How much of what I’ve built will actually reach my family? Will they have to sell the house to pay the tax bill? Is there anything I can do now to protect what I leave behind?
These are the questions that keep people up at night. With inheritance tax thresholds frozen until at least 2030 and property values continuing to rise, more families than ever are finding themselves caught by a tax they never expected to pay.
At Hill and Company, our estate planning solicitors have been helping families in Altrincham and across Cheshire and South Manchester protect their wealth for future generations. We don’t deal in jargon or complexity for its own sake. We sit down with you, explain what’s at stake, and put a plan in place that actually works.
We aren’t another faceless city firm. We’re your local high street solicitors, based in Altrincham town centre. If getting to us isn’t easy, we’ll come to you. We offer home visits across Cheshire and South Manchester, including visits to care homes and hospitals.
Our Private Client team is Law Society accredited for Wills and Inheritance quality, so you know your affairs are in safe hands.
Inheritance tax (IHT) is charged at 40% on the value of your estate above the tax-free threshold. The current threshold is £325,000 per person, with an additional residence nil-rate band of £175,000 if you leave your home to direct descendants. For married couples and civil partners, this means up to £1 million can be passed on tax-free.
But these thresholds have been frozen since 2009 and will remain so until at least 2030. As property values have risen, more ordinary families are being pulled into the inheritance tax net.
What we can help with:
- Understanding your exposure: calculating your potential IHT liability and identifying risks
- Using available reliefs: making the most of nil-rate bands, the residence nil-rate band, and spouse exemptions
- Lifetime gifts: structuring gifts to reduce your estate, including the seven-year rule and annual exemptions
- Charitable giving: leaving 10% or more of your net estate to charity can reduce the IHT rate from 40% to 36%
- Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief: understanding the changes coming from April 2026, when the 100% relief will be capped at the first £1 million of qualifying assets
- Pension planning: from April 2027, pension pots are expected to fall within the scope of inheritance tax, so planning ahead is essential.
We’ll explain your options clearly and help you take practical steps now, rather than leaving your family to deal with a preventable tax bill later.
A trust allows you to set aside assets for the benefit of others while retaining a degree of control over how and when those assets are distributed. Trusts are one of the most effective tools in estate planning, but they need to be set up correctly to achieve what you want.
What we handle:
- Discretionary trusts: giving trustees flexibility over who benefits and when, often used to protect assets for future generations or vulnerable beneficiaries
- Life interest trusts: ensuring a surviving spouse can use assets during their lifetime while preserving the capital for children from a previous relationship
- Bare trusts: holding assets on behalf of a named beneficiary, commonly used for minor children or grandchildren
- Ongoing trust administration: advising trustees on their duties, tax obligations, and distributions
Trusts are particularly important for blended families, families with vulnerable members, and anyone concerned about protecting assets from care home fees, divorce, or poor financial decisions by beneficiaries.
A well-drafted Will is the foundation of any estate plan. But a Will that simply says “everything to my spouse” may not be making the most of available tax reliefs. Estate planning takes this further, structuring your affairs so that your family keeps as much as possible.
What we can help with:
- Tax-efficient Will drafting: structuring your Will for tax efficiency: using nil-rate band trusts, loan trusts, and other provisions to reduce your eventual IHT liability.
- Severance of joint tenancy: changing how you own property with a spouse or partner, which can unlock additional planning opportunities
- Deed of variation: making changes to a deceased person’s Will within two years of death to achieve a more tax-efficient outcome
- Business succession planning: ensuring business assets pass to the right people in the most tax-efficient way
- Capital gains tax planning: understanding CGT implications of lifetime transfers and structuring them appropriately
We work alongside your financial adviser and accountant where needed to ensure everything fits together. If you don’t have an adviser, we can recommend trusted professionals in the Altrincham and South Manchester area.
As we get older, estate planning takes on additional urgency. The interaction between inheritance tax, care home fees, and the local authority means test creates a complex picture that catches many families off guard. Getting the tax planning right before care is needed gives you far more options than reacting after the fact.
What we can help with:
- IHT and care fee interaction: understanding how care costs affect your estate’s tax position and what planning is still available once care becomes likely
- Pension drawdown strategy: working with your financial adviser to structure withdrawals in the most tax-efficient order, preserving pension assets that may sit outside your estate for IHT purposes
- CGT on property transfers: understanding the capital gains tax implications if property is transferred to family members during your lifetime
- Timing of lifetime gifts: balancing the seven-year IHT rule against the risk that you may need those assets to fund care later
- Coordinating with care fee planning: ensuring your tax planning works alongside any care fee arrangements, not against them
For detailed guidance on care home funding, local authority assessments, deprivation of assets, and deferred payment agreements, see our Elderly Client services.
We specialise in working with older clients and their families. We take our time, explain things as many times as needed, and we’re used to having these conversations with people who are worried, stressed, or dealing with a family member’s declining health.
Why Families Choose Hill and Company for Estate Planning
- One solicitor who understands the full picture. Estate planning touches everything, your property, your savings, your family situation. Your solicitor handles it all, start to finish, so nothing falls through the gaps.
- We work with your existing advisers. We liaise directly with your accountant, financial adviser, or IFA to make sure your legal structures and financial planning are aligned. No silos.
- Law Society Wills & Inheritance Quality accredited. Our advice meets the highest professional standards in Wills, trusts, and estate planning.
- We come to you. Home visits across Cheshire and South Manchester, including hospitals and care homes for clients who can’t easily travel.
- 170+ years in the community. We’ve been helping families in Altrincham and the surrounding areas since 1850. We’re still here because people trust us.
- Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and a member of Resolution.
Tax and Estate Planning FAQ
How much does estate planning cost in Altrincham?
The cost depends on the complexity of your affairs. A straightforward inheritance tax review and tax-efficient Will may be less than you expect, while more complex work involving trusts, business succession, or capital gains tax planning will take longer and cost more.
We charge on a time-spent basis and provide a clear estimate before we start work, so there are no surprises. Contact us to discuss your situation.
What services do estate planning solicitors in Altrincham offer?
Estate planning solicitors help you structure your assets to protect your wealth and reduce the tax your family will pay when you die.
At Hill and Company, this includes:
- Inheritance tax planning
- Setting up trusts
- Drafting tax-efficient Wills
- Capital gains tax advice
- Business succession planning
- Later life care free planning
- Deeds of variation.
We also work alongside your accountant or financial adviser to make sure everything is aligned.
How do I choose an estate planning solicitor?
Look for a solicitor with specific expertise in inheritance tax and trusts, not just general Will writing. Check whether the firm holds the Law Society Wills & Inheritance Quality accreditation.
This confirms they meet the highest professional standards in this area. Ask whether you’ll deal with one solicitor throughout, and whether they’ll coordinate with your accountant or financial adviser. At Hill and Company, your solicitor handles your matter from start to finish.
Do your estate planning solicitors in Altrincham offer free consultations?
We offer an initial discussion to understand your situation and explain how we can help. This lets you decide whether estate planning is right for you before committing to any costs. Contact us to arrange a conversation.
Which Altrincham solicitors handle inheritance tax planning
Hill and Company’s Private Client team handles inheritance tax planning from our Altrincham town centre office. We are Law Society Wills & Inheritance Quality accredited and advise on the full range of IHT issues including nil-rate bands, the residence nil-rate band, lifetime gifts, trusts, business property relief, and the changes in force from April 2026.
We also offer home visits across Cheshire and South Manchester.
Can estate planning solicitors help with capital gains tax?
Yes. Capital gains tax (CGT) often arises during estate planning when assets are transferred during your lifetime rather than on death. We advise on the CGT implications of gifting property, transferring business assets, and restructuring ownership.
Where appropriate, we work with your accountant to ensure lifetime transfers are structured in the most tax-efficient way for both IHT and CGT purposes.
Is estate planning only for wealthy families?
No. With the inheritance tax threshold frozen at £325,000 since 2009 and property values across Cheshire and South Manchester continuing to rise, many ordinary families now find themselves within scope of inheritance tax.
If you own a property and have savings or a pension, it’s worth getting a professional assessment. More families are being caught than ever before, and early planning gives you the most options.
Contact Our Estate Planning Solicitors in Altrincham
If you’re concerned about inheritance tax, want to protect your family’s wealth, or simply need to get your affairs in order, we’re here to help.
We’re based in Altrincham town centre and offer home visits across Cheshire and South Manchester for clients who cannot attend our office.
We’re the law firm for life – here to protect what you’ve built, so your family doesn’t have to worry.
