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Glossary

Inheritance Tax (IHT)

A tax that can apply to an estate in some circumstances. Decisions about gifting or property should be discussed with an appropriately qualified tax or legal professional, not based on a general web page.

A tax that can apply to an estate in some circumstances. Decisions about gifting or property should be discussed with an appropriately qualified tax or legal professional, not based on a general web page.

Equity release may involve a lifetime mortgage, secured against your property, or a home reversion plan. It will reduce the value of your estate and impact funding long-term care.

How this page is kept
Written by
Equity Release Facts editorial
Last checked
7 September 2026
Next review
7 September 2027

Where this comes from

This is a plain-language explanation of how the term is commonly used in the UK. It carries no source key because it makes no regulatory, product or property claim that needs one. It does not override a provider’s offer, your mortgage conditions, a solicitor’s advice or a regulator’s rules.

Checked 7 September 2026. The whole vocabulary sits on one page, so you can look up two words in the same sentence without going anywhere: see this entry in the full glossary.

Covered properly here

Equity release and what you leave behind

See the effect on your estate as a figure, and know what to tell your family.

Read the guide called Equity release and what you leave behind
Worth knowing

Equity release may involve a lifetime mortgage, secured against your property, or a home reversion plan. It will reduce the value of your estate and impact funding long-term care.

Read next

Where this comes up

One guide on this site uses the term. Here is the sentence, and where it sits.

  • “This shows what that looks like over ten and twenty years, separates it from inheritance tax, which gets conflated with it constantly, and sets out what is worth saying to your family and when.”

    Equity release and what you leave behind →

Terms that come up alongside it

Each of these either appears in the definition above, or names this term in its own.

How this page is kept
Written by
Equity Release Facts editorial
Last checked
7 September 2026
Next review
7 September 2027

Questions people ask about this

Short answers to the things that come up most. None of it is advice, and every figure on this page carries its source.

What does inheritance tax (iht) mean?

A tax that can apply to an estate in some circumstances. Decisions about gifting or property should be discussed with an appropriately qualified tax or legal professional, not based on a general web page.

Where does this definition come from?

It is a plain-language explanation of how the term is commonly used in the UK. It carries no source key because it makes no regulatory, product or property claim that would need one, and it does not override a provider's offer, the conditions of a plan you hold, or advice from your solicitor.

Where is inheritance tax (iht) covered in full?

On the guide "Equity release and what you leave behind", which helps you see the effect on your estate as a figure, and know what to tell your family. A glossary entry explains a word. The guide works through what it actually means for a decision, with its sources and the date each was checked.

Does looking up inheritance tax (iht) commit me to anything?

No. There is nothing on this page to fill in and nothing is collected by reading it. Looking up what a word means is not a decision, and we are not able to advise you about your own circumstances in any case.

Worth knowing

Equity release may involve a lifetime mortgage, secured against your property, or a home reversion plan. It will reduce the value of your estate and impact funding long-term care.

Talk it through with an adviser

Takes about two minutesFree, no obligation, and nothing committed

One qualified equity release adviser. They will go through your figures and tell you if there is a better answer. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Advice is required to proceed with equity release and there may be other options which better suit your circumstances. Only if your case completes would an advice fee be payable, and the adviser will tell you what theirs is before you commit to anything. Other lender and solicitor fees may apply.

We pass your details to one adviser and nobody else.