LegalClarity
April 4th, 2026
State inheritance laws vary more than you might expect — learn how they affect spousal rights, what happens without a will, and which states impose inheritance taxes.
State law controls almost every aspect of how property passes after someone dies, and those laws vary enough to produce wildly different outcomes depending on where the deceased person lived. A surviving spouse in one state might inherit everything automatically, while in another state that same spouse would need to petition a court just to claim a statutory minimum. The federal estate tax exemption sits at $15 million per person for 2026, but a handful of states start taxing estates worth as little as $1 million.
