[Verse 1]
When someone passes away, their assets come to light
The gross estate awakens, everything in sight
From twenty-thirty-one through forty-six we find
What belongs inside this taxable design
Bank accounts and houses, stocks and precious gold
Every piece of property that person used to hold
[Chorus]
Remember the big five that pull you back inside
Revocable transfers, retained interests collide
Joint ownership calling, life insurance too
Powers of appointment bring the assets back to you
Twenty-thirty-eight, thirty-six, then forty, forty-one, forty-two
These code sections capture what belongs in the review
[Verse 2]
Deductions slice the burden when the numbers get too steep
Marital deduction lets the spouse the money keep
Twenty-fifty-six for marriage, fifty-five for charity's embrace
Debts and funeral expenses also find their place
DSUE portability means unused amounts can flow
From deceased spouse to surviving spouse, that's how the credits grow
[Chorus]
Remember the big five that pull you back inside
Revocable transfers, retained interests collide
Joint ownership calling, life insurance too
Powers of appointment bring the assets back to you
Twenty-thirty-eight, thirty-six, then forty, forty-one, forty-two
These code sections capture what belongs in the review
[Bridge]
Sixty-one-sixty-six defers the tax when business interests bind
Twenty-thirty-two-A values farms with special use in mind
Ten-fourteen steps up the basis when inheritance arrives
Planning opportunities multiply when someone dies
[Verse 3]
Unified credit shields the first eleven million clear
Calculate the tax burden, then subtract what's sheltered here
Closely held enterprises get extended time to pay
Special use for farmland keeps assessments held at bay
[Outro]
From gross estate to final bill, the journey's long and wide
But knowing all these rules helps keep the family's wealth inside