How to find an adviser

You can get advice on Inheritance Tax planning from a tax adviser or an accountant who specialises in tax. However, you do need to be careful when choosing as anyone can set themselves up as a tax adviser or accountant, even if they have no qualifications or experience. Make sure you choose someone who belongs to a professional institute which requires them to have been trained and taken exams have professional indemnity insurance and have a complaints procedure. The two institutes below can tell you if an accountant or tax adviser is one of their members, but they cannot recommend one adviser over another.

• The Chartered Institute of Taxation can provide you with a list of tax advisers in your local area. Call 020 7340 0550 or 0844 579 6700 or search for their members online by following the link using 'links to other websites' on the right hand side of the page.

• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Call 020 7920 8100 or search for their members online by following the link using 'links to other websites' on the right hand side of the page.

• Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Call 020 7340 0500 or search for their members online by following the link using 'links to other websites' on the right hand side of the page.

If you are thinking of setting up a trust or writing a will, you need to see a solicitor.

• The Law Society. Search for their members online by following the link using 'links to other websites' on the right hand side of the page.

April 2010