Does survivor of joint account pay inheritance tax or does the estate?

This question has several answers depending upon what the will says and what the inheritance tax laws of the estate's jurisdiction say. In New Jersey at least, the "inheritance tax" is a tax on what a person inherits from the estate. For this reason the tax is payable by the person who inherits the property. Despite this rule, a person may provided in his will that the estate shall pay all inheritance taxes that have to be paid. It's the decedent's choice; but if the will says nothing about the estate paying the inheritance tax, then the beneficiary pays it. Its very important to check your particular state's laws on this matter. Sometimes this issue is unclear and gets decided on the basis of very subtle language in the will. That's when lawsuits start. See a probate lawyer who has experience and knowledge in how past court cases have decided cases like yours. Plus, if you are the person making the will, and you want one way over the other, then be sure your will is drafted with the proper language so there is no mistake later on. And just in case I misunderstood what the questioner really wanted to know, let me add this. A joint bank account will probably be treated just as if it was given to the surviving joint owner via a will. Joint bank accounts, "in trust for" accounts and "payable on death" accounts might incur inheritance taxes just as if the accounts had been given by a will. There is this exception to that rule: The inheritance tax on a joint account is calculated only to the extent that the money in the account is the decedent's. If two people each contribute half of the total amount of the account, then the Survivor would pay inheritance tax on half the account. If the decedent is the only contributor to the account (meaning all the money in the account is the decedent's) then the inheritance tax is calculated on the entire amount. Again all depends on that state's laws.