inheritance tax

noun

1

: a tax on a decedent's net estate that is levied after the estate is transmitted to the inheritors

2

: death tax

especially : estate tax

Examples of inheritance tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Older people are becoming increasingly vulnerable to scams, and the latest target appears to be inheritance tax. —Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 13 May 2026

While Texas has no state income tax, North Carolina just lowered its own income tax rate to a flat 3.99%, with a complete exemption for Social Security, and no state estate or inheritance tax. —William P. Barrett, Forbes.com, 8 May 2026

More estates will be dragged into paying inheritance tax while changes targeting wealthy ‘non-dom’ residents also kick in. —Ian King, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026

The register of wills collects and manages inheritance tax — a tax paid by heirs who receive money, property or other assets from the estate of a deceased person. —Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for inheritance tax

• almanacs
• carrybacks
• haversacks
• lumberjacks
• maniacs
• microcracks
• minimax
• paperbacks
• parallax
• quarterbacks
• sticklebacks
• telefax

Legal Definition

inheritance tax

noun

: an excise tax that is levied upon the privilege of receiving property as heir or next of kin under the law of intestacy and that is measured by the value of the property received compare estate tax