You must pay Inheritance Tax by the end of the sixth month after the person died.

Example: 

• If the person died in January, you must pay Inheritance Tax by 31 July. 

There are different due dates if you are making payments on a trust (external link). HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will charge you interest (external link) if you do not pay by the due date. 

How to Pay 

You will need to get a payment reference number (external link) before you can pay your Inheritance Tax bill. 

Pay from your own bank account 

You can pay from your own bank account or a joint account with the deceased: 

• using online or telephone banking (external link) 

• at your bank or building society (external link) 

• by cheque through the post (external link) 

You can claim the money back from the deceased’s estate or the beneficiaries once you get a ‘grant of representation (external link)’ (also known as ‘probate’). This is called ‘confirmation (external link)’ in Scotland. 

Pay From accounts owned by the deceased 

You can pay using the deceased’s: 

• bank accounts (external link) - including National Savings and Investments (NS&I) accounts 

• government stock (external link) 

If you do not know how much to pay  

You can make payments before you know the exact amount of Inheritance Tax owed by the deceased person’s estate. These are known as ‘payments on account (external link)’.

Check your payment has been received 

HMRC do not send receipts for each payment you make. They will write to tell you when you have paid all the Inheritance Tax and interest you owe. If you have paid through your own bank or building society, check your statement to confirm the payment has left your account.