Estate Tax Calculator
Estimate federal estate tax owed against the lifetime exemption.
Inputs
Rules and thresholds differ by year. Pick the year you are filing for.
Total fair market value of all assets: real estate, investments, retirement accounts, life insurance, business interests, etc.
Mortgages, loans, estimated funeral/administration costs. Deducted from gross estate.
Gifts to qualifying charities are fully deductible from the taxable estate.
Assets passing to a US citizen spouse are fully deductible — no estate tax due until the surviving spouse's death.
Married couples can use portability to apply both spouses' unused exemption.
Cumulative taxable gifts made above the annual exclusion reduce the available lifetime exemption.
About 12 states plus DC have separate estate taxes, often at lower exemptions.
Federal Estate Tax
$0
Total Tax (Federal + State)
$0
Net Estate to Heirs
$4,800,000
Taxable Estate
$4,800,000
Lifetime Exemption Available
$15,000,000
Taxable Amount Above Exemption
$0
Effective Rate on Gross Estate
0.00%
Federal Marginal Rate
0%
State Estate Tax
$0
Tax Year
2026
Step by step
Using 2026 tax year rules
2026 figures from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, reflecting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Gross estate (fair market value)
= $5,000,000
Adjusted gross estate (less debts & expenses)
$5,000,000 − $200,000
= $4,800,000
Taxable estate (less marital & charitable deductions)
$4,800,000 − $0
= $4,800,000
Lifetime exemption available
= $15,000,000
Taxable excess above exemption
$4,800,000 − $15,000,000
= $0
Federal estate tax
No federal estate tax (below exemption)
= $0
Net estate to heirs
= $4,800,000
How it works
Federal estate tax uses a unified credit that shelters estates up to the lifetime exemption. Married couples can effectively double this via portability — the surviving spouse can elect to use the deceased spouse's unused exemption. Only the amount above the exemption is subject to tax, which climbs to a 40% top rate. The unlimited marital deduction allows assets to pass to a US citizen spouse tax-free, deferring the tax until the survivor's death. The exemption amount differs by year; select the year of the estate settlement.
Formulas
Taxable estate
Taxable excess = max(0, Adjusted gross estate − marital deduction − charitable − lifetime exemption)
- AGE
- Adjusted Gross Estate = Gross estate − debts & expenses
- Exemption
- Per-person exemption for the selected year; doubled with portability
Estate tax
Tax = progressive brackets applied to the taxable excess over the exemption
- T
- Taxable amount above exemption
- l_i, u_i, r_i
- Lower bound, upper bound, rate of bracket i
Uses federal estate tax brackets and exemption amounts for the selected tax year. Does not include state estate taxes (except via the optional state estimate), generation-skipping tax, or complex trust strategies. Consult an estate planning attorney.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the federal estate tax exemptions for each year?
$13,610,000 per person in 2024; $13,990,000 in 2025; $15,000,000 in 2026 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the elevated exemption permanent and raised it to $15M). Married couples can use portability to combine both exemptions. Select the year matching your filing to see the correct figures.
What is portability?
Portability allows a surviving spouse to use the deceased spouse's unused lifetime exemption (DSUE). The executor must file an estate tax return to elect portability, even if no tax is owed. Without a timely election, the DSUE is lost.
Does money left to a spouse count for estate tax?
No. The unlimited marital deduction allows any amount to pass to a US citizen spouse estate-tax-free. The tax is simply deferred until the surviving spouse's estate is settled.
Are there ways to reduce the taxable estate?
Common strategies include irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), charitable remainder trusts, gifting up to the annual exclusion per recipient, qualified personal residence trusts (QPRTs), and family limited partnerships. The effectiveness of each depends on your estate size and family situation.
Which tax year does this use?
You can select 2024, 2025, or 2026 from the Tax Year field at the top. The exemption amount and annual gift exclusion differ by year — this matters for estate planning across years and for late filings.