NEWSAaron Carter's Estate Faces Nearly Half a Million in Tax Debt After His Death, According to New Documents
Aaron Carter’s estate owes the IRS $461,253.54, according to new court documents.
Oct. 22 2026, Published 8:14 a.m. ET
The estate of pop singer Aaron Carter allegedly owes the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) nearly half a million dollars, according to new legal documentation filed in connection with his estate.
The IRS claims Carter’s estate owes $461,253.54 in past-due taxes, plus accrued interest and penalties, and has filed the claim with the court to obtain payment, TMZ reported.
The IRS Says Carter Owed Taxes Going Back to 2014
The IRS claims the largest balance Carter owed was for 2021.
Records show unpaid tax balances from 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, starting with a small 2014 amount of $326.60 and increasing in the years that followed. The IRS broke down what Carter owed in each year.
The largest single-year amount was $172,538.70, which the IRS claims Carter owes for 2021 in back taxes, penalties and interest. However, no one has explained how this debt will be repaid because a previous ruling found Carter’s estate insolvent, and TMZ said it contacted the estate for more details.
His Mother Fought to Keep the Estate Open
Carter’s mother, Jane Schneck, fought to keep his estate open.
Jane Schneck, Carter’s mother, fought earlier to keep her son’s estate operating. However, after the judge’s decision in April, the estate is now closed. In addition to fighting to keep her son’s estate operating, Schneck also argued that the trustee had undervalued Carter’s music royalties.
Melanie Martin, Carter’s former fiancée, received all the non-cash items remaining in the estate. Martin and Carter had an on-and-off relationship in the years before his death. Schneck claimed that Martin made “illegal withdrawals” from Carter’s accounts totaling $24,530.
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Carter Died in November 2022
Melanie Martin received all of the estate’s non-cash assets.
Carter was found dead in the bathtub of his home in Lancaster, Calif., on Saturday, November 5, 2022. He was 34 years old. The cause of death was determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner as accidental drowning due to inhalation of a chemical commonly found in compressed-air canisters and ingestion of the anxiolytic medication alprazolam.
Carter and Martin’s son, Prince, was born in November 2021. Carter had been investigated by the Department of Children and Family Services before his death. In May, Carter’s estate settled a wrongful death suit stemming from his death.
He Rose to Fame as a Child Pop Star
Pop singer Aaron Carter died in November 2022 at the age of 34.
Carter began his career as a pop idol at an incredibly young age in the late 1990s and early 2000s with such huge hits as “I Want Candy” and “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” and he released a triple-platinum album titled Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) in 2000. After that, he competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2009. He was the younger brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, and Nick and Aaron had a sometimes strained relationship before Aaron’s untimely death.
Since then, Jane has continued to work to honor her son’s memory. She started a GoFundMe fundraiser for Aaron in April to help pay for his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
