re: I don't understand inheritance tax

quote:

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So how much can one person leave to their children?

Say a widow has 6 million in estate and leaves it to her two children. Does the 5.4 apply to what's being left or what's being received?

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If this is a legitimate concern I'd highly recommend hiring a quality tax attorney.

That being said, usually the tax only applies to the balance over the exclusion - $600k in this case.

Additionally, the fact that she is a widow may give her some benefits depending upon how much of the estate came from her deceases spouse and when that occurred. This sounds pretty specific and not simply hypothetical so don't take advice for free on a message board when you're staring at a potential $300k tax plus God knows what else after death.