UK estate figures · sourced and dated

The current UK estate figures — checked, sourced, and dated.

Inheritance tax thresholds, probate and power-of-attorney fees, the State Pension, care and funeral costs — every figure with its source beside it and the date we last confirmed it. Statutory figures are checked against GOV.UK; care and funeral costs are market averages.

13 GOV.UK figures verified 27 Oct 2026

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Inheritance tax

£325,000

nil-rate band

GOV.UK

Inheritance tax — key figures
Figure	Value
Nil-rate band frozen until April 2031	£325,000
Residence nil-rate band home to direct descendants	£175,000
Standard rate 36% if 10%+ to charity	40%
Estates that pay IHT	~4.7%

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Residence nil-rate band

£175,000

per person (home to children)

GOV.UK

Residence nil-rate band — key figures
Figure	Value
Residence nil-rate band frozen until April 2031	£175,000
Combined with NRB (single)	£500,000
Full couple combined	£1,000,000
Taper starts at	£2,000,000

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Lifetime gifts

£3,000

annual gift exemption

GOV.UK

Lifetime gifts — key figures
Figure	Value
Annual exemption per tax year	£3,000
Small gift allowance per person, per year	£250
Wedding gift to a child	£5,000
Wedding gift to grandchild	£2,500

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

IHT explained

Probate

£526

application fee

GOV.UK

Probate — key figures
Figure	Value
Application fee estates over £5,000	£526
Typical grant timeline	up to 12 weeks

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Lasting power of attorney

£92

per LPA

GOV.UK

Lasting power of attorney — key figures
Figure	Value
Registration fee per LPA · reductions available	£92
Both LPAs	£184
Typical registration time	8–10 weeks

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Deputyship (Court of Protection)

£432

application fee

GOV.UK

Deputyship (Court of Protection) — key figures
Figure	Value
Application fee + £100 assessment	£432
Annual supervision general / minimal	£320 / £35

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

COP1 walkthrough

State Pension

£241.30/wk

2026-27

GOV.UK

State Pension — key figures
Figure	Value
Full new State Pension 2026-27	£241.30 / week
Annual equivalent	£12,547.60

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Care costs

~£1,299/wk

residential care

GOV.UK

Care costs — key figures
Figure	Value
Average residential care	~£1,299 / week
Average nursing care	~£1,535 / week
Self-fund threshold England — below = LA contribution	£23,250

Market average · reviewed 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Funeral costs

~£3,518

cremation with service

GOV.UK

Funeral costs — key figures
Figure	Value
Cremation with a service	~£3,518
Direct burial	~£4,002
Direct cremation (no service)	~£1,628

Market average · reviewed 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Probate waiting times

around 5 weeks

average wait, application to grant

GOV.UK

Probate waiting times — key figures
Figure	Value
All applications average · HMCTS update for probate firms, October 2026 (July 2026 data)	around 5 weeks
Applied online last published split · data to end May 2026	4.3 weeks
Applied on paper last published split · data to end May 2026	~16 weeks
Stopped at least once of all applications	34%
Published expectation what applicants are told to plan for	12 weeks

HMCTS data to July 2026 · checked 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Interest on late IHT

7.75%

on unpaid inheritance tax

GOV.UK

Interest on late IHT — key figures
Figure	Value
Late-payment interest base rate + 4% · from 9 January 2026	7.75%
Repayment interest base rate − 1%, floor 0.5%	2.75%
Tax due by end of the sixth month after death	6 months
Account due by IHT400 — a separate, later deadline	12 months

Verified vs GOV.UK · 27 Oct 2026

Deep guide

Figures are informational, not advice, and apply to England & Wales unless noted. Always confirm against the linked GOV.UK page before acting.

§1Common questions

UK estate figures, answered.

The inheritance tax nil-rate band is £325,000.

It is frozen until April 2031. A residence nil-rate band of up to £175,000 can apply on top when a home passes to direct descendants.

Inheritance tax is charged at 40% on the value of an estate above the available thresholds.

The rate falls to 36% if at least 10% of the net estate is left to charity. Around 4.7% of estates pay any inheritance tax.

It costs £92 to register each lasting power of attorney (LPA) with the Office of the Public Guardian.

A reduction or exemption is available if the donor is on a low income or receives certain means-tested benefits.

The probate application fee is £526 for estates worth more than £5,000.

A grant of probate typically takes up to 12 weeks once a complete application is submitted.

The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week (2026-27). It is uprated each April under the triple lock.

You can give away £3,000 each tax year free of inheritance tax (the annual exemption), plus any number of small gifts of up to £250 per person per year.

§2Tools

Put the figures to work.

These same verified figures power the free Valoren tools.

IHT calculator →Probate timeline →LPA cost calculator →Funeral costs estimator →

Machine-readable feed: valoren.uk/rates.json

Figures checked against gov.uk 27 OCT 2026 · The Figure Watch

The current UK estate figures — checked, sourced, and dated.

Inheritance tax

Residence nil-rate band

Lifetime gifts

Probate

Lasting power of attorney

Deputyship (Court of Protection)

State Pension

Care costs

Funeral costs

Probate waiting times

Interest on late IHT

UK estate figures, answered.

Put the figures to work.

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