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Divorce - can HMRC reduce your stress levels

In response to a report by the Office of Tax Simplification, HMRC has recently proposed changes to the taxation treatment of assets transferred between partners in the event of divorce or permanent separation. These changes will apply to transfers made with effect from 6 April 2023 and should provide welcome relief to those affected at a particularly stressful time of life.

Current rules

Transfers of assets between spouses and civil partners are generally made on a ‘no gain, no loss’ basis, which means the recipient inherits the cost of the asset for capital gains tax (CGT) purposes (generally the price paid by the transferor) and no CGT is payable on the transfer.

However, for separating couples, this treatment currently only applies until the end of the tax year in which a permanent separation occurs. Thereafter, normal CGT treatment applies. As divorce can be a difficult and protracted process, this means that CGT liabilities may often arise when assets are transferred as part of the financial settlement.

Proposed changes

From 6 April 2023, the CGT rules applying to separating spouses and civil partners will become more favourable. Couples will have:

Individuals will also have the option to claim main residence relief (an exemption from CGT on the disposal of a person’s main home) where:

Potential benefits

These are welcome changes that will provide valuable time for separating couples to organise their financial affairs without being put under pressure to rush through a settlement that they have not been able to properly consider. In particular, these changes should:

Careful planning still required

Whilst these proposals are a positive step, there are still other tax consequences to be considered.

For more information, please get in touch with Tim Gates or your usual RSM contact.