Petition · past parliament

End Inheritance Tax (IHT) discrimination against the childless

Closed 607 signatures

What the petition asks

We are calling for a change to the discriminatory nature of new IHT legislation by giving those who are childless exactly the same allowances as those with direct descendants.

New legislation means married couples and civil partners with homes will, from 2017, be able to leave estates worth up to £850,000 without paying IHT. The figure rises to £1m by 2020/2021. However, Family Home Allowance (FHA) only applies to direct descendants. Those who do not have children, stepchildren or grandchildren, will be excluded from benefiting from the additional allowance. This should be changed to give those who are childless the same allowances as those with direct descendants.

Timeline

5 Aug 2015 Petition opened for signatures
5 Feb 2016 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 607
Status Closed
Opened 5 Aug 2015
Closed 5 Feb 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.