Capital Gains on an Inherited House: How Stepped-Up Basis Works

The rule in one paragraph

When you inherit property, your cost basis is normally reset to the fair market value on the date of death rather than what the deceased originally paid. This is the stepped-up basis. When you later sell, taxable gain is generally measured from that stepped-up figure — so decades of appreciation during the deceased's lifetime typically are not taxed to you.

What that looks like with numbers

Take a house bought in 1985 for $45,000, worth $210,000 when the owner died, and sold by the heirs eight months later for $215,000.

Without the step-up, the gain would have been calculated from $45,000 — a difference of roughly $165,000 in taxable gain. That is the entire significance of the rule, and it is why the date-of-death value matters more than any other number in the transaction.

Holding period: inherited property is treated as long-term

Ordinarily, assets held a year or less are taxed at short-term rates. Inherited property is generally treated as long-term regardless of how briefly you held it. So selling three months after death does not push you into short-term treatment on that basis alone. Long-term capital gains rates are meaningfully lower than ordinary income rates for most people.

Establish the date-of-death value, and document it

Your basis is only as defensible as your evidence for it. Reconstructing a value years later, under audit, is unpleasant and sometimes impossible.

A formal appraisal with a retrospective date of death is the strongest record and usually worth the cost on any property of consequence. A comparative market analysis from a licensed agent is weaker but far better than nothing. For estates large enough to file an estate tax return, the value reported there is generally the figure that governs.

Whatever you use, keep it. Also keep receipts for capital improvements made after death and for selling costs, both of which generally adjust the final calculation.

Situations that change the answer

You lived in it as your main home. If you moved in and meet the ownership and use tests, the primary-residence exclusion may apply on top of the stepped-up basis.

Community property states. For a surviving spouse, the whole property may receive a step-up rather than only the deceased's half. Worth asking about specifically — it is a large difference.

The property was already in a trust. Whether a step-up applies depends on the type of trust and how it was structured. Do not assume either way.

You rent it out before selling. Depreciation taken during the rental period generally has to be recaptured, which changes the calculation.

The house lost value after the date of death. A sale below your stepped-up basis may produce a loss, and whether it is deductible depends on how the property was used.

State-level tax. A handful of states levy their own inheritance or estate tax with different rules from the federal ones.

What to actually do

Get the date-of-death value documented while it is still easy. Keep every receipt from the moment you inherit. And take the specifics to a CPA before you sell, not after — several of the situations above are far cheaper to plan around than to fix.

We are a cash home buyer, not accountants or tax attorneys. Everything here is general information about how these rules commonly work, not advice on your situation.

Common questions

Do I pay capital gains tax if I sell an inherited house immediately?

Usually very little, because the stepped-up basis resets your cost to the date-of-death value and the sale price is typically close to it. Gain is measured from the step-up, not from what the deceased paid. Confirm with a CPA for your circumstances.

Is inherited property always long-term for tax purposes?

Inherited property is generally treated as long-term regardless of how long you held it, so a quick sale is not penalised with short-term rates on that basis alone.

What if I do not know the value at the date of death?

You can commission a retrospective appraisal, which is what most people do. Establish it as early as you can — reconstructing a value years later is difficult and weaker evidence if it is ever questioned.

Does selling to a cash buyer change the tax treatment?

No. The tax treatment follows the sale price and your basis, not who the buyer is. A lower sale price simply means less gain.

Do I owe tax just for inheriting the house?

Inheriting is generally not itself a taxable event federally. A small number of states impose an inheritance tax, and very large estates can face estate tax. Tax more commonly arises when you sell.