Estimate the federal estate tax on what you leave behind, after debts, expenses, charitable gifts and the lifetime exemption. Mainly for U.S. residents.
The gross estate is the market value of everything you own when you die: property, investments, savings, retirement accounts, life insurance and other assets. From that, debts, funeral and administration costs, charitable gifts and any state death tax are subtracted to give the net estate. Taxable gifts made during your lifetime are added back, and the total is compared with the lifetime exemption. Only the amount above the exemption is taxed, at a flat 40%.
Every person has a lifetime exemption that covers both gifts during life and the estate left at death. It is $15 million for 2026, up from $13.99 million in 2025, so most estates owe no federal estate tax at all. A surviving spouse can often use any exemption the first spouse did not, which can shelter even more for a married couple.
The exemption has grown over time: $5.34 million in 2014, $11.18 million in 2018, $12.92 million in 2023, $13.61 million in 2024, $13.99 million in 2025 and $15 million in 2026. The rate has been 40% since 2013.
For 2026 each person can pass on up to $15 million before federal estate tax applies. Only the amount above that is taxed, at a rate of 40%.
Gifts above the yearly gift tax exclusion use up part of your lifetime exemption, so they are added back to your estate when the tax is worked out. Enter the total of those taxable gifts, not the small gifts that fall under the yearly exclusion.
Generally no. Assets left to a surviving spouse who is a U.S. citizen are deducted through the marital deduction, and a spouse can often carry over an unused exemption. Enter only what passes to other heirs, such as children, to estimate the tax on them.
No. It estimates only the federal tax. Some states add their own estate or inheritance tax, often with a much lower threshold. If you know the state tax amount, enter it as a deduction, since state death taxes reduce the federal taxable estate.
Estate tax is paid by the estate before assets are handed out, based on the total value left behind. Inheritance tax is paid by the person who receives the assets. The federal government charges only an estate tax, while a few states charge an inheritance tax.
Pick another financial tool to jump straight to it.