Rule 600 (a) A presumption is an assumption of fact that the law requires to be made from another fact or group of facts found or otherwise established in the …

Sometimes the law says that if one fact is true, you must automatically accept another fact as true. For example, if someone is shown to have mailed a letter, the law may require everyone to assume the letter was received. That automatic assumption is called a presumption, and it is not the same as evidence itself.

An inference is different. An inference is a conclusion you can reasonably draw from the facts, but you are not required to draw it. For example, if someone ran from the scene of a crime, a jury could reasonably conclude that person felt guilty, but they do not have to reach that conclusion.

The key difference is that a presumption is required by law, while an inference is just a logical option. Knowing this difference matters because presumptions can shift who has to prove what in a case.