Where can I find out about inheritance tax and whether or not that tax has been paid by someone?

Question

Would that be state or Federal or both? Isn't this info public like property taxes? Please settle this dispute. I need to know who is right, me or my sister.

Answer 1

I don't know about a website. But one example of a family having to pay it was the family of Joe Robbie. He owned the Miami dolphins football team. When he died they had to sell the team in order to pay the death tax.

Answer 2

It depends on when the person died and in what state, or what state the property was in at the time of death. If the estate was worth enough to require payment of an inheritance tax, then there is a record, but inheritance tax records, like most income-type tax records, are protected by privacy laws.

In most cases, the reason for an inheritance tax having to be paid is due to real estate holdings, and those are a matter of public record. The failure to pay an inheritance tax on real estate creates a lien automatically, and the estate or co-owner (widow or widower, usually) should obtain proof from the state and/or federal government that the tax has been paid or that there is no tax due. That document should be recorded in the registry of deeds where the property deed is recorded, and those are public records also.

Unless the total estate property (not including property that passes by joint ownership) is or was close to or over a million dollars is there likely to be a federal estate tax due. State inheritance tax thresholds vary quite a bit more, but most states used to just take a share of the federal estate tax. Now that that tax is being phased out, states have changed to impose their own estate taxes.

Answer 3

All wrong - there is no such thing as an "inheritance tax" anymore.

There is an estate tax, paid by the estate of the deceased, where the taxable estate is more than $2 million (2006).

The estate tax return is private. However, if there were probate proceedings (in the county where the deceased lived), those files would be open to the public and one may be able to deduce (however, not with certainty) whether estate taxes had been paid.

Most states have their own estate taxes, in addition to the federal estate tax.

Answer 4

All matters such as those would be filed at the court house in the county the estate was opened. All taxes are payed by the estate from the estate. The taxes would be paid before the inheritance would be distributed. This has to be done before the estate can be closed. Laws do vary from state to state, but still are pretty basic. Most estate information is public record, except for certain amounts of money, social security numbers, etc...

Answer 5

it's neither. think of it more on a personal level, or only regarding the property and who's conveying or receiving title; it's not public info. an attorney in the county the property is located in might be able to find out, and unless you're the person buying or selling, there's really no way you can find out.