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     OHIO           ESTATE  TAX 

     RETURN AND 

     INSTRUCTIONS 

     For estates with dates of death 
     Jan. 1, 2002 – Dec. 31, 2012 with a 
     gross value of more than $338,333. 

     Department of 
     Taxation 
Ohio 

                                         Revised 4/12 



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For completing the Ohio Estate Tax Return for estates with dates 
                   of death Jan. 1, 2002 – Dec. 31, 2012, 
                        please review the following: 

    Read the General Information Section located on pages 6 and 7 for in-
          structions. 

    Complete only the applicable schedules of the return, which are available 
          through our Web site (tax.ohio.gov) or by contacting the Ohio Department 
          of Taxation. See pages 4 and 5 for listing of schedules. 

    Check your computation. 

    Follow the instructions in the General Information Section, page 6, for 
          where to file and pay. 

Note:  Estates with dates of death Jan. 1, 2001 – Dec. 31, 2001 are required to file 
       an Ohio Estate Tax Form 2, Revised 1/2001. 

       Estates with dates of death prior to Jan. 1, 2001 are required to file an Ohio 
       Estate Tax Form 2, Revised 3/00. 

         For further information, please contact the Estate Tax Unit’s 
                 toll-free information and assistance line 
                                         at 
                                 1 (800) 977-7711 

                            Ohio Relay Service
                        (                         )
                                 1 (800) 750-0750 



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                                                                                 Reset Form
                                                                                                                                                   Estate Tax Form 2 
                                  Ohio Estate Tax Return for all Resident Filings                                                                  Rev. 4/12 
                                  for Dates of Death Jan. 1, 2002 – Dec. 31, 2012 
                                            File in Duplicate with the Probate Court 
                                            Check one:           Taxable         Nontaxable 
Estate of: Decedent’s last name                        Decedent’s first name and initial                                             Date of death 

Date of birth                                          Cause of death                                                                Occupation 
                                                                                                                                     Decedent retired  Yes   No 
Address of decedent at time of death (number and street, city,  state and ZIP code)                                                  Decedent’s social security number 

County in Ohio in which probate court located, where will probated or estate administered                                            Case number 

                                                       Tax Computation 
1. Total gross estate (if less than $338,333, return is not required) (from page 2)                      $
2. Total deductions (from page 2)                                                                        $   (                        ) 
3. Net taxable estate (line 1 minus line 2)                                                              $
4. Tentative tax based on line 3 (use table on page 2)                                                   $
5. Less: Estate tax credit                                                                               $ ( 13,900 ) 
6. Tax (subtract line 5 from line 4; if line 5 is more than line 4, enter - 0 -)                         $
7. Less: Previous payments (exclude any interest or penalty paid)                                        $  (                         ) 
8. Balance due  (if amount on line 7 is less than tax amount on line 6, enter difference as balance due) $
9. Overpayment (if amount on line 7 is greater than tax amount on line 6, enter difference as a refund)  $   (                        ) 

                           Executor/Administrator Waiver to Receive Correspondence 
I/we do not wish to receive further correspondence from the Ohio Department of Taxation regarding this estate, and hereby authorize 
all such communication to be directed only to the estate’s legal representative named below. 

                                                                                 Signature of executor/administrator 

                                                                                 Declaration 
Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this return, including accompanying schedules and statements, and to the best 
of my knowledge and belief, it is true, correct and complete. Declaration of preparer other than the deceased’s personal representative or 
person in possession of property is based on all information of which preparer has any knowledge. 
Name of attorney representing the estate    Address (number and street, city, state and ZIP code)                                       Telephone number 

Name of executor/administrator(s)           Address (number and street, city, state and ZIP code)                                       Telephone number 

Signature of executor/administrator(s)      Date                                         Signature of preparer                          Date 

Date Filed with Probate Court               Distribution of Subdivision’s Share of Tax                                                             Date Received by 
                                            (Section 5731.48 and 5731.50 O.R.C.)                                                        Ohio Department of Taxation 
                                            Percentage                                                     City, Village or Township 

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                                         Recapitulation of Assets 
                                                                                                                                     Value at 
                     Schedule                                                        Alternate Value                                 Date of Death 
A.  Real property ............................................................  $                                                  $ 
B. Stocks and bonds ..................................................... 
C.  Mortgages, notes and cash ...................................... 
D. Insurance .................................................................. 
E. See Schedule E, Part I ............................................. 
  Joint and Survivorship Property, Part II ...................... 
F.  Other miscellaneous property ................................... 
G.  Transfers during lifetime ............................................ 
H.  Powers of appointment ............................................. 
I.  Annuities, pensions, retirement plans ....................... 

Total gross estate (enter on line 1, page 1) ...............                    $                                                  $ 

                                    Recapitulation of Deductions 

                              Schedule                                                                                               Amount 

J.  Debts and administration expenses ................................................................................  $ 
K.  Charitable bequests ........................................................................................................ 
L.  Marital deduction ............................................................................................................ 

T.  Qualified family-owned business interest deduction – REPEALED* ................................. 

Total deductions (enter on line 2, page 1) .......................................................................  $ 

                                         Elections by the Executor 
Please check the “yes” or “no” box for each question. (See explanation of elections on pages 8 and 9.)                                       Yes   No 
1.  Do you elect alternate valuation? O.R.C. Section 5731.01(A) and (D).................................................. 

2.  Do you elect qualified farm property valuation? O.R.C. Section 5731.011 ............................................ 

3.  Do you elect to claim a marital deduction for qualified terminable interest property (QTIP)? 
  O.R.C. Section 5731.15(B)(2) ............................................................................................................. 

4.  Do you elect to claim a deduction for a qualified family-owned business interest? 
I O.R.C. Section 5731.20 REPEALED* ..............................................................................................I 

                                                 Tax Table 

  Net Taxable Estate (from line 3, page 1)                                                             Tax Rate 

  More than $338,333, but not more than $500,000                                     $13,900 + 6% of excess more than $338,333 

  More than $500,000                                                                 $23,600 + 7% of excess more than $500,000 

*Not available for estates with a date of death on or after July 1, 2005. See page 9 for a detailed explanation. 
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                                                     Information 
                                                                                                                                                 Yes No 
1.  Did the decedent die testate? .............................................................................................................. 
If yes, please attach a copy of the will. 
2.  During the decedent’s lifetime, were there any trusts created (by the decedent or others for the decedent)? ..... 
If yes, please attach a copy of the trust. 
3.  Were any disclaimers filed or elections to take against the will made? ................................................ 
If yes, please attach copies of the disclaimer or election. 

4.  Have federal gift tax returns ever been filed? ......................................................................................... 
If yes, please attach copies of the returns. 

5.  Was a federal estate tax return required? ............................................................................................. 
If yes, please attach pages 1, 2 and 3 of Federal Form 706. 

6.  Did the decedent own any real property? ............................................................................................. 
If yes, please attach copies of any appraisals. 

7.  Marital status of the decedent at time of death: 
Married 
  Name of surviving spouse (if applicable) 
  Social security number of surviving spouse 
Single 
Legally separated 
Divorced 
Widowed 
  Name of deceased spouse 
  Social Security number of deceased spouse 
  Date of death of deceased spouse 
  Case number of deceased spouse’s estate 
  County of deceased spouse’s estate 

                                                                                                                                                 Yes No 

8.  If widow or widower, was a qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) deduction 
elected in the predeceased spouse’s estate? ..................................................................................... 

If yes, please read information below and complete Schedule F. 

O.R.C. Section 5731.131 requires the estate to include property in which the decedent had an income interest for life for 
which a marital deduction was allowed with respect to the transfer of that property under any of the following: 
a.  O.R.C. Section 5731.15(A)(1) (for dates of death on or before June 30, 1993) 
b.  O.R.C. Section 5731.15(B) (for dates of death on or after July 1, 1993) 

c.  I.R.C. Section 2523(f) (lifetime QTIP gift tax election) 
d.  Where the decedent’s predeceased spouse was not a resident of the state of Ohio but was permitted a marital 
deduction under I.R.C. Section 2056(b)(7). 

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Schedules of Assets 

Jointly owned property must be listed on Schedule E. 

Schedule A – Real Estate 

Schedule B – Stocks and Bonds 

Schedule C – Mortgages, Notes and Cash 

Schedule D – Insurance 

Schedule E – Joint and Survivorship Assets (O.R.C. Section 5731.10) 
Part I – Interest held by the Decedent and Spouse as the Only Joint Tenants 

Schedule E – Joint and Survivorship Assets (O.R.C. Section 5731.10) 
Part II – All Other Joint Interests 

Schedule F – Miscellaneous Property 

Schedule G – Transfers During Decedent’s Life 

Schedule H – Powers of Appointment 

Schedule I – Annuities, Pensions, Retirement and Other Employer 
Death Benefit Plans 

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Schedules of Deductions 

Schedule J – Debts and Administration Expenses 

Schedule K – Charitable Deduction 

Schedule L – Marital Deduction Reconciliation 

Schedule M – Bequests to Surviving Spouse 
Part I – Property Interests which are not subject to a QTIP Election 

Schedule M – Bequests to Surviving Spouse 
Part II – Property Interests which are subject to a QTIP Election 

Please visit our Web site at 

tax.ohio.gov

 to download these schedules. 

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                                General Information 

When an estate tax        Estates with a gross value of more than $338,333 are required to file an ET Form 2 and ET 
return is required        Form 22. Executors and administrators are responsible for filing the estate tax return. 
(Section 5731.21) 
                          Returns are not required to be filed for gross estates with a value of $338,333 or less. How-
                          ever, if the estate consists of real estate and has a value of $338,333 or less, an ET 
                          Form 22 should be filed with probate court to expedite the release of the real estate 
                          lien. 
Note: For dates           ET Form 22 will become obsolete for dates of death after Dec. 31, 2012. 
of death after 
Dec. 31, 2012 

What estate tax           If the date of death is between Jan. 1, 2002 – Dec. 31, 2012, Ohio Estate Tax Form 2, 
form is required          revised 4/2012, is required to be filed. 
to be completed 
                          If the date of death was between Jan. 1, 2001 – Dec. 31, 2001, Ohio Estate Tax Form 2, 
(Section 5731.21)         revised 1/2001, is required to be filed. 

                          If the date of death was prior to Jan. 1, 2001, Ohio Estate Tax Form 2, revised 3/2000, is 
                          required to be filed. 

When and where            Returns are required to be filed within nine months from decedent’s date of death (see Exten-
to file (Section 5731.21) sion of Time to File, below). All filings must be made in duplicate with the probate court 
                          where will is probated or estate is administered. 

When and where to         Tax and interest are paid at the county auditor’s office, with the check drawn to the order of the 
pay (tax and interest)    county treasurer. Interest begins to accrue at variable rates nine months from decedent’s date 
(Section 5731.23)         of death. The county auditor will calculate any interest owing. 

Extension of time         Estates of decedents with a date of death on or after Jan. 1, 2000 are granted an automatic 
to file (Section 5731.21) six-month extension, allowing them a total of 15 months to file the estate tax return. Any 
                          additional six-month extensions must be requested in writing directly to the Estate Tax Unit 
                          on ET Form 24 before the due date of the return. 
                          Interest on any estate tax due will be calculated from nine months from date of death 
                          regardless if the estate uses the automatic or additional extensions. To stop the ac-
                          crual of interest, an estimated payment of tax may be made. (See Estimated Pay-
                          ments on page 7.) 

Extension of time         Estates of decedents with a date of death on or after July 24, 1986 may request to extend the 
to pay (Section 5731.25)  time for payment of tax for undue hardship. Specific examples of undue hardship are listed in 
                          the Ohio Revised Code and include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) insufficient liquid 
                          funds despite efforts to convert assets to cash; (2) a substantial portion of the assets of the 
                          gross estate consisting of rights to receive payments in the future; and (3) the inability to 
                          accurately determine the size of the gross estate because a substantial portion of the 
                          decedent’s assets is subject to litigation. 

                          The estate must request this extension on ET Form 41, no later than forty-five (45) days prior 
                          to the due date of the estate tax return. This form must be filed directly with the Estate Tax 
                          Unit. Additional extensions must be filed not less than thirty (30) days before the expiration of 
                          the previous extension. Each extension is granted for no more than one year per request. 
                          Additional extensions may be granted annually up to a maximum of 14 years. For further 
                          information, please refer to ET Bulletin 3A. 

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Estimated payments     An estimated payment can be made prior to the filing of the estate tax return, by using an ET 
(Section 5731.23)      Form 17. This payment will stop the accrual of interest on the amount of tax paid. 
                       Estimated payments are collected in the same manner as stated on page 6 in When and 
                       Where to Pay. If the tax ultimately assessed is more than the estimated payment, interest on 
                       the excess will accrue nine months from decedent’s date of death. If the tax ultimately as-
                       sessed is less than the estimated payment, the estate may be eligible for a refund. 

Penalties              Failure to timely file the estate tax return (determined with regard to any approved extension) 
(Section 5731.22)      results in a penalty assessment. 

                       The penalty is five (5) percent per month or any fraction of a month, not to exceed twenty-five 
                       (25) percent of the tax as finally determined. Interest does not accrue on penalty assess-
                       ments. 

Nonresident estates    The estate of a nonresident decedent must file ET Forms 2 and 4 if the decedent owned the 
(Section 5731.19)      following types of property: real property situated in Ohio; tangible personal property having an 
                       actual situs in Ohio; and intangible personal property employed in carrying on a business 
                       within Ohio (unless exempted under Section 5731.34). The filing requirements are the same 
                       as for a resident decedent, except the return may be filed directly with the county probate 
                       court where the Ohio property is located. 

Distribution of tax    For dates of death Jan. 1, 2002–Dec. 31, 2012, eighty (80) percent of the tax is distributed to 
(Sections 5731.48 and  the municipal corporation, village or township in which the tax originates and twenty (20) 
5731.50)               percent to the state of Ohio. 

Marital deduction      A marital deduction may be taken for certain property interests that pass from the decedent to 
(Section 5731.15)      the surviving spouse. Property interests that should be listed include the following: (1) survivor 
                       of tenancy by the entirety or joint tenancy; (2) appointee under decedent’s exercise of a 
                       power; (3) statutory interests passing to a spouse as a result of a right of election to take 
                       against the will; and (4) bequests from decedent pursuant to will. 

                       Property interests that should not be listed include: (1) property that does not pass from 
                       decedent to surviving spouse; (2) qualified terminable interests for which QTIP election is not 
                       made; and (3) property that has been disclaimed by a surviving spouse under O.R.C. Section 
                       1339.68. 

Additional tax         An additional tax is due when the federal state death tax credit exceeds the Ohio tax paid. If 
(Sections 5731.18,     an estate (resident or nonresident) falls into the federal estate tax category, ET Forms  3 or 3N 
5731.19 and 5731.24) – (Additional Tax Returns) may be required to be filed. The return and payment are due sixty 
Repealed*              (60) days after the date of the final determination of the federal estate tax liability (closing 
                       letter or equivalent as issued by the IRS). The additional tax shall be paid, without notice or 
                       demand by the tax commissioner, with the return, and shall be filed and paid in the same 
                       manner as the estate tax, except that interest begins to accrue sixty (60) days after the date 
                       of the final determination of the federal estate tax liability. 
                       *Repealed for all estates with a date of death on or after July 1, 2005. See page 9 for 
                       a detailed explanation. 

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                           Explanation of Elections 

                           Alternate Valuation Date (Section 5731.01(A) and (D) O.R.C.) 
The gross estate may be valued on the decedent’s date of                within one year and nine months from the date of decedent’s 
death or on an alternate valuation date. The alternate valuation        death or within one year from any extensions granted by the 
date is six months from date of death unless the property item          tax commissioner. Once made, this election is irrevocable. 
is sold, disposed of or distributed within that six months. 
                                                                        If alternate valuation is elected, please list both date of death 
The executor must make an election by checking “yes” in the             values and alternate values, and the alternate valuation date 
Elections Section of the return. This election is mutually ex-          on the applicable schedules. 
clusive of the federal election. However, it must be elected 

                           Qualified Farm Property Valuation (O.R.C. Section 5731.011) 
The estate may elect Qualified Farm Property Valuation for              3. Current Agricultural Use Valuation (CAUV) cards (from 
determining the value of farm property as an alternative to its         county auditor); 
fair market value. To have qualified farm property valued at this 
special valuation, certain conditions must be met.* This elec-          4. Fair market value appraisal (broken down into one acre 
tion must be made on a timely filed return determined                   homesite, improvements and bare land only). 
with regard to any approved extensions of time to file.                 If the qualified farm property valuation is elected, use the quali-
To help expedite the audit, please attach the following:                fied farm property value column in Schedule A or identify the 
                                                                        qualified property under Schedule E or G. 
1. A complete ET Form 34; 
2. Most recent county auditor real estate propertyrecord;               *Please refer to Estate Tax Bulletin 5. 

                           Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP)
                                              (O.R.C. Section 5731.15) 

The Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) election al-          the Elections Section of the return. Once the election is 
lows certain life estates held for the surviving spouse to qualify      made, it is irrevocable. This election must be made on a 
for the marital deduction.                                              timely filed return determined with regard to any approved 
                                                                        extensions of time to file. 
The requirements for QTIP are the following: 
                                                                   The executor may make a partial QTIP election only if it is in 
1. Surviving spouse must receive all the income for life pay-      the form of a fraction or percentage of available QTIP property. 
able annually or at more frequent intervals; and                   The specific interest should be clearly identified as QTIP. 
2. No one can have a power to appoint the property to any          The surviving spouse’s estate must include all QTIP property 
person other than the surviving spouse during surviving            claimed in the first spouse’s estate, to the extent not con-
spouse’s life; and                                                 sumed or given away, at the value on the date of death of the 
3. The executor must make an election by checking “yes” in         surviving spouse. 

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                                          Explanation of Elections 

    Qualified Family-Owned Business Interest Deduction 
                                          (O.R.C. Section 5731.20) – REPEALED* 

Effective for estates of decedents dying on or after Jan. 1,      business interest,” “qualified heir,” “member of the family,” 
2001, O.R.C. Section 5731.20 allows a deduction for qualified     “material participation,” “applicable percentage” and “adjusted 
family-owned business interests. For a qualifying estate, the     tax difference” will have the same meaning and effect for pur-
maximum deduction allowed cannot exceed $675,000. To              poses of Section 5731.20, unless otherwise provided. 
claim the deduction, the executor must make a Section 5731.20 
election (see page 2, Elections by the Executor, item 4) and      For Ohio, if an estate qualifies, the election to claim the de-
attach completed IRS form 706, Schedule T (Qualified Fam-         duction can be made even if no federal return is required to be 
ily-Owned Business Interest Deduction) and federally requested    filed. Where a federal return is required to be filed, the election 
statements to the Ohio estate tax return. In addition, each       can be made for Ohio, even if not made federally. All qualified 
person having an interest in the property must sign a written     heirs shall be deemed to have met the Ohio requirement of 
agreement consenting to the application of the 10-year addi-      consenting to the additional (recapture) tax by signing the 
tional (recapture) tax. The deduction for the value of the quali- agreement contained in Federal Form 706, Schedule T. When 
fying business interest is claimed under Recapitulation of De-    applicable, the tax plus statutory interest will be due no later 
ductions, page 2, of the Ohio return.                             than the first day of the seventh month following the event 
                                                                  causing the imposition of the additional (recapture) tax. 
Section 5731.20 incorporates by way of statutory referencing 
all dispositive language contained in Section 2057 of the Inter-  *Repealed for all estates with a date of death on or after 
nal Revenue Code. Every definition and term used in Section       July 1, 2005. See below for a detailed explanation. 
2057 such as “adjusted value of the qualified family-owned 

ET 2006-01 – Estate Tax Unit Information Release – Estate Tax Updates As A 
    Result Of Amended Substitute House Bill 66 (HB 66) – January 2006 

The purpose of this information release (http://tax.ohio.gov/     prospective and applies to decedents dates of death occurring 
divisions/communications/information_releases/estate/             on or after July 1, 2005. 
ET200601.stm) is to provide a brief summary of significant 
estate tax changes resulting from the recent passage of HB        In addition to the preceding, uncodified section 557.03 of HB 
66.                                                               66 grants a temporary credit to those estates impacted by 
                                                                  the EGTRRA legislation. The amount of additional estate tax 
Updated References to the Internal Revenue Code                   that is due after application of the section 557.03 credit is the 
The estate tax, chapter 5731. of the Ohio Revised Code (R.C.),    same amount that would be due had the amendments to IRC 
has been amended to provide a general definition of the Internal  2011 been incorporated in 2002. This has the effect of 
Revenue Code (IRC) for purposes of Ohio’s estate tax law          mitigating the excess additional estate tax claim for the 
(R.C. 5731.01(F)). This is similar to how the IRC is referenced   difference between any pre-EGTRRA and post-EGTRRA 
for both Ohio’s personal income tax (R.C. 5747.01), and           additional tax assessments. 
corporation franchise tax (R.C. 5733.04). 
                                                                  Repeal of Estate Tax Deduction for Qualified 
As a result of the amendment to R.C. 5731.18, the Ohio            Family-Owned Business Interests 
additional tax statute references a more current version of the   R.C. 5731.20 previously provided for a maximum deduction 
IRC. Because The Economic Growth and Tax Relief                   not to exceed $675,000 for qualifying family-owned business 
Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) totally repealed the          interests. Uncodified section 612.24 of HB 66 repeals outright 
federal credit allowed for state death taxes (IRC 2011) for       the estate tax deduction for qualified family-owned business 
dates of death occurring on or after Jan. 1, 2005, the Ohio       interests. The repeal is effective for decedents dates of death 
Additional Tax is constructively repealed. This change is         occurring on or after July 1, 2005. 

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For further information, please contact the 

Estate Tax Unit’s 

Toll-free information and assistance line at 

1 (800) 977-7711 

or 

Visit our Web site at 

tax.ohio.gov 






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