Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Re: My sister left me $60,000. IRS is charging me 12,000. in taxes. Is this right?

I (or a tax preparer) would need to know more. If the estate is $200,000, there wouldn't be estate tax, and California' inheritance tax is only assessed if there's a federal estate tax. The taxes could be for income the inheritance generated, or if they're otherwise due for something like an IRA or annuity. Review the proposed taxes with a tax professional--if they're legitimate, there may still be ways to postpone them or pay less.

Re: My sister left me $60,000. IRS is charging me 12,000. in taxes. Is this right?

The numbers could be right, but the money should be coming from her estate, I concur that you need to discuss this with an accountant. I would need some more information to assess your situation: was there a Probate? Was it handled by an estate planning attorney or a general counsel? There are certainly ways to defer the payment as well as to reduce the amount, but, again, I would need more information.

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