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A windfall and a broken promise from No.11

The Chancellor Giveth and the Chancellor Taketh Away

A windfall and a broken promise from No.11

Hot on the heels of the very welcome announcement that all but the every wealthiest of couples will be lifted out of the clutches of Inheritance Tax, comes a terrible disappointment.

The government has decided to break its promise to introduce new rules next year that would have prevented older people having to sell their homes to pay for residential care. 

The change to the Inheritance Tax Rules was a much-appreciated gift to homeowners, especially those in the South East who have seen house prices rocket in recent years.

 

A windfall for homeowners with children

Under the current Inheritance Tax rules, everyone has a tax-free allowance, the Nil Rate Band, of £325,000.00, which means they can leave that much behind without incurring Inheritance Tax. Couples can combine their Nil Rate Bands, leaving £650,000.00     

The latest budget introduces an extra allowance, specifically for people who leave their house to their children. The extra allowance is an additional £100,000 per person from 2017 onwards, with a further increase of £75,000 per person in 2020.

As a result, parents who leave their home to their children will have a total tax free limit of £500,000 per person, or £1million per couple, from 2020 onwards.

 

A promise broken

Meanwhile, the hotly anticipated “care costs cap” of £72,000.00, which was all set to come into force in April 2016, has been delayed until at least 2020, amid fears that it may be scrapped altogether.

As well as the £72,000.00 lifetime limit on liability for care costs, the long-awaited new rules were also going to raise the level of personal assets at which people would be eligible for state help with care costs. The threshold was going to go up from £23,250 to £118,000.00, bringing immediate help to an estimated 35,000 elderly people.

Sadly, however, that lifeline to elderly homeowners and savers has been withdrawn. So the inheritance tax gift given with one hand has been snatched back with the other hand.

 

Back to Square One

If you’re retired, or approaching retirement – or if you’re in mid-life and have elderly parents – the scrapping of the cap is a kick in the teeth, financially.

Currently, the average length of a stay in residential care is four years, and the average annual cost £40,000. That represents a £160,000.00 hole in your family’s assets – assets that you would otherwise expect to stay in the family for the benefit of the next generation.

 

What to do?

There are solutions available, but none of them are straightforward, so it really does pay to get expert advice on where you stand and how you can shield your family’s assets.

If you have questions or concerns about these issues, don't hesitate to give us a call on 0151 601 5399  or complete the contact form below – we’re here to help.

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