If I die will IHT be due immediately?

Question If have an estate worth £400,000. If I was to die tomorrow the estate would be passed to my children. Would they be liable to pay IHT immediately, which may mean that they have to sell the primary residence to pay the IHT bill?

Ian Says:
Although the IHT is in theory payable immediately, if the estate consists entirely of property then IHT payments can be spread over ten years.

This option is seldom used in practice as usually the inheritors wish to split the property and take the money, at which point the IHT would be payable in full.