Definition of "Federal estate tax"

Mike Williams real estate agent

Written by

Mike Williamselite badge icon

Keller Williams

Federal tax imposed on the estate of a decedent according to the value of that estate. The first step in the computation of the federal estate tax owed is to determine the value of the decedent's gross estate. This determination can be made by adding the following values of assets owned by the decedent at the time of death:

  1. property owned outright.
  2. gratuitous lifetime transfers, but with the stipulation that the decedent retained the income or control over the income.
  3. gratuitous lifetime transfers subject to the recipient's surviving the decedent.
  4. gratuitous lifetime transfers subject to the decedent's retaining the right to revoke, amend, or alter the gift.
  5. annuities purchased by the decedent that are payable for the life time of the named survivor as well as the annuitant.
  6. property jointly held in such a manner that another party receives the decedent's interest in that property at the decedent's death because of that party's survivor ship.
  7. life insurance in which the decedent retained incidents of ownership.
  8. life insurance that was payable to the decedent's estate.
The second step in the computation of the federal estate tax owed is to subtract allowable deductions (including bequests to charities, bequests to the surviving spouse, funeral expenses, and other administration expenses) from the gross estate. This results in the taxable estate. Adjustable taxable gifts are then added to the taxable estate, resulting in the computational tax base. From the table below, the appropriate tax rate is then applied to the computational tax base, resulting in the tentative (certain credits may still be subtracted) federal estate tax.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Same as term Underwriting Gain Loss): profit ( deficit) that remains after paying claims and expenses. Insurers generate profits from underwriting and from investment income. Their chief ...

Clause added to an insurance policy providing waiver of premium (WP) if the premium payer dies or becomes disabled. For example, this option is available on insurance policies on a child's ...

Named peril policy is how it’s called in the Real Estate Industry the insurance policies that specify the perils it covers. Under a named peril policy, if anything that isn’t ...

Policy provision that provides coverage for continuing payroll expense of all employees of an insured business (except for officers and executives) for the first specified number of days of ...

Minimum degree of injury or loss for which an injured party can sue, even though covered by no fault automobile insurance. Traditionally, an accident victim had to prove the other driver ...

In life insurance, the exchange of a series of installment payments, as the result of an installment settlement, for a lump sum distribution. ...

Percentage of total assets set aside by an insurance company to provide for unexpected losses. In general, a minimum of a 5% surplus ratio (5 cents in reserve for each $1 of assets) is ...

Separate trust established by a charitable entity whose purpose is to receive contributions from numerous donors. All the donors' contributions are commingled. Each donor can retain a ...

Specific date determined by the Internal Revenue Service on which a beneficiary has received a death benefit from an insurance company, an annuitant has received an income benefit, or a ...

Popular Insurance Questions