A Practice Note discussing key aspects of the federal estate tax law and highlighting estate planning strategies for eliminating, reducing, or deferring the federal estate tax. This Note discusses the property included in the gross estate and explains the deductions and credits available to reduce the federal estate tax, including the marital and charitable deductions, the applicable credit amount, and the applicable exclusion amount. The Note also discusses key requirements for filing a federal estate tax return (Form 706) and paying the estate tax due. This Note does not address state-specific estate tax issues.