Business succession

Skip to content
Skip to navigation

The rules on Business Property Relief have changed – and business succession has moved from a future consideration to an immediate board‑level issue.

From April 2026, trading businesses can face a material inheritance tax liability. For those who act early, this is not just risk mitigation, but a strategic opportunity to protect value, create clarity and secure stronger outcomes for the business and the family.

Real-world insight and experience

Our experts work across sectors and ownership models, helping UK private businesses build tailored succession plans that stand up to HMRC, boards and family scrutiny.

All your needs under one roof

A succession strategy often involves multiple experts. We bring them together, with specialists across tax, advisory, restructuring, valuations and deals. – One team, once contact, no gaps

Expert planning, executed at pace, evolving over time

The most effective solutions take time to implement and deliver results. Our team moves fast without rushing decisions, adapting your strategy as circumstances change.

How we help clients

Every business owner faces different priorities, pressures and timelines. Our team works across five planning pathways to build a strategy that fits your goals, your family, and your business.

We help you with:

Understand and manage current exposure (initiated by business owner or board): We help you quantify your liability, confirm BPR qualifying status, consider any internal business restructure, review your Will, and explore insurance options.
Succession to the next generation: we help families transfer value to the next generation in a structured way, while retaining appropriate control mechanisms and income/liquidity for current owners.
Succession with partial or full exit: When an exit is planned, we align succession and inheritance tax planning with deal structuring.
Post- liquidity planning: Following a sale or partial exit, we help you plan efficiently for the proceeds,ensuring your wealth is protected and structured for the long term.
Planning for non-business assets: We help take a joined-up view of your wider estate, including property, investments other assets, so business succession sits within a coherent, long term wealth strategy.

Case study

How the new BPR rules changed one business owner’s position

Meet James

Business owner age 55, married with adult children
He has a strong desire to protect the family legacy
Owns 80% of a trading company valued at £50 million
90% of his personal wealth is tied up in the business
Non-business assets: £3 million liquid investments and a £2 million family home
Total personal net worth: approximately £45 million

The challenge

Until April 2026, James’ £40 million shareholding was assumed by him to qualified for full Business Property Relief, leaving only a modest IHT exposure on his non‑business assets.

Under the new rules, only £2.5 million can now qualify for full relief. The balance would only potentially be 50% relieved, exposing £18.75 million to IHT and creating at least a £7.5 million tax liability.

James’ personal assets would be insufficient to fund this. Without planning, the company would have needed to generate £1.6 –£1.7 million of additional pre‑tax profit every year for a decade to meet IHT instalments - diverting cash away from growth.

The solution

We supported James with early, expert planning to transform his position - protecting the business and preserving family wealth and his legacy.

Following a review of the business, we noticed the shares in the business itself did not actually qualify for the relief in a manner he expected, but through a business restructure that became the case. We also designed a structured succession plan that reduced his IHT exposure through a combination of a strategic gifting plan to his children, insurance and working towards a partial liquidity event. By addressing the issue early, we ensured the business was protected and will never be forced to fund a future tax bill.

The result

James achieved a clear, fundable succession plan that materially reduced his inheritance tax exposure and removed pressure on the business to generate future cash for tax payments. The company remained focused on growth towards a longer- term transaction, with family control and income preserved, and no risk of a forced sale or value leakage to meet future IHT instalment payments.