Where do you download form IHT406?

Form IHT406 is on GOV.UK, on the page titled "Inheritance Tax: bank and building society accounts (IHT406)". Download it from that page and check the version date, since GOV.UK last updated the form on 3 August 2023.

Can you complete form IHT406 online?

No. GOV.UK does not describe form IHT406 as interactive, unlike form IHT400 itself. You download it, fill it in and send it with the rest of the IHT400 pack. No IHT400 schedule has an online submission route; every one is print and post.

Do joint bank accounts go on form IHT406?

No. Form IHT406 is for accounts held in the deceased's sole name. The GOV.UK forms collection lists form IHT404 for jointly owned assets, so a joint current or savings account is declared there instead.

What is the difference between form IHT406 and form IHT423?

Form IHT406 declares the deceased's bank, building society and NS&I balances to HMRC. Form IHT423 instead asks a bank or building society to pay Inheritance Tax straight to HMRC from the account, one form per account, sent to the institution rather than HMRC.

Do you need a solicitor to complete form IHT406?

No. Executors and administrators complete form IHT406 themselves in many estates, since it is just a list of accounts and their date-of-death balances. Professional help is more usual for large or complicated estates. The forms are free to download from GOV.UK.

What happens if you miss an account off form IHT406?

Accounts that surface later usually mean telling HMRC about the extra value, using form C4, 'Inheritance Tax: corrective account', to correct the original IHT400 account. GOV.UK does not publish a penalty position for a genuinely later discovery, as distinct from a late original filing.

Form IHT406: telling HMRC about bank and building society accounts

This page covers what form IHT406 is, who completes it, what it asks for, and how it fits with form IHT400.

By Edward MartinLast updated: 6 August 20264 min read

In brief

Form IHT406 is the supplementary schedule you attach to form IHT400 to declare the deceased's bank and building society accounts.
You need form IHT406 if you are completing form IHT400 and the person held NS&I products, Premium Bonds, or bank or building society accounts.
Form IHT406 covers accounts held in the deceased's sole name and in credit at the date of death (GOV.UK).
Jointly held accounts are not declared on form IHT406, because the GOV.UK collection lists form IHT404 for jointly owned assets.
Form IHT406 is current. GOV.UK last updated it on 3 August 2023.

Form IHT406 is the schedule you attach to form IHT400 to tell HMRC about the deceased's National Savings and Investments, Premium Bonds, and bank or building society accounts. It covers accounts held in their sole name that were in credit at the date of death (GOV.UK).

What is form IHT406?

Form IHT406 is one of the supplementary schedules that support form IHT400, the full Inheritance Tax account. GOV.UK gives its official title as "Inheritance Tax: bank and building society accounts (IHT406)". It is a declaration of cash savings, not a claim for relief.

GOV.UK last updated form IHT406 on 3 August 2023. Download the current version from the GOV.UK IHT406 page.

Who needs to complete form IHT406?

You need form IHT406 if you are completing form IHT400 and the deceased held cash savings of any of the types the schedule covers. In practice that is most estates, because almost everyone has a current account.

You do not reach form IHT406 at all if the estate is an excepted estate, because an excepted estate does not need form IHT400. An estate is usually excepted if its value is below the current Inheritance Tax threshold (GOV.UK). Our guide to inheritance tax forms sets out which forms an estate needs.

The person who completes form IHT406 is normally the executor or administrator.

What information does form IHT406 ask for?

Form IHT406 asks you to identify each qualifying account and give its value. It covers:

National Savings and Investments: products held in the deceased's sole name.
Premium Bonds: holdings in the deceased's sole name.
Bank and building society accounts: sole name accounts in credit at the date of death.

The valuation point is the date of death, not the date you found the paperwork. So you need a date-of-death balance from every provider. Our guide on how to notify a bank after someone dies covers the documents each institution asks for. For NS&I holdings, see NS&I bereavement claims, and for bonds still in the draw, see what happens to premium bonds when someone dies.

Form IHT406 does not ask for interest separately. Each account column is headed "amount held, including interest, at date of death", so the balance already includes any accrued interest.

Foreign currency accounts usually go on form IHT406 at their sterling value like any other account. The exception is 'excluded property': for deaths on or after 6 April 2025, an account held with certain banks is excluded from Inheritance Tax if the deceased was not UK resident and had no long-term UK residence (GOV.UK). This is a narrow exemption, not the general rule, so check it applies before leaving an account off the schedule.

How does form IHT406 fit with form IHT400?

Form IHT406 has no deadline of its own. It goes to HMRC as part of the form IHT400 pack, which must be sent within 12 months of the death and before you apply for probate (GOV.UK). HMRC then sends a unique code you need before applying.

Form IHT400 is an interactive PDF that needs Adobe Reader, and you cannot save a partly completed copy, so gather every account statement first. Read more about form IHT400 and how the schedules attach to it.

Inheritance Tax itself must be paid by the end of the sixth month after the death (GOV.UK).

What does form IHT406 not cover?

Two forms get mistaken for form IHT406. Jointly owned assets, including joint bank accounts, are declared on form IHT404, not form IHT406. And form IHT406 only declares balances: a form IHT423 separately asks a bank or investment provider to pay Inheritance Tax straight to HMRC from the account. One is a declaration, the other a payment instruction, and an estate can need both.

Overdrawn accounts and money the deceased owed are not credit balances, so they belong on the debts schedule, form IHT419.

Finding every account before you file

Form IHT406 is only as accurate as the list of accounts you started with, and most families build it by phoning provider after provider. Legacy Trail finds the accounts and services the person held and notifies them centrally.

Frequently asked questions

Form IHT406 is on GOV.UK, on the page titled "Inheritance Tax: bank and building society accounts (IHT406)". Download it from that page and check the version date, since GOV.UK last updated the form on 3 August 2023.
No. GOV.UK does not describe form IHT406 as interactive, unlike form IHT400 itself. You download it, fill it in and send it with the rest of the IHT400 pack. No IHT400 schedule has an online submission route; every one is print and post.
No. Form IHT406 is for accounts held in the deceased's sole name. The GOV.UK forms collection lists form IHT404 for jointly owned assets, so a joint current or savings account is declared there instead.
Form IHT406 declares the deceased's bank, building society and NS&I balances to HMRC. Form IHT423 instead asks a bank or building society to pay Inheritance Tax straight to HMRC from the account, one form per account, sent to the institution rather than HMRC.
No. Executors and administrators complete form IHT406 themselves in many estates, since it is just a list of accounts and their date-of-death balances. Professional help is more usual for large or complicated estates. The forms are free to download from GOV.UK.
Accounts that surface later usually mean telling HMRC about the extra value, using form C4, 'Inheritance Tax: corrective account', to correct the original IHT400 account. GOV.UK does not publish a penalty position for a genuinely later discovery, as distinct from a late original filing.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Individual circumstances vary. If you are dealing with an estate, consider taking advice from a solicitor who specialises in probate. For other guidance specific to your circumstances, speak to a funeral director, Citizens Advice, or a regulated financial adviser.