IHT205 is HMRC's Return of estate information, the short form for excepted estates where no Inheritance Tax is due. It only applies if the person died on or before 31 December 2021. For deaths on or after 1 January 2022, there's no IHT205: you report the estimated value of an excepted estate when you apply for probate, and only complete IHT400 if the estate isn't excepted.
Everything below comes from HMRC's IHT205 collection page, the IHT206 notes for the 2011 version of the form and the GOV.UK guide to valuing an estate, as of October 2026.
Which rules apply to your estate
| Date of death | What you use |
|---|---|
| On or before 5 April 2011 | The older IHT205 version for that period |
| 6 April 2011 to 31 December 2021 | IHT205 (2011) with the IHT206 notes |
| On or after 1 January 2022 | No IHT205. Report the estimate with the probate application if the estate is excepted, or complete IHT400 |
This is the trap: a lot of older guides still tell executors to fill in an IHT205. If the death was in 2022 or later, that advice is out of date. HMRC points to its valuing-an-estate guide for the changes to reporting and to the excepted estate conditions from 1 January 2022.
Who could use the IHT205 (2011)
For deaths in that window, the IHT206 notes say you could use the form if the person was domiciled in the UK and there was no tax to pay because the gross value of the estate was no more than:
- The excepted estate limit, normally the same as the nil rate band, which was £325,000 for the tax years 2009 to 2022.
- Twice that limit, if you were claiming a transfer of the whole unused nil rate band from a spouse or civil partner who died first, on form IHT217.
- £1 million, where all or part of the estate passed to a spouse or civil partner, a qualifying charity or another UK national body.
If you completed the IHT205 (2011), you didn't also need the IHT421 probate summary. If only part of the spouse's nil rate band was available to transfer, you couldn't use the IHT205 and had to complete IHT400 with IHT402 instead.
Transferring a spouse's unused nil rate band
Since 9 October 2007, spouses and civil partners have been able to transfer the unused part of the nil rate band. To claim it on IHT217 with an IHT205, the IHT206 notes say all of these had to apply: the person died on or after 6 April 2010, their spouse or civil partner died on or after 13 November 1974, none of the first nil rate band was used, and the estate was worth less than twice the excepted estate limit.
HMRC's example: Ralph left his whole £300,000 estate to his widow, Rita, so none of his nil rate band was used and Rita's estate had double the band. In the counter-example, Morag left £100,000 to her daughter and the rest to her civil partner, so £100,000 of the band was used; when her partner died, the estate couldn't use IHT205 and needed IHT400 and IHT402.
What counts as the estate
- Assets in the sole name of the person who died.
- Their share of jointly owned assets.
- Nominated assets.
- Assets they'd given away but kept an interest in.
- Assets in certain trusts they had a right to benefit from.
The total is added to the chargeable value of gifts made in the 7 years before death. Gross value is everything before debts are taken off, plus those gifts.
The rules for deaths from 1 January 2022
GOV.UK says an estate is usually excepted if any of these apply:
- Its value is below the Inheritance Tax threshold.
- It's worth £650,000 or less and unused threshold is being transferred from a spouse or civil partner who died first.
- Everything went to a UK-resident spouse or civil partner, or a qualifying charity, and the estate is worth less than £3 million.
- The person was living permanently outside the UK and their UK assets are worth £150,000 or less.
Even then, full details are needed if, for example, they gave away over £250,000 in the 7 years before death or had foreign assets worth more than £100,000. If the estate is excepted and you don't need probate, you don't need to report its value at all.
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Using the right threshold for an older death
If you're dealing with an older death, the nil rate band in force matters. HMRC's rates table lists £285,000 for 2006 to 2007, £300,000 for 2007 to 2008, £312,000 for 2008 to 2009 and £325,000 from 6 April 2009 onwards. Its own example: a death on 9 May 2006 with the grant taken out on 21 July 2006 uses £275,000, the previous year's band, because the grant was applied for before 6 August; a death on 7 June 2006 with the grant on 21 August uses £285,000.
If you're filing a late IHT205
- Check the date of death against the table above and pick the matching version of the form.
- Use the IHT206 notes alongside the form; HMRC warns incorrect, incomplete or false information can bring penalties.
- Work out the gross value, including gifts in the 7 years before death.
- If any condition fails as you go, stop and complete IHT400 instead.
- Remember you may also need the probate service's own forms to apply for the grant.
The verdict
Only reach for the IHT205 if the person died on or before 31 December 2021. For anyone who died since, the job is simpler: check whether the estate is excepted, give the estimate on the probate application, and keep the IHT400 for estates with tax to pay or the special cases. Any Income Tax the person owed is dealt with separately, through returns such as the SA100. If an accountant or solicitor is handling it, they'll usually need form 64-8 to talk to HMRC for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the IHT205 form still used?
Only for deaths on or before 31 December 2021. For deaths on or after 1 January 2022, the excepted estate rules changed and there's no IHT205.
What replaced the IHT205?
For deaths from 1 January 2022, you report the estimated value of an excepted estate when you apply for probate, or complete IHT400 if the estate isn't excepted or tax is due.
What was the IHT205 limit?
For deaths from 6 April 2011 to 31 December 2021 it was the excepted estate limit, £325,000 for 2009 to 2022, or twice that with a full transfer of a spouse's unused nil rate band, or £1 million where the estate passed to a spouse, civil partner or charity.
Do I need an IHT421 with an IHT205?
No. The IHT206 notes say that if you complete form IHT205 (2011), you don't need to complete form IHT421.
What if the estate doesn't qualify for an IHT205?
Stop and complete form IHT400, the full Inheritance Tax account, instead.
