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Inheritance Tax Investigations Net HMRC an Extra £246m From Bereaved Families

HMRC opened 3,977 inheritance‑tax investigations in the year to 5 April 2025, recovering roughly £246 million from estates. The rise follows the tax authority’s deployment of artificial intelligence, data‑matching and other big‑data tools to spot under‑payments. A frozen nil‑rate band since 2009, combined with soaring property and asset values, has pushed more families into the tax net. Recent policy changes – such as bringing unspent pension pots into scope and trimming reliefs – are set to widen the base further, prompting additional scrutiny.