Estate Tax Calculator
Estimate federal estate tax with current exemption. Married couples and portability. Free calculator.
Federal Estate Tax Exemption (2026)
The current exemption is $13.61 million per person ($27.22 million for married couples). Estates below this threshold owe zero federal estate tax. Above it, the rate is a flat 40%. Only about 0.1% of estates owe any federal estate tax. However, the exemption is scheduled to drop to approximately $7 million in 2026 under the TCJA sunset — Congress may act to prevent this.
State Estate Taxes
12 states plus DC impose their own estate taxes with lower exemptions. Oregon and Massachusetts have the lowest at $1 million. Washington state has the highest rate at 20%. If you live in a state with estate tax, planning is important even for moderately wealthy families. Common strategies: irrevocable trusts, gifting during life, and charitable remainder trusts.
The estate tax exemption is scheduled to drop from $13.61M to about $7M per person in 2026 when TCJA provisions expire. Wealthy families are accelerating gifting strategies before this sunset.
