The founder wants to step back
Management responsibility is changing but ownership, remuneration and decision rights have not been redesigned.
Business owners · Succession
Transfer a business without leaving control, tax and family expectations to chance.
Succession is not one share transfer. It is a managed transition of value, responsibility, income and risk. We model the tax and funding routes, then coordinate the company, family and legal steps around an agreed timetable.
- FCCA & CTA expertise
- Experience at BDO & KPMG
- Responses in hours, not days
- Fees agreed upfront
Expert perspective
Begin with the future operating model.
Tax should not decide who is capable of running the business. We start by understanding who will lead, who should own, whether the outgoing owner needs capital or continuing income and how family members who are not involved should be treated.
A gift, sale, buyback, new holding structure or growth-share arrangement can produce very different cash and tax outcomes. Reliefs may be available, but their conditions, valuation rules and interaction with future events need to be tested rather than assumed.
The plan should also survive real life. Shareholder agreements, voting rights, insurance, wills, lasting powers and dispute mechanisms may sit outside our legal scope, but they belong in the implementation map and are coordinated with the appropriate advisers.
When this matters
Recognise the point at which advice adds value
The best result usually comes from reviewing the position before documents are signed, money moves or a filing deadline becomes urgent.
Children have different roles
Some work in the business, others do not, and an equal share split may not produce a fair or stable result.
Management wants to buy
A capable team exists but funding, price, vendor support and the owner’s tax position need a viable route.
The estate plan is out of date
Business value has changed and the will, shareholder agreement, insurance or inheritance-tax assumptions no longer align.
The technical review
The areas we bring into one review
Good advice connects the tax analysis to the records, legal steps, cash position and longer-term objective.
Future leadership
Who will run the business, the experience transition and which decisions the outgoing owner will retain temporarily.
Ownership and control
Voting, economic rights, board composition, reserved matters and whether value and control should pass at different times.
Valuation and funding
Commercial value, minority interests, affordable consideration, vendor finance, company cash and the security of future payments.
Tax reliefs
Capital-gains and inheritance-tax relief conditions, hold-over claims, business status and the effect of planned structural changes.
Family fairness
Income needs, non-business assets, equalisation, communication and the risk of passive shareholders frustrating business decisions.
Legal resilience
Articles, shareholder agreements, wills, powers of attorney, insurance and the documentation for incapacity, death or disagreement.
What changes the answer
Fair, equal and commercially workable are not always the same.
The strongest plans make trade-offs visible and document why the chosen route serves the business and family.
- 01Who is capable and willing to lead, and when should real decision-making authority transfer?
- 02What capital or income does the outgoing owner need, and can the business fund it safely?
- 03How should value be shared between active and non-active family members without destabilising control?
- 04Which tax reliefs and governance protections rely on the business remaining within defined conditions?
How UA Tax works
A clear route from question to implementation
You will know what we need, what we will deliver and which decisions remain yours.
Define the decision
We clarify what you need to achieve, the deadline and the commercial constraints before considering tax treatments.
Establish the facts
We review the records, ownership, prior filings and relevant transactions so the advice starts from reliable information.
Compare the routes
You receive a clear explanation of the viable options, their tax effects, practical risks and implementation sequence.
Implement and document
Once scope and fees are agreed, we coordinate the filings, elections, clearances and other advisers needed to complete the work.
Questions worth asking
Frequently asked questions
How early should business succession planning start?
Several years before the intended transition where possible. Time allows leadership to develop, funding to be accumulated and relief conditions or structural changes to mature without artificial urgency.
Should I gift or sell shares to the next generation?
It depends on your need for capital, the recipient’s ability to fund a purchase, valuation, tax reliefs and the desired transfer of control. A mixture or staged route may be more appropriate.
Can I keep control while giving away future growth?
Potentially, through carefully designed share rights or phased transfers. The tax valuation, settlements legislation, governance and commercial reality must all support the arrangement.
What if one child works in the business and another does not?
Equal shareholdings can create governance and fairness problems. Non-business assets, different economic rights, insurance or trusts may help, but the solution needs family and legal input as well as tax advice.
Can the company buy the founder’s shares?
A purchase of own shares may be possible and can sometimes receive capital treatment if detailed conditions are met. Company law, distributable reserves, funding and tax clearance should be reviewed before agreement.
Does Business Relief remove inheritance tax from the plan?
Do not assume so. Qualification depends on the asset and business activities, and relief rules can change. Exposure, liquidity and governance should be modelled even where relief is expected.
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Related advice
Bring the decision into focus before you act.
Start with a short initial call, or book a focused consultation if you already have a specific transaction or technical question to resolve.