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Inheritance tax · England & Wales

Agricultural property relief

Last reviewed 18 August 2026

The relief that keeps farms in the family faces the same reckoning as its business cousin: still valuable, but no longer without limit.

What qualifies

Agricultural Relief can reduce the inheritance-tax value of qualifying agricultural property — farmland, and farmhouses of a character appropriate to the land — by up to 100%, provided the ownership and occupation conditions are met. Like Business Relief, it exists to stop working farms being sold to pay tax.

The shared 2026 cap

From 6 April 2026, 100% relief on agricultural and business property together is capped at £2.5 million per person (Finance Act 2026); above the cap, relief drops to 50%, an effective 20% rate. Because the allowance is shared with Business Relief, estates holding both must plan across the two. The conditions are technical — a matter for specialist advice.

Questions

Is farmland free of inheritance tax?+
Qualifying agricultural property can attract up to 100% relief, but only up to a combined £2.5m per person from 6 April 2026; 50% relief applies above.
Is the cap shared with business relief?+
Yes — the £2.5m 100%-relief allowance is combined across agricultural and business property.

Sources. GOV.UK, Agricultural Relief for Inheritance Tax; Finance Act 2026 (combined £2.5m cap from 6 April 2026).