Protect What You’ve Built. For Life.
UK Irrevocable Trusts
Ownership of assets such as property, private or quoted shares, and intellectual property rights — all of which can have significant commercial values — can be extremely tax burdensome. These assets are typically subject to Capital Gains Tax, Income Tax, and ultimately Inheritance Tax (IHT).
However, under specific UK tax legislation, it is possible to legally transfer personal assets out of your taxable estate and into a tax-advantaged structure. When structured correctly, this can significantly reduce exposure to Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax, with Hold Over Relief often available on the transfer.
Legally transfer ownership of property, shares, cash and IP into a UK-compliant trust. Assets held in trust are protected from creditors, lawsuits and matrimonial settlements. With proper planning, assets can fall outside your estate for IHT after 7 years. Expert setup, HMRC registration, and guidance included.
An irrevocable trust is a UK planning tool where you transfer legal ownership of assets to a trustee. Once transferred, those assets are no longer legally yours — which is what creates the protection.
We handle the entire process: legal structure, deed drafting, HMRC Trust Registration Service, and coordination with your tax adviser.
This is not about hiding assets. It’s about using UK law to protect what you’ve built for your family, now and for the next generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your questions answered
A legal arrangement where you transfer ownership of assets to trustees. Because you no longer legally own them, they are generally outside your estate for IHT purposes.
When you make a transfer into certain types of trust, it is known as a “chargeable lifetime transfer”. If you survive 7 years from the date of transfer, the assets are generally fully outside your estate for IHT. If you die within 7 years of the transfer, IHT is due on a sliding scale called taper relief, which reduces the tax the longer you survive up to the 7 year benchmark.
It depends on the trust structure. Some trusts allow for loans or distribution back to you. We design this around your needs during the consultation.
Transferring assets can trigger CGT, but Hold Over Relief is often available.
The trust may have its own tax rule (a charge to IHT of 6% of the net value of the trust assets above the nil rate band, currently £325,000) for income and gains. Ongoing IHT treatment including the 10 year anniversary charges can also apply. We work with your accountant to model this before anything is done.
When a property is transferred into a trust, the original owner of the property (settlor) is treated as having gifted the property to the trust at market value for CGT purposes. The “market value” rule applies because the settlor and the trust are deemed to be connected when the trust is settled. Hold Over Relief will apply which effectively allows a chargeable gain to be deferred (“held over”) and pass to the recipient of the gift (in this case the trust itself) until either the property is sold or transferred out of the trust or the trust ceases. Crucially, the CGT charge is on the increase in value from the date of the transfer into the trust and the final sale proceeds.
Yes. Your main residence can be transferred into an irrevocable trust structure.
There are important considerations around Principal Private Residence Relief for CGT and how occupation is handled, so we review this with your accountant before proceeding. For many clients, placing property into trust is a key part of protecting family wealth from future IHT.
You appoint trustees to manage it. You, the settlor of the trust, can also act as a trustee. You can also set a Letter of Wishes to guide how trustees should act.
UK property, cash, private and quoted shares, and intellectual property rights.
No limits.
An irrevocable trust isn’t about giving up control. It’s about putting a legal structure in place to protect your wealth for you, and for the next generation.
We’ll review your assets, goals, and risks in a confidential 1-to-1 consultation. We’ll explain the 7-year rule, how Hold Over Relief could apply, and handle the full HMRC registration for you. No pressure, no jargon. Just clear UK advice.
Book a Confidential Consultation
All discussions are private & confidential, and without obligation.
