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Loss on sale of land

Where land is sold from a deceased estate for less than the taxable amount at date of death, relief for the loss is granted by replacing the probate value with the later sale value in the calculation of inheritance tax.

In a typical case, where the only interest in land is the deceased’s residence which his executors sell to an unconnected person for less than its probate value, the claim should be straightforward. The lower sale price is substituted for the death value and following a recalculation, a tax repayment is made to the executors. The claims process is considered below.

However, the rules for claiming sale of land relief can be complex and can produce disadvantageous results where there are other sales and purchases or where the property sold has changed in some way.

Sale of land relief ― principles

Broadly, the provisions are that the ‘sale value’ will be substituted for the ‘value on the death’ and the inheritance tax position re-calculated,