Maine has a State Estate Tax

 

Only a few states collect their own estate or inheritance tax. Find out if Maine collects either (or both) taxes on the estate after someone has died.

ADVERTISEMENT -

.
 

Maine residents are subject to an estate tax for estates of more than $6.41 million or more for 2023. This tax falls on the estate of the person who died, the beneficiaries or heirs inherit what's left. There is no inheritance tax in Maine, this would be tax that falls on the heirs and beneficiaries, not on the estate of the person who died. The Maine estate tax rate, however, is much lower than the federal estate tax rate; the maximum rate is 12%.

This state-specific estate tax is in addition to the federal estate tax, and that tax also falls on the estate of the person who died, not on the people who inherit that property. There is an exemption of  $13,610,000, and only people who die with an estate larger than that exemption will have to pay estate tax, which means that it is estimated that only the richest .14% of Americans will be subject to the estate tax at all, or only 2 out of every 1,000 people who die.

If someone dies in Maine with less than the exemption amount (currently $13,610,000), their estate doesn't owe any federal estate tax, and if someone dies in Maine with an estate worth less than $6.41 million, there is no Maine estate tax, either. The heirs and beneficiaries inherit the property free of tax, and don't pay income tax on it, either, because inherited property is not ordinary income. The only exception to this are inherited retirement accounts, which are subject to income tax as the assets are withdrawn.

Maine estate tax returns and information are available from Maine Revenue Services





Jurisdictional relevance: ST

There are versions of this article for each State.