Private Client
Personal tax, inheritance tax and estate planning for individuals and families across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Self assessment, capital gains, landlords, trusts, and passing on a farm or a business without an avoidable tax bill.
The change that matters most this year
The agricultural and business property relief allowance is £2.5 million, not £1 million
The £1m allowance announced in the October 2024 Budget was raised to £2.5m in December 2025 after consultation. It covers agricultural and business property combined, it is transferable between spouses and civil partners — so up to £5m for a couple — and above it relief drops to 50%, giving an effective inheritance tax rate of 20% on the excess. Quoted but unlisted shares get 50% relief and do not use up the allowance. Inheritance tax on qualifying assets can be paid by ten interest-free annual instalments.
A great deal of published material still quotes the old £1m figure. If you farm, own a business, or were advised on succession before December 2025, the arithmetic you were given has changed materially in your favour. It is worth revisiting.
Inheritance tax and passing things on
The nil rate band remains £325,000 and the residence nil rate band £175,000, both frozen until April 2031. The residence band is withdrawn by £1 for every £2 of estate above £2 million, which quietly catches more estates each year as property values rise while the thresholds stand still.
We advise on lifetime gifting and the seven-year taper, the use of annual and small gift exemptions, wills and their tax consequences, trusts, and the particular problems of passing on an asset that cannot easily be divided — a farm, a business, a single property.
Landlords and property
Making Tax Digital reaches you sooner than you think
From April 2026, landlords with gross rental and trading income over £50,000 must keep digital records and file quarterly. That falls to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. Qualifying income is measured before expenses, so a landlord with two or three properties can be in scope on turnover while making very little profit.
Capital gains when you sell
The annual exempt amount is £3,000, and gains are taxed at 18% for basic rate taxpayers and 24% for higher and additional rate taxpayers — residential property now at the same rates as everything else. Timing a disposal, using both spouses’ allowances and the treatment of a property that was once your home all make a material difference.
Coming in April 2027
Property income tax rates rise two percentage points from April 2027, to 22%, 42% and 47%. Worth factoring into any decision about holding, selling or incorporating a portfolio.
Self assessment and personal tax
If your income is over £100,000 you lose your personal allowance at £1 for every £2 above it, producing an effective 60% rate up to £125,140. Pension contributions and gift aid reduce adjusted net income and can be worth several thousand pounds. The High Income Child Benefit Charge starts at £60,000 and claws back fully at £80,000.
We prepare returns for employees with complex affairs, company directors, the self-employed, landlords, people with investment and dividend income, and those with income in both the UK and the Republic.
Living one side of the border and earning on the other
Residence, not nationality, decides where you are taxed. The UK and Ireland have a double taxation agreement that determines which country taxes what and gives credit for the other, but it works through both domestic systems rather than instead of them — and neither HMRC nor Revenue will tell you what the other is doing. There is relief available in the Republic for people resident there who work and pay tax elsewhere, but it is conditional and people fall out of qualification without realising.
What we do for private clients
Self assessment tax returns. Inheritance tax and succession planning. Agricultural and business property relief. Capital gains tax on property, shares and business disposals. Landlord accounts and Making Tax Digital. Trusts and estates, including trust tax returns. Probate-related accounting work. Pension allowance and annual allowance questions. Cross-border personal tax between the UK and the Republic. Retirement and exit planning for business owners.
Questions we get asked
Will my family have to sell the farm to pay inheritance tax?
That fear is what the £1m figure created, and it was based on a number that has since changed. With a £2.5m allowance per person, transferable between spouses, and ten-year interest-free instalments on qualifying assets, many family farms are in a very different position from the one they were told about in 2024. It is worth having the calculation done properly on your actual figures.
I have two rental properties. Am I caught by Making Tax Digital?
Possibly. The test is gross rental income before expenses, not profit. If the rents together exceed £50,000 you are in from April 2026; £30,000 from April 2027.
Should I gift now or leave it in my will?
It depends on the asset, your age and health, whether you need the income, and whether the asset qualifies for relief. Gifting an asset that already attracts 100% relief can be worse than keeping it. There is no general answer, only your answer.
Do you act for clients outside Mid Ulster?
Yes. We act for private clients across Northern Ireland and into the Republic of Ireland. Most of the work happens by email and video call, with meetings in Castledawson when you want one.
Talk to us
Bring a rough list of what you own and roughly what it is worth. Half an hour will usually tell you whether there is a problem worth solving.
Book a free consultation or call 028 7946 5353.
Figures are for the 2026/27 tax year and are correct as at 26 August 2026. This page is general guidance, not advice — exceptions apply and figures are simplified. Inheritance tax planning in particular depends entirely on individual circumstances. Please contact us before acting.