your standard of living, any amount of money can be given away and ignored for IHT. However, you should take advice from a tax expert before you make regular gifts to ensure they will be acceptable to the HM Revenue & Customs. The simplest way to avoid inheritance tax (IHT) is to make gifts while you are still alive. That being said this hardly seems a plan We can not really imagine your Mum & Dad as they pass the 50 mark saying in effect "now my dears we hope you will accept our gift of £3,000 a year for the next 30 years ; your Father and I know we are going to live till we are aged 80 so this is our Big Plan to get rid of that extra £90,000 (which according to Gordon Brown's budget for 2009 takes us over the Inheritance tax limit ) and so you will not have to pay and Inheritance Tax . Its a lot more cruel than that :

Estate worth more than the current Inheritance Tax Threshold ( it changes every year) by what shall we say £500,000

IHT payable to HMRC before you can even get the probate let alone sell the House £200,00 ; Any relief for personal low taxation schemes or for non tax payers ? NO not a penny £200,000 now (please)

Estate worth £1,000,000 above the Threshold : Death Tax please ... £400,000

Now an important matter are gifts between husbands and wives always IHT-free?

Certainly donations to charities and political parties are tax free but can you be sure you properly understand the combined impact of the Inheritance Tax Act 1986 the Capital Gains tax regime and all the subsequent amending legislation and regulations the laws on Trusts ? . We are frequently asked to draw up Family Deeds of Variation( to the Will or even after the intestacy of a deceased relative which we at Just Lawyers will gladly do ) BUT the very best way of ensuring that you do save Inheritance tax is to take steps now. Contact us now ; we do not charge a great deal but we do offer and give just that - a great deal. Our years of education and experience in this area cost us just that - a great deal- but Just Lawyers particularly with the On Line legal Services can and always will be most competitive and cost effective with our holistic IHT saving packages. Urgent Advice required Call our IHT Hot Line and speak to a Solicitor on 0780 2482480 - mostly Uk Office Hours .