IHT205 vs IHT400: Why Most 2026 Estates No Longer File IHT205
If you've searched for the IHT205 form, here's the headline: for anyone who died on or after 1 January 2022, you no longer fill in IHT205 at all. Most estates are now "excepted estates," and you report their value inside the probate application itself — no separate HMRC inheritance tax form. IHT205 only ever covers deaths up to 31 December 2021, and IHT400 is the full account you complete only when tax is due or the estate doesn't qualify as excepted.
The short version: IHT205 was withdrawn, not replaced
For more than a decade, the standard route for a "no inheritance tax to pay" estate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was to fill in form IHT205 (the "Return of estate information"). It was the short form — a couple of pages confirming the estate was below the threshold — and you sent it to the Probate Registry alongside your application.
That changed for deaths from 1 January 2022. The Inheritance Tax (Delivery of Accounts) (Excepted Estates) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 removed the requirement to complete an IHT205 (and its sister forms IHT207 and IHT217) for excepted estates. GOV.UK confirms it directly: if the person died on or after 1 January 2022, you "check if you need to send full details of the estate" rather than reach for IHT205 (gov.uk: IHT205 form page).
Crucially, nothing replaced IHT205 with a new short form. Instead, the small amount of information HMRC used to collect on IHT205 was folded into the probate application you already have to make. You declare the gross and net estate values when you apply to the Probate Registry — and that is the report.
IHT205 is now a legacy form. If your loved one died on 1 January 2022 or later and the estate is "excepted," you will never touch IHT205 or IHT400 — you simply estimate the values and enter them when you apply for probate.
IHT205 vs IHT400: which path applies to you
There are now only two outcomes, and they hinge on one question: is the estate "excepted"?
| Situation | What you do (deaths on/after 1 Jan 2022) | The old form (deaths up to 31 Dec 2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Estate is "excepted" (no IHT to pay, within the limits) | Report values inside the probate application. No separate HMRC form. | IHT205 (or IHT207 / IHT217) |
| IHT is due, OR the estate doesn't qualify as excepted | Complete the full IHT400 account and supporting schedules, then apply for probate | IHT400 (unchanged) |
So IHT400 hasn't gone anywhere — it's the full inheritance tax account, and you use it whenever there's tax to pay or the estate falls outside the excepted-estate rules (gov.uk: IHT400). What disappeared is the short form. The vast majority of estates are excepted, which is exactly why most 2026 estates file neither IHT205 nor IHT400.
What counts as an "excepted estate" in 2026
An excepted estate is one HMRC doesn't need full details about, because it plainly owes no inheritance tax. There are three broad categories. The figures below come from GOV.UK's "check if you need to send full details of the estate" guidance (gov.uk: check the type of estate).
1. Low-value estates
The gross value of the estate is below the inheritance tax threshold of £325,000 (the nil-rate band, frozen at this level). If the estate is worth less than £325,000 before deducting debts, it's typically excepted.
2. Exempt estates (everything to a spouse, civil partner or charity)
The gross value of the estate is less than £3 million, and after deducting debts and the spouse/civil-partner exemption and charity exemption, the net chargeable value is below £325,000 (or below the available threshold). In other words, a larger estate can still be excepted if everything above the threshold passes to an exempt beneficiary.
3. Transferred (inherited) threshold cases
If a deceased spouse or civil partner died first leaving their entire nil-rate band unused, you can claim the transferred allowance — so the estate can be up to £650,000 or less in gross value (£325,000 × 2) and still be excepted, provided 100% of the first partner's threshold is available.
| Excepted-estate category | Gross value test | Other key conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Low value | Below £325,000 | No IHT due |
| Transferred nil-rate band | £650,000 or less | 100% of a late spouse/civil partner's threshold unused & claimed |
| Exempt (spouse / charity) | Less than £3 million | Net chargeable value below £325,000 after spouse & charity exemptions |
Even within the limits above, an estate is not excepted (so IHT400 is required) if any of these apply, per GOV.UK:
- The deceased made chargeable lifetime gifts of more than £250,000 in the 7 years before death (gifts to most people count; gifts to a spouse/charity generally don't).
- They held more than one trust, or trust assets over £250,000 (or trust assets of £1 million-plus even where passing to a spouse/civil partner/charity).
- They were UK-domiciled with foreign assets worth more than £100,000.
- They were a non-UK-domiciliary with UK assets of more than £150,000 (different rules apply).
- They had certain gifts with reservation of benefit, or an "alternatively secured pension."
How an excepted estate is reported now — through probate, not a form
Here's the mechanic that confuses people. There's no document called "the excepted estate form" anymore. The reporting happens in three steps, all part of the normal probate process:
- Value the estate. Work out the gross value (everything the person owned) and the net value (after debts like the mortgage and funeral costs). GOV.UK requires you to "estimate the estate's value for Inheritance Tax" even when no tax is owed (gov.uk: before you apply for probate).
- Confirm it's excepted. Run it through the limits above. If it qualifies, you don't send full details to HMRC.
- Apply for probate and declare the figures. On the probate application (online via GOV.UK or paper form PA1P / PA1A) you state the gross and net estate values and the net qualifying value. That declaration replaces the old IHT205.
You can then apply for probate straight away — there's no longer a 20-day wait for HMRC to acknowledge an IHT form before the Probate Registry will process you, which was a feature of the IHT400 route, not the old IHT205 route. For excepted estates you go directly to the application.
Persona: Margaret Whitfield, a 79-year-old widow, died on 14 March 2026 in Leeds. Her husband Tom died in 2009 and left his entire estate to her, so his nil-rate band was completely unused. Margaret's daughter Priya is the executor and has searched "IHT205 form" expecting to fill one in.
Margaret's estate (gross value):
| Asset | Value |
|---|---|
| Home in Leeds (sole name) | £420,000 |
| Cash & savings accounts | £62,000 |
| Premium Bonds & ISAs | £28,000 |
| Car & personal possessions | £10,000 |
| Gross estate | £520,000 |
Debts to deduct: outstanding utility bills £600, funeral costs £4,400 = £5,000. Net estate = £515,000.
Lifetime gifts: Margaret gave Priya £6,000 across the last two birthdays — well under the £250,000 chargeable-gift limit, so no disqualification. No trusts, no foreign assets.
The threshold maths:
- Margaret's own nil-rate band: £325,000
- Tom's transferred (100% unused) nil-rate band: +£325,000
- Total available threshold: £650,000
The gross estate (£520,000) is below £650,000, and 100% of Tom's threshold is available to transfer. Margaret's estate is therefore an excepted estate in the "transferred nil-rate band" category. No inheritance tax is due (£515,000 is comfortably under the £650,000 combined allowance).
What Priya actually does: nothing on IHT205, and nothing on IHT400. She values the estate, applies for probate online, and on the application declares the gross value (£520,000) and net value (£515,000), and claims the transferred nil-rate band as part of that process. One application, no separate HMRC inheritance tax form. The case is closed within the normal probate timescale.
What to do if you inherited an old IHT205 case still in progress
Occasionally a death occurred in late 2021 but the estate is only being administered now, or a half-finished file lands on your desk with a part-completed IHT205. Here's how to handle the transition cleanly:
- The death date is what matters — not today's date. If the person died on or before 31 December 2021, IHT205 is still the correct form for an excepted estate. The withdrawal applies to deaths from 1 January 2022 onward, so a genuine 2021 death is finished on IHT205 even if you're only doing it in 2026.
- The PDF still exists for historic deaths. GOV.UK retained the IHT205 (2011) form precisely for pre-2022 deaths. The online service was retired, but you can complete and submit the relevant paper version for an eligible historic death.
- Don't "upgrade" a valid 2021 case to the new process. If you start declaring values through the new probate route for a death that genuinely falls under the old rules, you may create a mismatch with the Probate Registry. Check the date of death first, every time.
- If the estate isn't excepted, it was always IHT400. An inherited file where tax is plainly due needs IHT400 regardless of death date — the 2022 change never affected the IHT400 path.
- When in doubt, ring HMRC. The Inheritance Tax helpline can confirm which route a part-finished file should take. For anything with gifts, trusts, business or agricultural property, take advice from a STEP-qualified practitioner or solicitor before submitting.
- IHT205 is withdrawn for deaths on or after 1 January 2022 — and nothing short-form replaced it.
- Excepted estates are now reported through the probate application by declaring the gross and net values; there's no separate HMRC inheritance tax form.
- An estate is excepted if it's below £325,000, £650,000 or less with a transferred nil-rate band, or under £3 million gross with net chargeable value below the threshold when passing to a spouse/civil partner/charity.
- Watch the disqualifiers: lifetime gifts over £250,000 in 7 years, sizeable trusts, or foreign-asset rules push you onto IHT400.
- For deaths up to 31 December 2021, IHT205 still applies — death date governs, not the date you do the paperwork.
Sources: GOV.UK — IHT205 (2011) form & withdrawal note; GOV.UK — check the type of estate / excepted-estate limits; GOV.UK — applying for probate (before you apply); GOV.UK — Inheritance Tax (£325,000 threshold, 40% rate); GOV.UK — IHT400 account. Figures verified 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I download the IHT205 form in 2026?
Only for deaths on or before 31 December 2021. GOV.UK keeps the IHT205 (2011) form available for those historic excepted estates, but the online submission service has been retired. For deaths on or after 1 January 2022 there is no IHT205 to download — you report the estate value within your probate application instead.
Do I have to fill in IHT400 if there's no inheritance tax to pay?
No. IHT400 is only needed when there's inheritance tax to pay, or when the estate doesn't qualify as an excepted estate. If the estate is excepted (no tax due and within the limits), you complete neither IHT205 nor IHT400 — you just declare the values when you apply for probate.
What's the gross value limit for an excepted estate?
It depends on the category: below £325,000 for a low-value estate; £650,000 or less where a late spouse's or civil partner's unused nil-rate band is transferred; or less than £3 million gross (with net chargeable value under the threshold) where everything above the threshold passes to a spouse, civil partner or charity.
What disqualifies an estate from being excepted?
Common disqualifiers include chargeable lifetime gifts of more than £250,000 in the 7 years before death, holding more than one trust or trust assets over £250,000, foreign assets above the relevant limit, gifts with reservation of benefit, and certain pension arrangements. Any of these typically mean you must complete the full IHT400 account.
The person died in 2021 — do I still use IHT205?
Yes. The withdrawal only affects deaths on or after 1 January 2022. If the date of death was 31 December 2021 or earlier and the estate is excepted, IHT205 remains the correct form even if you're administering the estate now. Death date governs, not the date you do the paperwork.
How do I report the estate value if there's no form?
You estimate the gross and net values of the estate, confirm it's excepted, then enter those figures directly on your probate application (online via GOV.UK, or paper form PA1P/PA1A). That declaration is the report — it replaces the old IHT205.
Get the free Excepted-Estate Checklist
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