IHT410 is the schedule you complete with form IHT400 if the person who died was paying premiums on life assurance, held investment bonds or plans that pay out on death, or had purchased life annuities. It records what insurers pay to the estate, the value of policies on other people's lives, and any annuity payments that carry on after the death.
This guide follows the June 2026 Schedule IHT410 (HMRC 06/26) and the HMRC IHT400 Notes, as of October 2026.
When to use IHT410
- Life assurance policies, or any sums insurers pay to the estate because of the death, whether the policy was on the deceased's life or someone else's.
- Unit-linked investment bonds that pay 101% of the value of the units to the estate.
- Investment or reinvestment plans, bonds or contracts that pay out to the estate on death.
- Policies and bonds payable to beneficiaries under a trust, which don't form part of the estate.
- Joint life policies where the deceased was one of the lives assured and the policy continues.
What goes somewhere else
| Item | Where it belongs |
|---|---|
| Pension annuities | IHT409, pensions |
| A joint policy that continues after the death | IHT404, jointly owned assets |
| A mortgage protection policy on a jointly owned home | IHT404, with the property and the mortgage |
| Premiums paid in the last 7 years for someone else's benefit | IHT403, gifts and other transfers of value |
| A policy held in trust that the deceased could benefit from | IHT418, assets held in trust |
For a mortgage protection policy on a home the deceased owned alone, the property, the mortgage and the policy are shown as separate items, with the policy in question 2 of IHT410.
The questions, in order
- Question 1 and 2: sums payable by insurers to the estate, with the company, policy number and amount including bonuses. This total goes in box 2.
- Question 3: a joint policy that continues. If yes, it goes on IHT404 instead.
- Question 4 and 5: policies on another person's life that continue after the death, valued by the insurer at the date of death, with a copy of each policy.
- Question 6: total life assurance (box 2 plus box 5), copied to box 57 of IHT400.
- Question 7 to 11: purchased life annuities that continue, and lump sums payable under them, which go in box 76 of IHT400.
- Question 12 to 14: premiums paid for others in the last 7 years, annuities bought, and policies held in trust.
Annuities that keep paying after death
A purchased life annuity with a guaranteed period can keep paying after the annuitant dies. The value to include is the right to receive the remaining guaranteed payments, and HMRC has a guaranteed annuities calculator on GOV.UK to help. Payments from a purchased life annuity have both an income and a capital element; the insurer's letters show the split, and the form asks for both. An annuity bought to provide a pension is income only and belongs on IHT409.
The question that catches estates out
Question 12 asks whether, within 7 years of death, the deceased paid premiums on a life policy for the benefit of someone other than their spouse or civil partner. Question 13 then asks whether an annuity was bought at any time. Taken together, these let HMRC spot a policy held for children alongside an annuity bought by the parent. Paying those premiums can be a gift, so if the answer is yes, details go on IHT403 and a copy of the policy schedule goes with the form.
Policies in trust
Parents often take out life cover and put it in trust for their children, and business partners or directors sometimes insure their lives for each other's benefit. The form notes that if the deceased died while still working, or before their parents, they may have had a right to benefit under such a trust. If so, you complete IHT418 as well.
Scotland
In Scotland, policies are listed on inventory form C1. You don't need to list them again on IHT410, but you still include their total in box 2.
Where the totals end up
| IHT410 figure | IHT400 box |
|---|---|
| Box 6, total life assurance | Box 57 |
| Box 8, value of remaining guaranteed annuity payments | Included in box 76 |
| Box 11, lump sums under a purchased life annuity | Included in box 76 |
Box 57 of IHT400 also covers mortgage protection policies and unit-linked schemes paying 101% of the unit value on death, as the Notes explain.
Getting the figures from insurers
You'll need a letter from each insurer, and it's worth asking the same questions every time. Who's the payout going to: the estate, a trust or a surviving joint policyholder? What's the amount, including any bonuses? If the policy continues on someone else's life, what's its value at the date of death? And for an annuity, what's left of any guaranteed period, and how's each payment split between income and capital? Once you've got those answers, the form isn't hard to complete, and you won't have to go back to the insurer twice.
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The verdict
Start IHT410 by writing to every insurer for a date-of-death letter that confirms who the payout goes to: the estate, a trust or a joint policyholder. That one fact decides whether a policy lands here, on IHT404 or on IHT418. Then answer questions 12 and 13 carefully, because premiums paid for children's policies are where HMRC most often finds a gift nobody declared.
Frequently asked questions
What is IHT410 used for?
It reports life assurance policies, investment bonds and plans paying out on death, and purchased life annuities, as part of the full Inheritance Tax account on IHT400.
Do pension annuities go on IHT410?
No. Pension annuities go on Schedule IHT409, pensions.
Where does the IHT410 total go on IHT400?
The total life assurance figure in box 6 is copied to box 57 of form IHT400.
Do policies held in trust go on IHT410?
Policies payable to beneficiaries under a trust are reported on IHT410, and if the deceased had a right to benefit from a policy held in trust you also fill in IHT418.
What happens to a joint life policy that continues?
Give its details and value on Schedule IHT404, jointly owned assets, not on IHT410.
Why does IHT410 ask about premiums in the last 7 years?
Premiums the deceased paid on a policy for someone else's benefit, other than a spouse or civil partner, may be gifts that go on IHT403.
