Has anyone done the whole paying of inheritance tax themselves without recourse to expensive lawyers?

I'm trying to find out what tax form to complete. For non residents it's 650, 651 or 652. I am completely unable to find out what form it is for residents.

Also does anyone know who has the say on valuation of assets? Apart from the Catastral Value which is a known amount anything else has to be guesswork. Somewhere in Hacienda there must be an office or individual with this responsibility.

The situation is a simple one in Valencia Community and using a lawyer is not an option.

Use a local Gestor - lawyers are far too expensive.

The valuation is whatever you put on it but the minimum acceptable figure is the catastral value multiplied by a factor that varies from town to town but is typically 3, or the escritura value, whichever is greater.

The allowances vary from region to region and keep changing.

This is not a place for DIY declarations unless you really know what you are doing.

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Even gestors charge over 2,000€. I can't see how hard it can be. The only point of contention might be the valuation.

I'm beginning, for the first time in 13 years, to wish I'd never come here. Hope I'm just feeling low for now

Sorry for your loss. I would say the same as Fred as there is a lot involved and takes a time to sort everything out. Are you anywhere near to Alzira because if you are I can give you the name of the lawyer that dealt with my paperwork when my husband died and it cost me a lot less than 2000euros.

Rosemary

Sadly I'm not that close. If I had that sort of money I'd be using it to heat the house. it's freezing at around 12deg and I can only just afford a few logs in the evening.

You can see the value Factor that Hacienda will use on this site for the Valencia region. It's actually a mask of an Excel spreadsheet.

http://csi.ha.gva.es/kiosko/valor_bi...el_idioma=CAST

The allowances changed in the Valencia region on the 6th August 2013. Providing you and the deceased were fiscal residents of Valencia, the allowances for Group 2 ( spouse, descendants, ascendants etc) are €100,000. Above that there is relief of 75% of the tax calculated. In other words, if the value of assets ( excluding property) is €150,000' the first €100,000 is exempt, and then after calculating the tax on €50,000 ( just google inheritance tax rates in Spain), discount it by 75%. The tax on €50,000 is about €5,000' so discounted it would be about €1,250.

In terms of property, assuming you are a Group 2 inheritor, then the allowance is €150,000, with 95% relief in any tax due providing you retain the property for 5 years.

Hopefully, this will allow you to provisionally work out your liability, but I would agree with Fred, that you should use an gestor to actually complete the submission.

Thank you capn. That's a very useful little app. I guess you are all right I will have to use a gestor so Monday will be shopping around for one.

Thanks for all replies.

We empathise. Last year we changed over to the Spanish way of doing things and it works! There are those who will sneer and say it's not exactly 'living the dream' but each to his own and sometimes we have to cut our cloth according to the width. So, we bought a gas 'brasero' last year and put it under the table as the Spanish do, with a very thick cloth over to floor level and then the whole lot covered by a glass table top. Actually we improvised with two glass doors one on top if the other bought from the 'oportunidades' in Ikea but the principal is the same. We also cut the table legs down by a couple of inches because to me, having a sofa behind a full height table is weird! The cloth is then pulled over your knees while you're working or watching telly. You'll find you don't need the heat so much when you're trotting round the house. It's cut my heating costs by 2/3rds I'd say! the way we've done it the table top is supported by a smaller table so there's even room for our footstools under the sides. Toasty!
Hope you get your problems sorted out. Tell your gestor of your financial difficulties and they can probably arrange a deferrment of payments on the debt with very low interest called "Aplazamiento". Hope this helps.

What a good idea. You should be appearing on George's small spaces!

Out on those who sneer!!

I am going to see a gestor next week I think. I have a friend who is half Spanish, half French and married to a brit and she'll help. I speak some Spanish but not enough to navigate difficult territory!

I had hoped to go it alone but I think I must shelve my pride.

The idea of a low cost loan is good. This last year has involved unexpected costs and it's not as though I could get a quick sale on the house. Well not within 6 months at a price which will see me through anyway.

Ha Ha. If we'd built a smaller house we might have been better off. But hindsight is a wonderful thing!
In my experience gestors, like accountants can save you a lot of money even though they're expensive. But get a good one from recommendations. Like everything else I'd imagine that there are those who work for you and there are those who work only for themselves. I was lucky. My gestor is expensive but she really seems to care about looking after me and helping me not to worry so much!

Why not ask on here if anyone can recommend a good gestor in your area or even the ones to avoid.

Rosemary

I have had one local recommendation that I haven't followed up on.

Pego or Denia are my nearest towns.

One of the things that I have just thought of is that when you deal with the bank you will need a certificate from Madrid to say that this is the only last testament that is registered with them.

Rosemary

Inheritance taxes are dealt with by the local autonomy. You can find form 650 for Valencia here and there are also instructions.

http://www.chap.gva.es/web/html/port...claraciones_SD

You could try completing it yourself before spending money on a gestor. Good luck!