Estate Tax Calculator
Estimate the federal estate tax owed using the 2026 $15 million exclusion, the unified 18% to 40% rate schedule, deductions, and spousal portability.
Estate Tax Calculator
Marital Status
Assets passing to a U.S.-citizen spouse can use the unlimited marital deduction.
Gross Estate
Deductions
Lifetime Gifts & Portability
Portability requires a timely DSUE election on the first spouse's Form 706.
State estate taxes not included. About 17 states plus the District of Columbia levy their own estate or inheritance tax, often with thresholds well below $15,000,000. This tool estimates federal estate tax only and is not tax advice.
Plan the Rest of Your Tax Picture
This calculator estimates federal estate tax only. Tax47 builds a full federal return from real W-2, 1099, and Schedule C data, with 2026 rules applied automatically.
How the 2026 Estate Tax Works
The federal estate tax applies to the transfer of property at death. For 2026, each person has a basic exclusion amount of $15,000,000. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), signed July 4, 2025, made this $15 million figure permanent and indexed it for inflation, replacing the drop that had been scheduled for the end of 2025.
The starting point is the gross estate: the fair market value of everything the decedent owned or controlled at death, including real estate, investments, retirement accounts, business interests, and life insurance. Only estates whose tax base goes above the exclusion owe any federal estate tax.
Estate tax is not the same as inheritance tax. The estate tax is paid by the estate before assets are distributed. An inheritance tax is paid by the people who receive the assets. The federal government charges an estate tax, not an inheritance tax, and some states do one, the other, or neither.
How to Calculate Federal Estate Tax
This calculator mirrors the steps on IRS Form 706. First, subtract debts, mortgages, administration expenses, the marital deduction, and the charitable deduction from the gross estate to reach the taxable estate (floored at zero).
Next, add back post-1976 taxable gifts to form the tax base. The unified 18% to 40% rate schedule is applied to that tax base to produce the tentative tax. The same schedule applied to your available exclusion ($15,000,000 plus any DSUE) produces the applicable credit. The federal estate tax equals the tentative tax minus the applicable credit, never below zero.
Because the $15 million exclusion sits far above the $1,000,000 top bracket threshold, every dollar of tax base above the available exclusion is taxed at the flat 40% rate. To check ordinary income tax brackets alongside this, see the Tax Bracket Calculator, and for asset sales that may precede an estate, the Capital Gains Tax Calculator.
Marital Deduction, Charitable Deduction, and Portability
The unlimited marital deduction lets any amount pass to a U.S.-citizen surviving spouse free of estate tax. Assets left to a non-citizen spouse do not qualify for the marital deduction without a qualified domestic trust (QDOT), which is outside this calculator's scope. The unlimited charitable deduction works the same way for bequests to qualifying charities, dollar-for-dollar.
Portability lets a surviving spouse stack the deceased spouse's unused exclusion (DSUE) on top of their own. A couple can shelter up to $30,000,000 combined, but portability is not automatic: the first spouse's estate must make a timely DSUE election on a filed Form 706. Because lifetime gifts and the estate tax share one unified credit, the Gift Tax Calculator pairs closely with this tool.
State Estate Taxes and Planning Considerations
This tool estimates the federal estate tax only. About 17 states plus the District of Columbia impose their own estate or inheritance tax, and several use thresholds far below the $15 million federal exclusion, so an estate that owes nothing federally can still face a state bill.
Estate planning often connects with retirement decisions. Retirement account withdrawals affect the gross estate over time, so the RMD Calculator and the Roth IRA Conversion Calculator can help you model how account balances change before death. This page is informational and is not tax or legal advice; consult a qualified professional for estate decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about estate tax calculator
What is the federal estate tax exemption for 2026?
The 2026 federal estate tax basic exclusion amount is $15,000,000 per person, or up to $30,000,000 for a married couple using portability. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21), signed July 4, 2025, set this $15 million figure permanently and indexed it for inflation going forward.
How is the federal estate tax calculated?
Start with the gross estate (all assets at fair market value), then subtract debts, expenses, the marital deduction, and the charitable deduction to get the taxable estate. Add back post-1976 taxable gifts to get the tax base. Apply the unified 18% to 40% rate schedule to the tax base for the tentative tax, then subtract the applicable credit (the same schedule applied to the available exclusion). What's left is the federal estate tax, floored at zero.
Do I owe estate tax if my estate is under $15 million?
Usually no. If the tax base (taxable estate plus prior taxable gifts) is at or below the available exclusion of $15,000,000 (plus any DSUE), the applicable credit fully offsets the tentative tax and the federal estate tax comes out to $0. State estate taxes can still apply, since several states use much lower thresholds.
What is portability and how does the deceased spouse's unused exclusion (DSUE) work?
Portability lets a surviving spouse add the deceased spouse's unused exclusion (DSUE) to their own exclusion. If the first spouse used none of their $15,000,000, the survivor can have up to $30,000,000 of combined exclusion. Portability is not automatic: the first spouse's estate has to make a timely DSUE election on a filed Form 706.
What is the federal estate tax rate in 2026?
The unified estate and gift tax schedule is graduated from 18% to 40%. Because the $15,000,000 exclusion sits far above the $1,000,000 bracket threshold, every dollar of a tax base above the available exclusion ends up taxed at the top 40% rate.
What deductions reduce the taxable estate?
Debts, mortgages, and administration expenses reduce the gross estate. The unlimited marital deduction covers assets passing outright to a U.S.-citizen surviving spouse. The unlimited charitable deduction covers bequests to qualifying charities dollar-for-dollar. Amounts left to a non-citizen spouse do not qualify for the marital deduction without a QDOT, which is outside this calculator's scope.
Are lifetime gifts counted toward the estate tax?
Yes. Post-1976 taxable gifts (gifts above the annual exclusion that used lifetime exclusion) are added back to the taxable estate to form the tax base. Lifetime gifts use up part of your $15,000,000 exclusion, so the calculator adds them in rather than ignoring them.
Does this calculator include state estate or inheritance taxes?
No. This tool estimates the federal estate tax only. About 17 states plus the District of Columbia levy their own estate or inheritance tax, often with thresholds far below $15,000,000. Check your state's rules separately.