The UK Estate Planning Readiness Index: 2026 Data

Most people in England and Wales are not fully prepared for what happens to their money, property and health decisions if they lose capacity or die. This briefing measures that preparedness using official data, and builds a transparent readiness score from it.

The figures below draw on primary statistics from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and gov.uk, supplemented by clearly labelled market research. Each statistic states its figure, date and geography and links to its source. Derived numbers are labelled as estimates or models, not official statistics. Figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change.

Executive summary

• 41% of UK adults reported having a will in 2025, up from 38% in 2024, implying around 59% had none (IRN Research, UK Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2025; Tier 2 survey, UK).
• 30,400 estates paid inheritance tax in the 2023 to 2024 tax year, equal to 4.72% of the 644,000 UK deaths that year (HMRC Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics, 2023 to 2024, UK).
• Inheritance tax receipts reached a record £8.2 billion in 2024 to 2025, and the OBR forecasts £8.7 billion for 2025 to 2026 (OBR, Inheritance tax, November 2025 forecast, UK).
• The Office of the Public Guardian received 1.37 million applications to register powers of attorney in 2024 to 2025, and over 9 million LPAs and EPAs (9,340,910, as at 31 March 2025) are on the register (OPG annual report 2024 to 2025, England and Wales).
• London and the South East together accounted for around 46% of UK inheritance tax, with 4,810 and 6,310 taxpaying estates respectively in 2023 to 2024 (HMRC, 2023 to 2024, England).
• Total privately owned wealth in Great Britain was estimated at £13.6 trillion for April 2020 to March 2022, with median household wealth of £293,700 (ONS Wealth and Assets Survey, Great Britain; accreditation suspended, see limitations).
• The average UK funeral cost a record £4,285 in 2024, and the wider cost of dying reached £9,797 (SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025, UK; Tier 2).
• Our modelled UK Estate Planning Readiness Index sits at roughly 24 to 29 out of 100 for the two core documents (a will and a registered power of attorney), an estimate combining IRN and OPG data (see Original synthesis).

Key findings

1. 41% of UK adults reported having a will in 2025, up from 38% in 2024 (IRN Research, 2025, UK; Tier 2 survey).
2. Inertia was the most common reason non-holders gave for not making a will, cited by 54% of them in 2025 (IRN Research, 2025, UK; Tier 2).
3. 30,400 estates incurred an inheritance tax charge in 2023 to 2024, down 3.6% from 31,500 the previous year (HMRC, 2023 to 2024, UK).
4. Those 30,400 estates carried a total inheritance tax liability of £7.03 billion in 2023 to 2024 (HMRC, 2023 to 2024, UK).
5. The average inheritance tax bill among taxpaying estates was £231,000 in 2023 to 2024, up 9% (about £19,000) on the previous year (HMRC, 2023 to 2024, UK).
6. Taxpaying estates paid an average effective inheritance tax rate of 13%, against the 40% headline rate, in 2023 to 2024 (HMRC, 2023 to 2024, UK).
7. Inheritance tax receipts hit a record £8.2 billion in 2024 to 2025, with the OBR forecasting £8.7 billion for 2025 to 2026 (OBR, November 2025 forecast, UK).
8. Inheritance tax equalled about 0.3% of national income and roughly £300 per household in 2025 to 2026 (OBR, November 2025 forecast, UK).
9. The main nil-rate band has been £325,000 since 2009 and is frozen to the end of the 2030 to 2031 tax year, i.e. 5 April 2031, extended by a further year at Budget 2025 on 26 November 2025 (gov.uk, UK; as at July 2026, subject to change).
10. Inherited pension pots come within the scope of inheritance tax from April 2027, ending their current exemption (OBR, November 2025 forecast, UK).
11. The Office of the Public Guardian received 1,367,053 applications to register powers of attorney in 2024 to 2025, essentially flat on the 1,370,546 received in 2023 to 2024 (a slight fall) (OPG annual report 2024 to 2025, England and Wales).
12. Over 9 million lasting and enduring powers of attorney (9,340,910, as at 31 March 2025) are on the OPG register (OPG annual report 2024 to 2025, England and Wales).
13. Median household wealth in Great Britain was £293,700 for April 2020 to March 2022, while the wealthiest 10% held £1,200,500 or more (ONS, Great Britain).
14. Property made up 40% and private pensions 35% of household wealth in Great Britain for April 2020 to March 2022 (ONS, Great Britain).
15. The average UK funeral cost a record £4,285 in 2024, ranging from £5,449 in London to £3,441 in Northern Ireland (SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025, UK; Tier 2).

Core document coverage

Estate planning in England and Wales rests on two documents that almost every adult is advised to hold: a valid will, which directs assets on death, and a lasting power of attorney (LPA), which lets a chosen person act during any loss of mental capacity. Coverage of both is well below universal.

Sources: IRN Research, UK Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2025; OPG performance report 2024 to 2025.

The will figure comes from survey data, not a register, so it carries sampling uncertainty and depends on respondents' own understanding of whether their will is valid and current. The LPA figures are counts of registered documents, not of people, so they overstate the share of adults covered where one person registers both a property-and-affairs and a health-and-welfare LPA. For a fuller treatment of will-making, see our companion pages on how many people have a will and how to write a will.

Inheritance tax: who pays, and how much

Inheritance tax reaches a small minority of estates but raises a rising sum. The number of taxpaying estates fell in the latest year while the average bill and total receipts both climbed, a pattern consistent with frozen thresholds meeting rising asset values.

Sources: HMRC Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics, 2023 to 2024; OBR, Inheritance tax, November 2025 forecast.

Liabilities statistics (dated by the year of death) and cash receipts (dated by the year collected) are measured differently and are not directly comparable, which is why the £7.03 billion liability for 2023 to 2024 and the £8.2 billion of receipts for 2024 to 2025 differ. Both series point the same way.

Current thresholds and rates

Source: gov.uk; agricultural and business relief reform per gov.uk, "Inheritance tax reliefs threshold to rise to £2.5m for farmers and businesses", 23 December 2025. Thresholds frozen to the end of the 2030 to 2031 tax year (5 April 2031), extended by a further year at Budget 2025 on 26 November 2025 (gov.uk). As at July 2026, subject to change.

Note on the relief reform. The £2,500,000 combined allowance for agricultural and business property, announced on 23 December 2025, replaced an earlier £1,000,000 allowance proposed at the Autumn Budget 2024. Some older gov.uk pages dated 30 October 2024 still show the superseded £1,000,000 figure and describe the allowance as non-transferable; the current allowance is £2,500,000 per person and is transferable between spouses and civil partners.

Regional differences

Inheritance tax is concentrated in London and the South of England, driven largely by property values. The regional split is one of the clearest features of the HMRC data.

Source: HMRC Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics, 2023 to 2024 (England regions).

Wealth, care and end-of-life costs

Readiness is shaped by what estates contain and what they must pay out. Household wealth in Great Britain is heavily weighted toward property and pensions, while care and funeral costs sit at the end of the same balance sheet.

Sources: ONS Wealth and Assets Survey; SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025; LaingBuisson; gov.uk, probate fees.

Original synthesis: three derived measures

The following three measures combine public datasets. Each is a model or estimate built by Fairchild Oldfield, clearly labelled, and is not an official statistic. Every input is listed with its source, and the limitations are stated in full.

1. The UK Estate Planning Readiness Index (model)

Formula. The Index averages two coverage pillars, each scored 0 to 100:

• Will pillar = 41. Share of UK adults reporting a will in 2025 (IRN Research, 2025).
• Power-of-attorney pillar = 8 to 17. Over 9 million LPAs and EPAs on the OPG register (9,340,910, as at 31 March 2025; OPG annual report 2024-25) against roughly 54 million UK adults aged 18 and over (ONS mid-2023 population estimates) gives about 17 register entries per 100 adults (9,340,910 ÷ ~54 million). Because many donors register two LPAs, the share of adults with any registered LPA is lower, plausibly 8 to 10 per 100, so the pillar is expressed as a range of 8 to 17.

Result. Averaging the two pillars gives an Index of roughly (41 + 8) ÷ 2 ≈ 24 at the lower bound and (41 + 17) ÷ 2 ≈ 29 at the upper bound, so approximately 24 to 29 out of 100.

2. The fiscal-drag concentration effect (analysis)

Combining HMRC's verified figures shows tax rising even as the taxpaying base shrinks. In 2023 to 2024 the number of taxpaying estates fell 3.6% (from 31,500 to 30,400) while the average bill rose 9% (about £19,000) to £231,000, and cash receipts went on to a record £8.2 billion in 2024 to 2025 (HMRC; OBR).

Derived reading (estimate). With thresholds frozen to the end of 2030 to 2031 (5 April 2031, extended a further year at Budget 2025 on 26 November 2025) and inherited pensions entering the scope of inheritance tax from April 2027, the direction is toward more tax from a base that is not growing in proportion. This is analysis of official data, not a forecast of our own; the OBR's own projection is £8.7 billion for 2025 to 2026.

3. The cost of passing on a taxpaying estate (model)

For an estate that does pay inheritance tax, the combined cost of settling it can be estimated by adding three verified figures:

• Average inheritance tax bill: £231,000 (HMRC, 2023-24).
• Probate application fee: £300 (gov.uk / HMCTS, 2024).
• Average funeral: £4,285 (SunLife, 2024).

Derived total (estimate): about £235,585 for a taxpaying estate.

Recommended charts

These chart specifications are provided for journalists and analysts who wish to visualise the data. Images are not embedded.

1. "More tax from fewer estates." Data: taxpaying estates and total IHT liability by tax year, 2019-20 to 2023-24. Source: HMRC Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics. Insight: the paradox of a falling estate count and a rising bill. Citation-worthy because it isolates fiscal drag in one image.
2. The readiness gap. Data: will coverage (41%) and estimated LPA coverage (8 to 17%) against a 100% baseline. Sources: IRN Research 2025; OPG 2024-25; ONS mid-2023. Insight: how far core-document coverage sits below universal. Citation-worthy as a single national scorecard.
3. Inheritance tax by region. Data: taxpaying estates and total liability, England regions, 2023-24. Source: HMRC. Insight: the London and South East concentration. Citation-worthy for regional and property-market stories.
4. What estates are made of. Data: household wealth by component (property 40%, pensions 35%, financial 14%, physical 10%). Source: ONS Wealth and Assets Survey. Insight: why property and pensions dominate estate planning. Citation-worthy for the April 2027 pensions-in-IHT change.
5. The cost of dying, by region. Data: average funeral cost by nation and region, 2024 (London £5,449 to Northern Ireland £3,441). Source: SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025. Insight: end-of-life cost dispersion. Citation-worthy for cost-of-living coverage.

Methodology

Source selection. Primary official statistics were preferred: HMRC for inheritance tax, ONS for wealth and population, OBR for fiscal forecasts, OPG for powers of attorney, and gov.uk and HMCTS for rules and fees. Market research (IRN Research, SunLife, LaingBuisson) was included only where it is clearly attributed and used for measures official sources do not cover, and is labelled Tier 2 throughout.

Inclusion and exclusion. Every statistic was checked against its named source and states its figure, date and geography. Any figure that could not be verified against a credible source was excluded. Where a claim appeared only in secondary reporting, the underlying primary source was sought and cited where found.

Handling conflicts. Where figures conflicted, for example the regional share of inheritance tax (around 46% per HMRC's own tables versus around 55% in some trade summaries), the primary source was reported and the discrepancy flagged. Liabilities and receipts are treated as separate series and never merged into one growth figure.

Estimates. Three derived measures are included and each is labelled a model or estimate, with its formula, inputs and limitations stated. None is presented as an official statistic.

Date of last update. July 2026. Figures are subject to change; readers should check the linked primary sources for the latest release.

Source quality ranking

For journalists

Most quotable statistics

• "Around 59% of UK adults had no will in 2025." (Derived from IRN Research, UK Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2025, UK.)
• "Just 4.72% of UK deaths resulted in an inheritance tax charge in 2023 to 2024." (HMRC, UK.)
• "The average inheritance tax bill reached £231,000 in 2023 to 2024, up 9% in a year." (HMRC, UK.)
• "Inheritance tax receipts hit a record £8.2 billion in 2024 to 2025." (HMRC via OBR, UK.)
• "London and the South East accounted for around 46% of all UK inheritance tax in 2023 to 2024." (HMRC, England.)
• "Over 9 million powers of attorney (9,340,910) are on the OPG register." (OPG annual report 2024 to 2025, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2025.)
• "The average UK funeral cost a record £4,285 in 2024." (SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025, UK.)

Data limitations

The will and funeral figures are survey- or market-based (Tier 2) and carry sampling uncertainty. ONS wealth data covers April 2020 to March 2022 and has had its accreditation suspended pending quality work. Powers-of-attorney figures count documents, not people. Regional inheritance tax shares vary with how regions are grouped. The three derived measures are models, not official statistics.

Recommended dataset fields

For a downloadable companion dataset: metric name; value; unit; tax year or date range; geography (UK / GB / England and Wales / region); source organisation; source URL; tier (1-3); measure type (official statistic / survey / model); notes and limitations.

Press summary (about 150 words)

The UK Estate Planning Readiness Index, compiled by Fairchild Oldfield, finds that England and Wales remain underprepared on the two core estate-planning documents. In 2025, 41% of UK adults reported having a will, up from 38% in 2024, leaving around 59% with none (IRN Research). Over 9 million powers of attorney (9,340,910, as at 31 March 2025) sit on the Office of the Public Guardian register, but counted against roughly 54 million adults the coverage is thin. On tax, just 4.72% of deaths triggered an inheritance tax charge in 2023 to 2024, yet the average bill rose 9% to £231,000 and receipts hit a record £8.2 billion in 2024 to 2025 (HMRC, OBR), as frozen thresholds meet rising asset values. Combining will and power-of-attorney coverage, Fairchild Oldfield estimates a national readiness score of roughly 24 to 29 out of 100, a labelled model rather than an official statistic.

Five suggested headlines

• UK scores just 24 out of 100 on estate-planning readiness, new index finds
• Six in ten UK adults still have no will, 2025 data shows
• Fewer estates, bigger bills: average inheritance tax hits £231,000
• Inheritance tax receipts reach record £8.2bn as thresholds stay frozen
• London and the South East pay almost half of all UK inheritance tax

Frequently asked questions

Related reading: Estate Planning: A Complete UK Guide · Inheritance Tax · How to Write a Will · How many people have a will.