Inheritance Tax Planning Companies in London: Firms and Services Guide (2026)
AC
Acumon Chartered Accountants·14 min read
This practical guide reviews companies providing inheritance tax planning services in London for individuals, families, business owners and private clients with more complex estates. Rather than ranking companies, it gives a neutral overview of their service focus, client profiles and relevant areas of expertise. The selection includes larger companies offering broad private client, tax and estate services alongside more narrowly focused specialists in inheritance tax, trusts, succession and cross-border planning. The aim is to provide enough context to understand where each company fits and make a more informed comparison based on individual estate planning requirements.
Acumon
Acumon is a UK firm of chartered accountants providing inheritance tax planning, private client tax, estate planning, and probate services from its London office. The firm supports individuals, families, business owners, trustees, executors, and internationally connected private clients whose estates may include property, investments, business interests, trusts, and assets held across different jurisdictions.
Inheritance tax planning typically starts with reviewing the value and structure of the estate and identifying the potential IHT exposure. Acumon then considers available exemptions, lifetime gifting, the seven-year rule, the residence nil-rate band, and relevant reliefs as part of a wider estate planning strategy.
For business owners, Acumon reviews the inheritance tax treatment of qualifying business interests and considers whether Business Relief may be available. This can involve examining business activities, asset ownership, excess cash, investment activities, and succession arrangements that could affect the availability of relief. The firm can coordinate this work with business valuation and succession planning services where ownership is expected to pass between generations.
Trusts can form part of Acumon’s inheritance tax planning where assets need to be transferred while retaining an appropriate level of control or protection. The firm provides trust tax support and can consider trust structures in situations involving younger or vulnerable beneficiaries, second marriages, and other family arrangements where outright gifting may not be suitable.
Acumon also connects inheritance tax planning with wills, estate administration, and probate. Its tax advisers can review whether existing wills reflect the intended tax strategy, while the estate and probate team can support executors with estate valuation, probate applications, estate accounts, tax planning, and administration after death.
Internationally connected estates can involve additional questions around residence, overseas assets, and the interaction between UK inheritance tax and wider personal tax affairs. Acumon’s private client tax work covers internationally connected individuals, allowing inheritance tax planning to be considered alongside other relevant UK tax issues rather than treated as a separate exercise.
Inheritance Tax Planning Capabilities
Acumon provides inheritance tax planning across different types of estates, family circumstances, and asset structures.
These include:
Estate valuation and inheritance tax exposure reviews
Lifetime gifting and exemption planning
Seven-year rule planning
Residence nil-rate band planning
Business Relief reviews
Agricultural Property Relief considerations
Trust and estate structuring
Will reviews from a tax planning perspective
Business succession planning
Estate and probate tax planning
Inheritance tax advice can therefore be coordinated with the wider ownership, succession, and administration of an estate.
Regulatory Licences and Registrations
Acumon operates as an ICAEW-regulated chartered accountancy practice and is accredited by ICAEW to undertake probate work. This allows the firm to combine inheritance tax planning with regulated probate and estate administration services where both are required.
These include:
ICAEW Chartered Accountancy regulation
ICAEW Probate accreditation
ICAEW Audit registration
UK Tax and HMRC compliance support
Regulated probate and estate administration services
The probate accreditation is particularly relevant to inheritance tax work because Acumon can support both lifetime estate planning and the later administration of an estate within the same professional practice.
Core Services
Alongside inheritance tax planning, Acumon provides private client, estate, tax, and advisory services that can support different stages of wealth and succession planning.
These include:
Inheritance tax planning
Private client tax
Personal tax planning
Trust tax services
Estate planning
Probate administration
Estate valuation
Capital gains tax planning
Business valuation
Business succession planning
Tax compliance and HMRC support
Acumon integrates inheritance tax planning with related personal and business tax considerations where an estate includes several asset classes or ownership structures.
Acumon provides this support for clients who are:
Reviewing their current inheritance tax exposure
Planning lifetime gifts to family members
Considering the use of trusts
Reviewing existing wills against their tax plan
Preparing to transfer a family business
Assessing Business Relief or Agricultural Property Relief
Managing estates containing property and investments
Coordinating UK and overseas assets
Preparing for probate and estate administration
Reviewing estate plans following changes to inheritance tax rules
Regular reviews can help keep inheritance tax planning aligned with changes in asset values, family circumstances, business ownership, and UK tax legislation.
Address: 1-2 Craven Road, Ealing, London, W5 2UA, UK
HaysMac
HaysMac has a dedicated inheritance tax service within its private client practice. Its advisers calculate current IHT exposure before considering lifetime gifting, available allowances, exemptions and other estate planning options. The service extends beyond straightforward personal estates to business interests, agricultural property, trusts, family investment companies and national heritage property.
The team can review wills from an inheritance tax perspective and coordinate planning around family circumstances, future income requirements and the amount of wealth a client is comfortable transferring during their lifetime. HaysMac also advises internationally connected private clients and family trusts.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Private clients, families, business owners and complex estates
Core services: IHT planning, gifting advice, trust planning, will reviews and succession planning
Specialization: Business and agricultural relief reviews
Location: London
International support: Cross-border private client and trust advice
PKF Littlejohn provides dedicated inheritance tax advice through its Private Client team in London. The firm works on both lifetime planning and tax matters arising after death, including calculating IHT exposure, identifying available reliefs and coordinating with solicitors so wills reflect the intended estate plan.
Its work can include trust taxation, estate administration, share and property valuations and dealing with HMRC enquiries involving inheritance tax. The firm’s private client practice also covers international tax, residence issues, family wealth and estate planning, making it relevant where an estate extends beyond straightforward UK assets.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Individuals, trustees, executors and internationally connected families
Core services: IHT planning, trusts, estate tax, valuations and personal tax
Specialization: Lifetime and post-death inheritance tax work
Location: London
International support: Residence, cross-border and mixed-residence family advice
Forvis Mazars provides inheritance tax planning through its multidisciplinary private client practice. Tax advisers, financial planners and wealth specialists can address estate planning from different perspectives, including gifts, trusts, asset ownership, estate administration and the transition of wealth between generations.
Its private client tax service supports high-net-worth individuals, families, executives and business owners. The firm has particular depth for estates involving international assets because its international private client practice deals with residence-based IHT exposure, overseas structures and multi-jurisdictional tax planning.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Complex estates, business owners and internationally connected families
Core services: IHT planning, trusts, estate administration and financial planning
Gerald Edelman combines inheritance tax advice with a broader estate planning service for private clients. Its work considers the relationship between IHT, retirement planning, beneficiary protection, wealth management and the way different assets fit into an estate.
The tax team handles inheritance tax within a wider advisory practice covering personal, international, property and trust taxation. Published client work also demonstrates planning for substantial property portfolios where inheritance tax decisions need to be considered alongside capital gains tax and stamp duty consequences.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Individuals, families and property owners with broader estate planning needs
Core services: Estate planning, inheritance tax, personal tax and wealth planning
Specialization: Coordinating several taxes within estate planning
International support: International tax and offshore trust advice
The Private Office approaches inheritance tax primarily through financial planning rather than accountancy or estate administration. Its tax planning service considers gifting, insurance and intergenerational planning as potential components of a wider strategy for transferring wealth.
The company may therefore be particularly relevant where clients want inheritance tax decisions integrated with pensions, investments, retirement planning and long-term cashflow considerations. This distinction matters because reducing an estate for tax purposes needs to be balanced against retaining enough assets and income for later life.
Lanop offers a dedicated inheritance tax planning service covering estate exposure, gifts, trusts, asset structures and property. Its published service information addresses homeowners, families with multi-generational wealth, retirees, business owners and individuals holding more varied investment assets.
The firm positions IHT planning as an ongoing process rather than a single calculation. Reviews can therefore incorporate changes to family circumstances, assets and legislation. Business succession and property planning are specifically included, making the service relevant where wealth is tied up in operating businesses or real estate rather than primarily held in cash or investments.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Homeowners, families, retirees and business owners
Core services: IHT planning, gifting, trusts and estate structuring
Specialization: Property and business-owner planning
Location: London
Planning model: Initial planning with ongoing reviews
Hartley Fowler provides inheritance tax planning through its London private client accounting practice. Its advisers work with estates ranging from those close to the available tax bands to substantially larger estates involving homes, investment portfolios and family businesses.
The service covers lifetime transfers, wills and techniques intended to manage future inheritance tax exposure. Hartley Fowler also stresses the practical tension between reducing an estate and retaining sufficient resources for the client’s own financial requirements, an important consideration when gifts or transfers are being contemplated.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Individuals, families and owners of family businesses
I&I Accountants provides dedicated inheritance tax advisory services for individuals and families. Its work starts with reviewing estate exposure and can extend to lifetime gifting, available exemptions, trusts and reliefs applying to business or agricultural property.
Cross-border estates are a notable part of the service. The firm advises where the residence history of an individual and the location of assets affect the UK inheritance tax position, while coordinating relevant will and lasting power of attorney considerations with legal advisers where necessary.
Key Facts
Ideal for: UK and internationally connected individuals and families
Core services: IHT reviews, gifting, trusts and estate planning
Specialization: Cross-border inheritance tax
Relief advice: Business and agricultural property considerations
ABM Chartered Accountants has a dedicated inheritance tax planning service from its Canary Wharf base. Its work includes valuing the estate, reviewing the nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band, lifetime gifting and assessing reliefs connected with qualifying business and agricultural assets.
The firm serves families and business owners throughout the UK while maintaining a physical London presence. Its service is particularly relevant where inheritance tax planning needs to account for property, a privately owned business or several different asset categories rather than a simple investment portfolio.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Families, property owners and business owners
Core services: Estate reviews, IHT planning, gifting and relief planning
Specialization: Business and agricultural relief considerations
Pearlman Rose is a London-based chartered accountancy and statutory audit practice whose tax planning service explicitly includes inheritance tax. The firm’s wider planning work covers discretionary trusts and tax mitigation, allowing IHT questions to be considered alongside the ownership and structure of assets.
The practice serves personal clients as well as limited companies, partnerships and sole traders. That mixed client base may be useful for owner-managers who need to consider their private estate and business interests together rather than treating inheritance planning as an entirely separate issue.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Personal clients and business owners
Core services: Tax planning, inheritance tax and discretionary trusts
Specialization: Connecting personal and business tax considerations
Location: East London
Client types: Individuals, companies, partnerships and sole traders
Address: Jack Dash House, 2 Lawn House Close, London E14 9YQ
Tax Advisory Partnership
Tax Advisory Partnership provides a specific inheritance tax planning service from its London private client tax practice. Its planning covers techniques such as lifetime gifts, gifts from income, restructuring investment portfolios, insurance and pensions, as well as assessing exposure to the pre-owned assets tax regime.
The service is suited to individuals whose estate planning extends beyond straightforward use of annual exemptions. Because inheritance tax sits within a broader UK private client tax practice, related personal tax consequences can be considered as part of the same advisory relationship.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Private clients requiring technical UK tax planning
Core services: IHT planning, gifting, portfolio structuring and personal tax
Specialization: Structuring and technical inheritance tax advice
Location: City of London
Additional areas: Life assurance, pensions and pre-owned asset considerations
Artha Estate Planning concentrates on inheritance tax and estate structuring involving the UK and India. Its service covers tax status, residence, estate planning for worldwide assets, succession and inheritance tax planning, together with the coordination of legal and tax professionals.
This narrower cross-border focus distinguishes it from general London accountancy practices. It may be relevant for families with assets, residence histories or succession issues spanning the two countries, particularly where wills and domicile-related documentation need to be coordinated alongside the tax work.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Families with UK and Indian connections
Core services: IHT planning, estate structuring and succession planning
Specialization: UK and India cross-border estates
Location: Mayfair, London
Additional support: Multi-jurisdictional wills and professional coordination
Alan Solomons provides estate and inheritance tax planning in Mayfair, Harrow and across London. Its advisers consider trusts, lifetime and annual gifts, charitable gifts and reliefs connected with agricultural and business property when identifying ways to manage an estate’s future IHT liability.
The service also considers financial security during the client’s lifetime and the potential cost of long-term care. Life insurance written in trust can form part of the planning where appropriate, giving the practice a financial planning dimension alongside conventional estate and tax advice.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Individuals and families seeking estate and financial planning
Core services: IHT planning, trusts, gifting and estate planning
Perrys provides inheritance tax planning as part of its London tax planning service. Its advisers review assets and liabilities to establish the financial position of an estate and provide guidance on passing assets to the intended beneficiaries.
The firm is primarily an accountancy and tax practice rather than a standalone estate planning provider, which may suit clients who want inheritance tax advice connected with their existing personal tax affairs. The service can accommodate estates containing several different assets and liabilities rather than relying on a single standard planning approach.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Individuals seeking IHT advice within a broader accountancy relationship
Core services: Inheritance tax planning and personal tax
Specialization: Estate asset and liability reviews
Market coverage: London
Planning focus: Preparing financial affairs for inheritance and succession
Inheritance Made Simple provides estate planning and inheritance tax advice through a Mayfair location, with services aimed at private clients, professionals, business owners and families with more substantial estates. Its scope includes inheritance tax planning, wills, powers of attorney, trusts, pension planning and business succession.
The practice differs from traditional accountancy companies because estate planning and personal financial advice form the core of the service. It can therefore be relevant when inheritance tax exposure is closely connected with pensions, protection requirements, succession and how control of assets should pass between generations.
Key Facts
Ideal for: Private clients, professionals and business owners
Core services: IHT planning, wills, trusts and succession planning
Specialization: Estate planning combined with financial advice
Location: Mayfair, London
Additional areas: Pensions, powers of attorney and property-related estate planning
Inheritance tax planning companies in London differ significantly in the scope and depth of their services. The appropriate choice depends on the size and complexity of the estate, the types of assets involved, family circumstances, business interests, international exposure and relevant tax requirements. Some companies combine inheritance tax planning with wider private client tax, trusts, probate and succession services, while others concentrate on a narrower area of estate or financial planning. The right partner can provide an independent perspective and practical steps to reduce tax and succession risks while supporting the long-term resilience of an estate plan. This guide is intended to provide neutral context for comparing those approaches and identifying a company whose expertise matches the circumstances involved.
AC
Written by the Acumon team
Acumon is an ICAEW-registered firm of chartered accountants and registered auditors
based in London, with offices in Pitstone, Aylesbury and Bournemouth. Need advice on
anything covered here? Talk to us.
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