Almost one in three unmarried people living with a partner (29%) are thinking about getting married to reduce their potential IHT bill, according to a new study.
Among those aged 25 to 34, 32% are considering marriage for IHT reasons.
A fifth, 19%, of all unmarried people are thinking about marriage to reduce their IHT bill, according to the research from financial comparison site MoneySuperMarket.
It also revealed that just 41% of UK adults say they currently have a will in place, while 18% are holding off making one.
Kara Gammell, life insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “It’s interesting to see how inheritance tax is influencing people’s decisions about marriage.
“Inheritance tax has a number of thresholds and exemptions, and there can be important differences in how married couples or civil partners and unmarried couples are treated.”
She said couples who have been together for many years won’t qualify for the spouse or civil partner exemption if they aren’t married or in a civil partnership.
“However, marriage isn’t for everyone, so there are other estate-planning options people can explore, such as trusts or life insurance.”
Estate planning isn’t only about inheritance tax. For unmarried couples in particular, a will can be an important way of setting out how they want their estate to be distributed, the website said. Its survey showed that only 41% of adults have a will in place, with the figure dropping to just 35% among unmarried people living with a partner.
People who have been widowed are the most likely to have a will in place (63%).
• Survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Moneysupermarket. The data was collected between 19.10.2026-22.10.2026. All data correct as of October 2026.