The federal estate tax affects only about 0.1% of Americans. However, the repeal of that tax could affect all of us. This article addresses what you should know as Congress considers pending ...

Yes, there is a federal estate tax. It ranges from 18% to 40%, depending on how much of the estate is over $13.61 million, which is the current exclusion limit.

The federal estate tax doesn’t apply unless you hit a certain exemption amount. The exemption amount for people who pass away in 2025 is $13.99 million (up from $13.6 million last year).

But there’s a big catch: The federal estate tax applies only if the taxable estate exceeds $13.99 million. Anything under that threshold can typically pass to heirs tax-free at the federal level.

In the 1920s, they banded together in Congress to enact a federal estate tax, and then provided that people could deduct their state estate tax liabilities from the federal tax.

The exemption eliminates federal estate taxes on amounts up to the threshold of $13.61 million (currently) either (1) gifted to family members during your lifetime or (2) bequeathed to someone ...

Paying estate taxes: In the United States, the federal estate tax only applies to estates exceeding a certain value, which as of 2024, is $13.6 million. Simply put, ...

It is likely that when we get to that sunset, the federal estate and gift tax exemptions may be reduced by 50% or more — from as much as $14 million or more to less than $7 million.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are mounting a massive effort to repeal the federal inheritance tax, colloquially known as the "death tax." Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, is leading more than 170 ...

There is a federal estate tax, however, which is paid by the estate of the deceased. In 2025, the first $13.99 million of an estate is exempt from the estate tax.