Estimate the US federal estate tax on an estate: add up the gross estate, subtract debts, expenses and bequests to a spouse or charity, add lifetime taxable gifts, and apply the exemption, including any unused exemption ported from a late spouse.
Last updated:
Gross estate (fair market value at death)
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$
$
$
Death benefit counts if you held incidents of ownership.
$
Deductions
$
$
Legal, executor, appraisal, funeral.
$
Unlimited marital deduction.
$
$
Lifetime gifts & exemption
$
Lifetime gifts above the annual exclusion, from your Forms 709.
$
$
$
Unused exemption elected on your spouse's Form 706.
Enter your values to see the result.
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How to use the Estate Tax Calculator
Enter the gross estate: fair market value of real estate, investments, retirement accounts, owned life insurance and other assets.
Enter deductions: debts, funeral and administration costs, amounts left to a US-citizen spouse or to charity, and state death taxes.
Add lifetime taxable gifts reported on Forms 709 and any gift tax paid.
Pick the year (exemption) and add a ported DSUE amount if a spouse died first.
Calculate to see the taxable estate, the estate tax, the effective rate and what heirs receive.
How the federal estate tax works
Gross estate: fair market value at death of everything owned or controlled: homes, investments, cash, retirement accounts, business interests and life insurance you owned.
Taxable estate = gross estate − debts − funeral and administration expenses − marital deduction − charitable deduction − state death taxes.
Tax base = taxable estate + adjusted taxable gifts (lifetime taxable gifts made after 1976).
Tentative tax = rate table applied to the tax base.
Estate tax = tentative tax − gift tax payable on lifetime gifts − unified credit (tentative tax on the applicable exclusion amount).
The applicable exclusion amount is the basic exclusion for the year of death plus any DSUE amount received from a deceased spouse. The return (Form 706) is generally due 9 months after death and is required when the gross estate plus adjusted taxable gifts exceeds the basic exclusion, or when portability is elected.
Estate and gift tax rate table (IRC §2001(c))
Tax base over
But not over
Tax
Rate on excess
$0
$10,000
$0
18%
$10,000
$20,000
$1,800
20%
$20,000
$40,000
$3,800
22%
$40,000
$60,000
$8,200
24%
$60,000
$80,000
$13,000
26%
$80,000
$100,000
$18,200
28%
$100,000
$150,000
$23,800
30%
$150,000
$250,000
$38,800
32%
$250,000
$500,000
$70,800
34%
$500,000
$750,000
$155,800
37%
$750,000
$1,000,000
$248,300
39%
$1,000,000
—
$345,800
40%
Exemption by year
Year of death
Basic exclusion
Unified credit
Married couple with portability
2024
$13,610,000
$5,389,800
$27,220,000
2025
$13,990,000
$5,541,800
$27,980,000
2026
$15,000,000
$5,945,800
$30,000,000
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2023-34 and 2024-40, and P.L. 119-21 (2025), which set $15 million for 2026 with inflation indexing afterwards.
Planning notes
File for portability at the first death even when no tax is due; without a timely Form 706 the unused exemption is lost.
Annual exclusion gifts ($19,000 per recipient) and tuition or medical bills paid directly to the provider move money out of the estate without using the exemption.
Step-up in basis: inherited assets generally get a basis equal to value at death, which can erase built-in capital gains for heirs.
Check your state: some states tax estates above $1–$7 million, far below the federal level.
Frequently asked questions
What is the federal estate tax exemption for 2026?
The basic exclusion amount is $15,000,000 per person for deaths in 2026, set by the 2025 tax law (P.L. 119-21) and indexed for inflation in later years. It was $13,990,000 for 2025 and $13,610,000 for 2024. A married couple can shelter up to twice the amount using portability.
How is estate tax calculated?
Taxable estate = gross estate − deductions. Adjusted taxable gifts are added to get the tax base, the tentative tax is figured with the 18%–40% rate table, then gift tax already paid and the unified credit (the tax on the exemption amount) are subtracted. In practice, everything above the exemption is taxed at 40%.
What is the estate tax rate?
The rate table runs from 18% to 40%, but because the unified credit wipes out the tax on the first several million dollars, any taxable amount above the exemption is effectively taxed at the top 40% rate.
What is portability (DSUE)?
When a married person dies, the executor can file Form 706 to elect portability, passing the unused part of their exemption (the deceased spousal unused exclusion, DSUE) to the surviving spouse. The surviving spouse adds it to their own exemption for later gifts or their own estate.
Are life insurance and retirement accounts included?
Yes, life insurance is in the gross estate if the deceased owned the policy or had incidents of ownership, and IRAs and 401(k)s are included at full value. Heirs may also owe income tax on traditional retirement account withdrawals, which this calculator does not include.
Do lifetime gifts reduce the exemption?
Yes. Gifts above the annual exclusion ($19,000 per recipient in 2025 and 2026) are taxable gifts that use up part of the lifetime exemption. They are added back as adjusted taxable gifts when the estate tax is figured, so the exemption is only used once.
Does this include state estate or inheritance tax?
No. About a dozen states and DC have their own estate tax, often with much lower exemptions, and a few have inheritance taxes. Enter any state death tax paid as a deduction; this tool estimates only the federal tax and is not legal or tax advice.
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