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

Method of transferring pure risks that is perhaps the seed of the modern day insurance policy. Ancient Greece held to the concept that a loan on a ship was canceled if the ship failed to ...

Elements within a group under study that have the same characteristic (s), have the same expectation of loss, are very much alike with respect to the variable under consideration, and do ...

Life insurance policy clause. If at the end of the grace period the premium due has not been paid, a policy loan will automatically be made from the policy's cash value to pay the premium. ...

Same as term Occurrence Basis: coverage, in liability insurance, for harm suffered by others because of events occurring while a policy is in force, regardless of when a claim is actually ...

Same as term Cost-Of-Living Adjustment: automatic adjustment applied to Social Security retirement payments when the consumer price index increases at a rate of at least 3%, the first ...

Same as term Excess of Loss reinsurance: method whereby an insurer pays the amount of each claim for each risk up to a limit determined in advance and the reinsurer pays the amount of the ...

Money paid through state and federal programs to workers who are temporarily unemployed. The program, which was created by the social security act of 1935, is managed by the individual ...

Insured peril in some property insurance policies that encompasses any accidental damage to insured property while being removed to safety from the immediate threat of damage by another ...

Account established to manage the assets of a minor. This account is under the auspices of a custodian (either an individual or an institution). The gift tax exclusion would apply on any ...

Popular Insurance Questions