On Sept. 27, the Internal Revenue Service announced that starting on Oct. 28, it will begin charging a $67 user fee for estates that request closing letters for their federal estate tax returns.
These letters provide an executor of an estate with evidence that the IRS has accepted a filed Form 706, “United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return” and that the agency has closed its examination of the return. The procedure for requesting the estate tax closing letter and paying the user fee uses www.pay.gov. The IRS will provide more information on the procedure to pay the fee before the fee takes effect.
The IRS says on its website that account transcripts can be obtained free of charge and may be an acceptable substitute for an estate closing letter. Account transcripts are available online to registered tax professionals using the Transcript Delivery System or to authorized representatives making requests using Form 4506-T.
