1053
Useful Life Skills [extra fabulous] (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/comicstrips@lemmy.world
73 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Transcript[An angry kid sits at his desk in school complaining]

Kid: Ugh why don’t you teach us about things we’ll actually need to know as adults?!

[An unamused teacher]

Teacher: Ok, I’m going to teach you how to do your taxes while also dealing the death of a loved one

[The teacher, wearing the same expression, holds a knife in one hand, and a hamster in the other]

Teacher: Please itemize your deductions while I deal with Mister Hamps, the class pet

[A class of shocked and crying kids look on in horror while trying to simultaneously do their taxes. The cries of the hamster off screen are cut off abruptly]

Hamster: SQWEEE- -

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[–] 124 points 5 months ago (18 children)

This life lesson definitely does come in handy the older you get. Nothing like receiving complicated tax forms that have to processed for your dead relative / spouse / or child to remind you of how cruel the world is.

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  • [–] 54 points 5 months ago (17 children)

    The debt your grandmother had is now yours! If you don't resolve it she will haunt you.

    Sorry for your loss!!!!!

    Now fuck you pay me.

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  • [–] 70 points 5 months ago (14 children)

    As I understand it, even in third world shitholes like the US, debt itself doesn't transfer... but you do have to deduct debt from inheritance before you get anything.

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  • [–] 9 points 5 months ago (13 children)

    Pretty sure it depends on the state. In NY, my mom’s credit card debt disappeared when she died. I do not think that’s the same in other states. I assume it usually transfers to the spouse.

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  • [–] 11 points 5 months ago (6 children)

    Spouses yes, but only because things are generally in both names. Children no. They'll try to lie and say it is, but it's not.

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  • [–] -1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (5 children)
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  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (4 children)

    There are states with laws regarding passing on debts to children, so not sure why I’m being downvoted.

    Edit: In general, an adult child never inherits their parent’s debt, but there are exceptions for certain debts in certain states. Also, it’s worth noting that debts usually come out of the estate, but in Florida you can be held liable for your parent’s debt up to the value of the property you inherited - so not out of the estate, but out of what the estate gave you. Similar, but not the same.

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  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    There is no state where you can inherit debt from a parent. It passes through their estate.

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  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

    Sorry, but you are incorrect.

    In general, what you are saying is mostly accurate, but you cannot say there are no states because there are exceptions.

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

    I've not lived in many states, but when my dad died in Maryland, there was a period during which creditors had the opportunity to collect from his estate, then any debts were considered forfeit.

    edit: Correct a word.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    In which state can you inherit debt?

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago* (2 children)

    Spousal debt: Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

    Other debts: About 30 states have archaic, rarely enforced laws that can make adult children legally responsible for their parents' unpaid necessities, like medical or nursing home bills.

    IANAL and this is a summary from Google, so I cannot vouch for the accuracy of any of it. I can just tell you that in my experience, NY does not pass on debt to spouses.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (1 child)

    What about grandmother's debt like we were discussing?

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  • [–] -1 points 5 months ago

    Like I’ve said, I do not know this stuff. A Google search says:

    You do not automatically inherit your grandparent's debt in any U.S. state, including New York. Debts are the responsibility of the deceased person’s estate, not the heirs. However, you may become personally liable in any state if you co-signed a loan, jointly held accounts with the right of survivorship, or acted as a legal guarantor. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

    While there are no states where grandchildren specifically inherit general debt, over 20 states have historical "filial responsibility" laws that can legally require adult children to pay for the unpaid medical or elder care expenses of their indigent parents. [6, 7, 8]

    How Care-Related Debt Could Impact You

    • Filial Responsibility States: In states where these laws are still active (like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey), healthcare facilities have occasionally attempted to sue adult children for their parents' nursing home bills. These laws almost exclusively apply to a child's obligation to their parents, not grandchildren to their grandparents.
    • New York Specifics: In New York, filial responsibility laws (New York Social Services Law § 101) technically require children to support impoverished parents, but it is rarely enforced by creditors.
    • Estate Claims: Even if you do not inherit the debt, any money or property your grandparent leaves you will go toward paying off their creditors (via probate) before you receive your inheritance. [4, 8, 9, 10, 11]

    If you are dealing with debt collection for a deceased relative, you can review your rights in the FTC Consumer Advice on Debts and Deceased Relatives and use the

    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

    to report unlawful or abusive collection practices.

    AI responses may include mistakes.

    [1] https://www.metlife.com/stories/legal/can-you-inherit-debt/

    [2] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6zwsytrEddc

    [3] https://www.viewridgelaw.com/2025/10/will-i-inherit-my-parents-debt/

    [4] https://vicklaw.org/can-i-inherit-the-debt-of-a-loved-one/

    [5] https://www.debt.org/advice/deceased-relatives/

    [6] https://www.nationaldebtrelief.com/blog/financial-wellness/family-finances/can-you-inherit-debt-what-you-need-to-know-about-your-parents-debt-and-inherited-liabilities/

    [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_responsibility_laws

    [8] https://trustandwill.com/learn/filial-responsibility-law

    [9] https://www.carolinafep.com/library/what-happens-to-debt-when-a-person-dies-.cfm

    [10] https://www.ncsl.org/resources/map-monday-states-spell-out-when-adult-children-have-a-duty-to-care-for-parents

    [11] https://cielitolindoseniorliving.com/filial-laws-in-the-21st-century-balancing-family-care-and-financial-burdens/

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  • [–] 15 points 5 months ago

    Lol, go fuck yourself, bill collector! You get nothing! You lose! God day sir!

    I had some slimeball try that shit with me after my mother died. I told him to take it to the courts so he can get laughed out of the room and pay court costs cuz my mother died pennyless and I'm not making that my problem.

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  • [–] 9 points 5 months ago

    Depends massively on where you are located.

    Debts don't transfer when you die where I am from. Even if the estate can't pay off all the debts with remaining assets the debts do not go to the inheritors.

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