# Estate taxes for non-resident US citizens **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-taxes-for-non-resident-us-citizens/754415 "2016-05-09T17:39:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-taxes-for-non-resident-us-citizens/754415/1 "2016-05-09T17:39:24Z")
I have tried googling this, but the only information I can get concerns estate taxes for non-citizen non-residents. Our financial advisor claims that I will get no exemption (or actually a very tiny one) if I die and all my heirs are in the US. So, I am American born, have been living in Canada for 48 years and all my kids live in the US. I guess when my house is sold, I will have an estate in the neighborhood of $1.5 M, of which $100,000 is in US banks. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-taxes-for-non-resident-us-citizens/754415/2 "2016-05-09T18:38:05Z")
Don’t know as I can help, but have you seen [this webpage](http://thunfinancial.com/international-estate-planning-cross-border-families/) from one investment advisor on estate planning for U.S. citizens abroad? Given the size of your projected estate, that article would seem to indicate you don’t meet the threshold for owing estate taxes under current law, at least to the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-taxes-for-non-resident-us-citizens/754415/3 "2016-05-09T19:45:20Z")
Thanks, that would seem to cover it. I will send the link to my investment advisor. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-taxes-for-non-resident-us-citizens/754415/4 "2016-05-10T04:26:54Z")
Estate Tax treats citizens and residents identically; only nonresident aliens who have US assets are treated differently. There’s no information about nonresident citizens because there’s nothing interesting about the situation. As a citizen you should get the normal exclusion, which is well over the size of your estate. It was enacted at $5 million and there’s a few years of inflation to add to that. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-taxes-for-non-resident-us-citizens/754415/5 "2016-05-10T21:38:28Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Estate Tax treats citizens and residents identically; only nonresident aliens who have US assets are treated differently. There’s no information about nonresident citizens because there’s nothing interesting about the situation. As a citizen you should get the normal exclusion, which is well over the size of your estate. It was enacted at $5 million and there’s a few years of inflation to add to that. That’s what I have believed until I got this analysis of my financial status from an advisor who doesn’t understand this. I will send him that link.