Estate tax is a federal tax on the transfer of wealth when someone dies. It applies to the total value of a person's assets—property, investments, bank accounts, and other holdings—before those assets pass to heirs or beneficiaries. Most estates fall below the threshold where this tax kicks in, but understanding how estate tax works matters if you're managing significant wealth, planning to leave money to family members, or trying to understand how different types of property are valued and transferred after death.
The articles here explain how estate tax differs from income tax and inheritance tax, what assets count toward the taxable estate, how the tax rate and exemption threshold work, and what strategies people use to reduce estate tax liability. You'll also find information about how life insurance, trusts, and gifts interact with estate tax rules, and what happens to the exemption amount over time.