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HB0098 • 2026

Inheritance Tax - Beneficiaries of Limited Means - Installment Payments

Inheritance Tax - Beneficiaries of Limited Means - Installment Payments

Taxes
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Delegate Cardin
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
In the House - Hearing 1/20 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Inheritance Tax - Beneficiaries of Limited Means - Installment Payments

Requiring a register of wills to allow an installment payment plan for the inheritance tax to be paid by a certain beneficiary of limited means under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations; and applying the Act to all decedents dying on or after July 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring a register of wills to allow an installment payment plan for the inheritance tax to be paid by a certain beneficiary of limited means under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations; and applying the Act to all decedents dying on or after July 1, 2026.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-14 House

    First Reading Ways and Means

  2. 2026-01-13 House

    Hearing 1/20 at 1:00 p.m.

  3. 2025-09-25 House

    Pre-filed

  4. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Inheritance Tax - Beneficiaries of Limited Means - Installment Payments

Official Summary Text

Requiring a register of wills to allow an installment payment plan for the inheritance tax to be paid by a certain beneficiary of limited means under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations; and applying the Act to all decedents dying on or after July 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0098*

HOUSE BILL 98
Q7 6lr0964
HB 245/25 – W&M (PRE–FILED)
By: Delegate Cardin
Requested: September 25, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Inheritance Tax – Beneficiaries of Limited Means – Installment Payments 2

FOR the purpose of requiring a register of wills to allow an installment payment plan for 3
the inheritance tax to be paid by a certain beneficiary of limited means under certain 4
circumstances and subject to certain limitations; and generally relating to the 5
inheritance tax. 6

BY adding to 7
Article – Tax – General 8
Section 7–218.1 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13

Article – Tax – General 14

7–218.1. 15

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 16
INDICATED. 17

(2) “AGRICULTURAL LAND” MEANS REAL PROPERTY THAT IS OR WAS 18
ASSESSED ON THE BASI S OF FARM OR AGRICUL TURAL USE UNDER § 8–209 OF THE 19
TAX – PROPERTY ARTICLE. 20

2 HOUSE BILL 98

(3) “BENEFICIARY OF LIMITE D MEANS ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL 1
ENTITLED TO PROPERTY OF A DECEDENT IF THE INDIVIDUAL’S FEDERAL ADJUSTED 2
GROSS INCOME DOES NOT EXCEED: 3

(I) $125,000 FOR AN INDIVIDUAL OTHER THAN AN INDIVIDUAL 4
DESCRIBED IN ITEM (II) OF THIS PARAGRAPH; OR 5

(II) $250,000 FOR SPOUSES FILING A JOINT RETURN OR FOR A 6
SURVIVING SPOUSE OR HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD AS DEFINED IN § 2 OF THE INTERNAL 7
REVENUE CODE. 8

(4) “ELIGIBLE REAL PROPERTY” MEANS REAL PROPERTY THAT: 9

(I) PASSES FROM THE DECE DENT TO A BENEFICIAR Y OF 10
LIMITED MEANS; AND 11

(II) 1. IS THE PRIMARY RESIDENCE OF THE BENEFICIARY OF 12
LIMITED MEANS; OR 13

2. IS AGRICULTURAL LAND THAT THE BENEFICIARY OF 14
LIMITED MEANS MAINTAINS AS AGRICULTURAL LAND. 15

(5) “FEDERAL ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME” HAS THE MEANING STATED 16
IN § 10–101 OF THIS ARTICLE. 17

(B) ON APPLICATION OF A BENEFICIARY OF LIMITED MEANS, THE REGISTER 18
WHO DETERMINES THE INHERITANCE TAX UNDER § 7–214 OF THIS SUBTITLE SHALL 19
ALLOW AN INSTALLMENT PAYMENT PLAN FOR THE INHERITANCE TAX TO BE PAID BY 20
THE BENEFICIARY OF L IMITED MEANS ON ELIG IBLE REAL PROPERTY I F PAYMENT 21
OF THE INHERITANCE T AX ON THE DUE DATE W OULD REQUIRE THE SAL E OF THE 22
ELIGIBLE REAL PROPERTY. 23

(C) A BENEFICIARY OF LIMITED MEANS MAY APPLY FOR THE INSTALLMENT 24
PAYMENT PLAN BY FILING WITH THE REGISTER AN APPLICATION ON THE FORM AND 25
IN THE MANNER THAT THE REGISTER REQUIRES. 26

(D) THE REGISTER SHALL SPECIFY THE INSTALLMENT PAYMENT SCHEDULE 27
AND THE AMOUNT OF AN Y INSTALLMENT PAYMEN TS AUTHORIZED UNDER THIS 28
SECTION. 29

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 30
1, 2026, and shall be applicable to all decedents dying on or after July 1, 2026. 31