An extra inheritance tax allowance when a home goes to children, grandchildren or other direct descendants, on top of the £325,000 nil-rate band. Fixed until 5 April 2031.
The residence nil-rate band (RNRB) is the inheritance tax allowance for the family home. It adds up to £175,000 to the tax-free threshold when a home passes to direct descendants on death, which is how GOV.UK can say your threshold "can increase to £500,000" if you leave your home to your children or grandchildren. Whether an estate gets it, and how much, turns on who inherits the home, what the home is worth and how big the whole estate is.
This guide covers how much it is, which homes and which heirs qualify, the £2,000,000 taper, passing the band on from a late husband, wife or civil partner, and why the April 2027 pension change will push some estates into the taper. Our inheritance tax calculator applies every rule on this page, so you can check your own figures as you read.
How much is the residence nil-rate band?
The maximum is £175,000 per person. It applied to deaths from 6 April 2017, rising each year until it reached £175,000 on 6 April 2020, and has not changed since:
| Tax year | Maximum band |
|---|---|
| 2017 to 2018 | £100,000 |
| 2018 to 2019 | £125,000 |
| 2019 to 2020 | £150,000 |
| 2020 to 2021 onwards | £175,000 |
At Budget 2025 the government fixed the residence band, the £325,000 nil-rate band and the £2,000,000 taper threshold until 5 April 2031. Although the band depends on a home, it isn't a slice set aside for the house: it is set against the whole estate. A single person with an estate of up to £2,000,000 who leaves a qualifying home worth at least £175,000 to their children pays no inheritance tax on the first £500,000 of it.
Which homes qualify
- The person who died must have owned the property and lived in it at some time. It doesn't have to be where they lived at the end.
- Only one home can qualify.
- A property they owned but never lived in, such as a buy-to-let, does not qualify.
- If the home is held in a trust, or goes into one on death, whether the band is available depends on the type of trust.
The band is the lower of the maximum available and the value of the home, or the share of it, that direct descendants inherit. The home is valued at its open market value less any debts on it, such as a mortgage. A single person with a £600,000 estate who leaves their children a flat worth £120,000 after its mortgage gets a residence band of £120,000: the tax is £62,000, against £40,000 if the home had been worth £175,000 or more, so the smaller home costs £22,000.
Who counts as a direct descendant
The home has to go to the person's direct descendants. For the residence band that means:
- a child, grandchild or other lineal descendant;
- the husband, wife or civil partner of a lineal descendant;
- a step-child, an adopted child or a foster child (at any time);
- a child the person was appointed guardian or special guardian for while the child was under 18.
Nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters and other relatives outside that list are not direct descendants, so a home left to them gets no residence band. Leaving the home to a husband, wife or civil partner is exempt anyway, and the unused band can pass to their estate, as explained below.
The £2m taper
For larger estates the band is withdrawn: it falls by £1 for every £2 the estate is worth over £2,000,000. For this test the estate is all its assets less its debts and liabilities, without taking off exemptions such as the spouse exemption or reliefs such as business or agricultural property relief. Leaving most of an estate to a spouse keeps it out of tax, but it doesn't keep it under £2m for the taper.
A single person's £175,000 band is gone at £2,350,000. A widowed person with a full transferred band starts with £350,000 and loses it all at £2,700,000. In between, every extra £1 of estate costs 60p: 40p of tax on the pound itself and 20p from the 50p of residence band it removes.
| Estate after debts | Single: band left | Single: IHT | Widowed: band left | Widowed: IHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £2,000,000 | £175,000 | £600,000 | £350,000 | £400,000 |
| £2,100,000 | £125,000 | £660,000 | £300,000 | £460,000 |
| £2,200,000 | £75,000 | £720,000 | £250,000 | £520,000 |
| £2,300,000 | £25,000 | £780,000 | £200,000 | £580,000 |
| £2,350,000 | £0 | £810,000 | £175,000 | £610,000 |
| £2,500,000 | £0 | £870,000 | £100,000 | £700,000 |
| £2,700,000 | £0 | £950,000 | £0 | £820,000 |
A home worth £600,000 goes to the children. "Widowed" has both late-partner bands at 100%. No lifetime gifts or charity legacies; figures from our calculator.
Passing on a late spouse's or civil partner's band
Any residence band not used on the first death can pass to the surviving husband, wife or civil partner's estate. What transfers is the unused percentage, not a cash amount, and the transfer is capped at 100%, so the most a survivor's estate can have is two full bands: £350,000. If the first partner died before 6 April 2017, before the band existed, their band is treated as 100% unused.
The transferred band only helps if the survivor's own estate qualifies: they must leave a home to their direct descendants, and the home must be in their estate. The £2m taper is then applied to the survivor's estate, and it reduces the combined band. With both nil-rate bands transferred as well, a widowed parent who leaves a home worth at least £350,000 to their children can pass on £1,000,000 without inheritance tax: our calculator shows £0 of tax on exactly that estate.
Pensions from April 2027: the taper trap
For deaths on or after 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits are included in the estate for inheritance tax. Because they become part of the estate, they also count towards the £2,000,000 taper test. An estate that sits under £2m on today's rules can be pushed over it by a pension, losing some or all of the residence band as well as paying tax on the pension itself.
| Situation | Estate counted | Residence band | IHT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Widowed, £1,900,000 estate + £400,000 pension: death today | £1,900,000 | £350,000 | £360,000 |
| The same, death on or after 6 April 2027 | £2,300,000 | £200,000 | £580,000 |
| Single, £1,900,000 estate + £500,000 pension: death today | £1,900,000 | £175,000 | £560,000 |
| The same, death on or after 6 April 2027 | £2,400,000 | £0 | £830,000 |
A home worth £600,000 goes to the children. "Widowed" has both late-partner bands at 100%.
In the widowed case the bill rises by £220,000 on a £400,000 pension; in the single case by £270,000 on £500,000. Both increases are more than 40% of the pension, because the pension also removes residence band.
An exempt pension can still cost you the band. A pension left to a husband, wife or civil partner stays exempt after April 2027, but exemptions aren't deducted for the taper test. A married person with a £1,800,000 estate who leaves a £600,000 home to their children and the rest to their spouse pays £40,000 today. Add a £400,000 pension that also goes to the spouse and, from April 2027, the estate counted for the taper is £2,200,000: the residence band falls to £75,000 and the bill doubles to £80,000.
The downsizing addition
Selling a home, giving it away or moving somewhere cheaper doesn't necessarily lose the band. If that happened on or after 8 July 2015 and direct descendants inherit at least some of the estate, the estate may qualify for a downsizing addition, usually the same as the residence band lost. It also depends on the value of the other assets left to direct descendants, and it can't be more than the band that would have been available without the sale or downsizing. The personal representative must claim it within 2 years of the end of the month in which the person died. Our calculator doesn't model it.
See how the residence band, the taper and the April 2027 pension change affect your own estate
Inheritance tax calculator →Frequently asked questions
How much is the residence nil-rate band in 2026/27?
Up to £175,000 per person, on top of the £325,000 nil-rate band. It has been £175,000 since 6 April 2020 and is fixed at that level until 5 April 2031.
Who counts as a direct descendant?
Children, grandchildren and other lineal descendants, and the spouses or civil partners of any of them. Step-children, adopted children, foster children and children the person was appointed guardian or special guardian for while they were under 18 also count. Nephews, nieces and siblings do not.
Can an estate get the residence nil-rate band without a home?
Not directly: the band needs a home the person owned and lived in at some time, passing to direct descendants. A buy-to-let they never lived in doesn't qualify. If they sold or downsized a home on or after 8 July 2015, the estate may still qualify for a downsizing addition.
At what estate value is the residence nil-rate band lost?
It falls by £1 for every £2 the estate is worth over £2,000,000, so a single person's £175,000 band is gone at £2,350,000. A widowed person with a full transferred band of £350,000 loses it all at £2,700,000. The estate is valued before exemptions and reliefs.
Can I use my late husband's, wife's or civil partner's residence nil-rate band?
Yes, if your own estate leaves a home to your direct descendants and the home is in your estate. The unused percentage of their band transfers to your estate, up to 100%. If they died before 6 April 2017, their band counts as 100% unused.
Do pensions count towards the £2m taper from April 2027?
For deaths on or after 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds are included in the estate, and the taper is worked out on the whole estate less debts, before exemptions. So a pension can push an estate over £2,000,000 and reduce the residence band, even if the pension itself goes to a spouse or civil partner tax-free.
Does the home have to be worth £175,000?
No, but the band can't be more than the value of the home, or share of it, that direct descendants inherit, after any mortgage. A home worth £120,000 gives a band of £120,000.
Related
Sources
Checked on GOV.UK on 21 September 2026.
- How Inheritance Tax works: the £325,000 threshold, the 40% rate, who pays (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax - Passing on a home: the £500,000 threshold and gifts with reservation (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/passing-on-home - Work out and apply the residence nil rate band: direct descendants and the taper (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/inheritance-tax-residence-nil-rate-band - Check if an estate qualifies for the residence nil rate band (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-can-get-an-additional-inheritance-tax-threshold - Transferring unused residence nil rate band (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/inheritance-tax-transfer-of-threshold - How downsizing, selling or gifting a home affects the residence nil rate band (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-downsizing-selling-or-gifting-a-home-affects-the-additional-inheritance-tax-threshold - Inheritance Tax thresholds, Budget 2025: bands fixed until the end of 2030 to 2031 (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inheritance-tax-thresholds/inheritance-tax-thresholds - Inheritance Tax thresholds by tax year (HMRC)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-inheritance-tax-thresholds-and-interest-rates/inheritance-tax-thresholds-and-interest-rates - Inheritance Tax on unused pension funds and death benefits from 6 April 2027 (HMRC policy paper)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inheritance-tax-unused-pension-funds-and-death-benefits/inheritance-tax-unused-pension-funds-and-death-benefits - Reliefs and exemptions: passing unused threshold to a spouse or civil partner (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/reliefs-and-exemptions