Federal and State Estate Tax Chart
| Year | Federal Estate Tax Rate | Federal Exemption Amount* | Connecticut Exemption Amount** | Massachusetts Exemption Amount** | Florida & New Hampshire |
| 2007 | 45% | $2 million | $2 million | $1 million | no state estate tax |
| 2008 | 45% | $2 million | $2 million | $1 million | no state estate tax |
| 2009 | 45% | $3.5 million | $2 million | $1 million | no state estate tax |
| 2010*** | 0% | no federal estate | $2 million | $1 million | no state estate tax |
| 2011 & thereafter*** | 55% | $1 million | $2 million | $1 million | no state estate tax |
*Note that the federal government technically provides a credit against taxes, which effectively translates into the applicable exemption amount listed above.
**Note that the estate tax "exemption" amounts in MA and CT is not a true exemption at all. If a person dies with an estate valued less than or equal to the state exemption amount, no estate tax applies. If the estate is over the state exemption amount, then the entire taxable estate (back to dollar one) will be subject to state estate tax in MA or CT as the case may be.
***Note that the estate tax relief passed in 2001 "sunsets" in 2011. We anticipate that the federal estate tax rules will likely be revisited by Congress before 2010.