Be aware of federal estate tax
It's likely that you will not have to pay any federal estate taxes unless Courtney left a very large estate. The value of the estate must be above a certain threshold to qualify any federal estate taxes. The estate threshold was set to $11.7 million in 2021.
If the fair market value of the estate is more than federal threshold, only the difference is subject to tax. In other words, if an estate is worth $11.8 million, it only pays federal estate tax on the $100,000 that is over the threshold.
If the fair market value of the estate is more than federal threshold, only the difference is subject to tax. In other words, if an estate is worth $11.8 million, it only pays federal estate tax on the $100,000 that is over the threshold.