When someone dies, two clocks start: probate and IHT. The tax is usually due by the end of the sixth month after death, and interest applies after that, often before probate completes. If much of the estate is tied up in property or other illiquid assets, raising cash fast can be stressful and disruptive.

A practical solution is life insurance structured for IHT: it doesn’t reduce the tax due, but it can provide the lump sum to pay it, so your family doesn’t need to sell a home, a long-term investment, or a sentimental asset at the worst possible moment.