Tax Planning · Hampshire
Cut your capital gains tax on property — specialists for Hampshire
Selling a buy-to-let or second home? Timing, reliefs and ownership structure can significantly reduce your CGT bill. Specialist advice for Hampshire property owners.
Winchester and the surrounding villages are some of the most IHT-exposed postcodes in the South.
- Reduce CGT on property disposal
- Timing, reliefs and ownership structure reviewed
- Fixed fees, specialist covers Hampshire
Check your eligibility in Hampshire
Takes about 60 seconds · free & no obligation
What type of property are you selling?
The CGT rules differ depending on whether it's your main home, a rental, or a second property.
🔒 Private & secure. We connect you with regulated specialists covering Hampshire — we don't give regulated advice ourselves.
What's at stake
The tax on serious money is rarely the tax you expect
Most affluent households in Hampshire are not undertaxed because they are careless. They can be undertaxed in life and overtaxed at death because the rules quietly changed around them. Frozen thresholds, a major 2027 pension reform, and a Capital Gains Tax regime with tight 60-day deadlines mean that decisions made without planning could cost a family far more than proper structuring might legitimately have done. The window to act is almost always before the sale, the gift, or the death, not after.
- The Inheritance Tax nil-rate band of £325,000 has been frozen until April 2030, so ordinary house-price growth keeps pulling more Hampshire estates over the line
- From 6 April 2027 most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will count as part of your estate, exposing money that was usually outside Inheritance Tax
- Selling a second property or business can trigger Capital Gains Tax at up to 24%, with residential property gains due within 60 days of completion
- Dying without a will hands your estate to the intestacy rules, which may not match your wishes and can increase the tax due
- Gifts could reduce your estate, but the 7-year rule and taper relief mean timing and records matter enormously
What's included
Exactly what a specialist handles for you
A full estate and tax position review
A regulated specialist maps your assets, property, pensions and likely Inheritance Tax exposure, including how the 2027 pension change and the £2m residence nil-rate band taper could affect you specifically.
A Capital Gains Tax disposal plan
Before you sell a property, business or investment portfolio, they model the gain, apply the £3,000 annual exempt amount and any reliefs, and plan timing so you can meet the 60-day reporting deadline without a scramble.
Lifetime gifting and trust strategy
Where appropriate, they structure gifts around the 7-year rule, the £3,000 annual exemption and taper relief, and assess whether a trust could protect assets for children, grandchildren or vulnerable beneficiaries.
Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney
They make sure your will is current and tax-efficient, and that both types of Lasting Power of Attorney are in place and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, so your wishes hold even if you cannot act.
Pension and retirement income coordination
With most unused pensions entering the Inheritance Tax net from 6 April 2027, they review how and when you draw income so your overall tax across income, capital and estate is considered together, not in silos.
Making Tax Digital readiness
If you have property or self-employed income, they help you prepare for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, which begins phasing in from April 2026, so your reporting stays compliant and stress-free.
A worked example
An illustrative Hampshire family
The situation
Margaret and David, both 68, own their Hampshire home worth about £900,000, a buy-to-let flat worth £350,000 (bought years ago for £180,000), and roughly £600,000 in pensions they had assumed would pass tax-free to their two children. On paper their estate looks comfortably planned. But with most unused pensions counting toward the estate from 6 April 2027, and the residence nil-rate band tapering for larger estates, a sizeable Inheritance Tax bill could fall on the next generation, alongside Capital Gains Tax of up to 24% on the flat's roughly £170,000 gain when it is eventually sold.
What a specialist could do
A specialist could review the order in which assets are drawn down and gifted, consider the timing of the property disposal against the 60-day rule, and assess whether spousal exemptions, lifetime gifts within the 7-year rule, or a trust might reduce the eventual tax, potentially preserving a meaningful share of what would otherwise be lost, depending entirely on their circumstances.
Illustrative only. Names and figures are examples, not a forecast. Your outcome depends on your own circumstances and on advice from a regulated specialist.
Why this way
The specialist route vs. the usual way
Is this you?
You'll get the most from this if…
Fixed fees, no commission
Clear fixed fees. No commission. No pressure.
Your first conversation is a no-obligation discussion to understand your situation and whether planning is worth your while. If you decide to proceed, the specialist agrees a fixed fee with you in advance, so you know the cost before any work begins. There is no commission and no incentive to sell you products you do not need, because we connect you to regulated specialists and never give regulated advice ourselves. You are free to walk away at any point.
What's included
- A no-obligation initial discussion of your position
- A fixed fee quoted and agreed before any work starts
- A specialist matched to your circumstances, not assigned at random
- Plain-English explanations at every stage, never jargon for its own sake
- No commission and no obligation to act on the recommendations
How it works
Three simple steps, all from home
Tell us your situation
A few private questions — about 60 seconds. No jargon, no commitment.
Matched to a Hampshire specialist
We connect you with a vetted, regulated specialist who covers Hampshire.
A free, no-obligation call
Fixed fees agreed up front. No commission, no hard sell. You decide what happens next.
Questions
Tax Planning in Hampshire
What is actually changing with pensions in April 2027?+
From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits are expected to be counted as part of your estate for Inheritance Tax, where they were usually outside it before. The government expects this to bring many more estates into Inheritance Tax. If a large share of your wealth sits in pensions, this is the single biggest reason many Hampshire families are reviewing their plans now, while there is still time to adjust how and when funds are drawn or passed on.
How much can a couple pass on free of Inheritance Tax?+
Each person has a nil-rate band of £325,000, frozen until April 2030. On top of that, a residence nil-rate band of up to £175,000 can apply when a main home passes to direct descendants, though it tapers away for estates over £2,000,000. Combined, a married couple or civil partners can potentially pass on up to £1,000,000. Anything above the available thresholds is generally taxed at 40%. Transfers between UK-domiciled spouses or civil partners are exempt.
Can I just give money away to reduce Inheritance Tax?+
You can, but the rules matter. Most larger gifts are potentially exempt transfers: if you survive seven years, they normally fall outside your estate, and taper relief can reduce the tax between years three and seven. There is also a £3,000 annual gift exemption. Gifting can be powerful, but timing, record-keeping and the interaction with other reliefs are easy to get wrong, which is exactly where a specialist earns their fee.
What will I pay in Capital Gains Tax if I sell a property?+
Since 30 October 2024, the main Capital Gains Tax rates are 18% for basic-rate taxpayers and 24% for higher-rate taxpayers, after deducting the £3,000 annual exempt amount. Importantly, gains on UK residential property must be reported and the tax paid within 60 days of completion. Planning the timing and structure of a sale before you commit could make a material difference, and meeting that 60-day deadline is far easier when it has been anticipated.
Do I really need a will and power of attorney as part of tax planning?+
Yes. Without a will, the intestacy rules decide who inherits, which may not match your wishes and can increase the tax due. A well-drafted will is also a tax-planning tool. Separately, two types of Lasting Power of Attorney, one for property and financial affairs and one for health and welfare, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, help ensure your affairs can be managed if you lose capacity. Good tax planning assumes these foundations are in place.
What is a trust and would one help my family?+
A trust lets you set aside assets to be managed for others under terms you set. Trusts can protect assets from divorce or creditors, provide for young or vulnerable beneficiaries, and control the timing of an inheritance. Some trusts have their own tax treatment, such as the relevant property regime, so they are not right for everyone. A specialist can tell you honestly whether a trust suits your goals or whether simpler steps would serve you better.
Is this advice, and are you regulated?+
This service connects you to regulated specialists; we do not ourselves provide regulated tax, legal or financial advice. Any recommendations come from the qualified professional you are matched with, who will explain their regulatory status and the basis of their advice before you proceed. Nothing on this page is personal advice, and outcomes always depend on your individual circumstances.
What is Making Tax Digital and does it affect me?+
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax requires affected taxpayers to keep digital records and report quarterly. It begins phasing in from April 2026 for income over £50,000, then April 2027 for income over £30,000, and April 2028 for income over £20,000. If you have rental or self-employed income in Hampshire, a specialist can help make sure your record-keeping is ready so the transition is smooth rather than stressful.
Jargon, in plain English
- Nil-rate band
- The amount you can pass on free of Inheritance Tax, £325,000 per person, frozen until April 2030. Value above the available bands is generally taxed at 40%.
- Residence nil-rate band (RNRB)
- An extra allowance of up to £175,000 when a main home passes to direct descendants. It tapers away for estates worth more than £2,000,000.
- Potentially exempt transfer
- A lifetime gift that normally leaves your estate for Inheritance Tax if you survive seven years. Taper relief can reduce the tax between years three and seven.
- Annual exempt amount
- The slice of capital gains you can realise each tax year before Capital Gains Tax applies, currently £3,000 per person. It cannot be carried forward.
- Lasting Power of Attorney
- A legal document letting someone act for you if you cannot. There are two types, property and financial affairs and health and welfare, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.
- Relevant property regime
- The set of tax rules that apply to many trusts, which can involve periodic and exit charges. It is one reason trusts need specialist structuring rather than a template.
Guides & advice
Understand your options first
Selling a buy-to-let or second home: what you'll pay in capital gains tax and how to reduce it
CGT on residential property applies at 18% or 24% depending on your income. The annual exemption is now just £3,000. Here is what you can and cannot do to reduce the bill.
Read guide →TaxSelling your business: the tax you need to plan for before you sign anything
Business Asset Disposal Relief could reduce your CGT rate to 10% on up to £1 million of gains. But you need to qualify before exchange, not after.
Read guide →Free · no obligation