Marital deduction

From the 2024 DOR Tax Exemption Study

§ 2044 marital property provisions, regardless of date acquired, and amounts adjusting the taxable estate under RCW 83.100.046, RCW 83.100.047, and RCW 83.100.048.7 Under Washington estate tax law, the Washington taxable estate is reduced by an amount defined by statute (“applicable exclusion”).8 The amount of the federal applicable exclusion from the taxable estate has historically been greater than the Washington applicable exclusion. Estates that are not required to file federal estate tax returns because the estate’s value is smaller than the federal exclusion, may nevertheless be required to file a Washington estate tax return if the estate value is greater than the Washington exclusion. 3 RCW 83.100.048; I.R.C. § 2057(e)(1). 4 RCW 83.100.048(6)(a); RCW 83.100.046(10). 5 RCW 83.100.020(8; RCW 83.100.040(3). 6 I.R.C. §§ 2001(a), 2035(b), 2051. 7 RCW 83.100.020(15). RCW 83.100.048 is a deduction for qualified family owned business interests. 8 For federal estates, the applicable exclusion functions to exempt a certain amount of value from the estate, equivalent to an applicable credit amount. See I.R.C. § 2010(c)(3); RCW 83.100.020(1), RCW 83.100.040(3). Page 2