US estate tax calculator

Most US estates owe no federal estate tax at all — the exemption is high. This is what decides whether yours does in 2026, how the federal tax works, and where a handful of states add their own death tax on top.

Reflects 2026 US rules · federal (IRS) plus all 50 states screened · an estimate, not advice.

Does the estate owe federal tax at all?

The federal estate tax only reaches the value above the lifetime exemption. For 2026 that exemption is $15,000,000 per person, indexed. An estate below it files no federal estate tax; an estate above it pays 40% on the excess.

The 2026 federal figures

• $15,000,000 unified lifetime estate & gift exemption per person; 40% top rate on the excess.
• Portability (DSUE): a surviving spouse can carry over a predeceased spouse's unused exemption — up to a combined $30M — for estate and gift tax, but not for the GST exemption. It requires a timely Form 706 election on the first death.
• Unlimited marital deduction for transfers to a US-citizen spouse (a non-citizen spouse needs a QDOT, or the $194,000 annual exclusion).
• $19,000 annual gift exclusion per recipient; larger gifts draw down the lifetime exemption (Form 709).

Step-up in basis — the quiet benefit

Assets that pass at death generally get a step-up to fair market value, so the heir's unrealized capital gain is wiped out. Nothing is due at death on that appreciation; capital-gains tax only arises later, if and when the heir sells, and only on growth after the date of death. That interaction — no transfer tax below the exemption, and a basis reset — is why many US estates owe nothing on transfer.

The states that add their own death tax

Federal is only half the picture. 16 states plus Washington DC levy their own estate or inheritance tax, often at far lower thresholds than the federal $15M:

• State estate taxes (on the estate) in CT, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MN, NY, OR, RI, VT and WA — some starting near $1–2M.
• State inheritance taxes (on the heir, by relationship) in KY, MD, NE, NJ and PA. Maryland has both.
• Real property is taxed by the state where it sits; intangibles by the decedent's domicile state — so a second state can reach a vacation home.

The traps that catch US estates

• A state bill with no federal one. An $8M estate owes nothing federally but can owe six figures in New York, Massachusetts or Oregon.
• Letting portability lapse. Skipping the Form 706 election on the first spouse's death can forfeit millions of exemption.
• The 2026 baseline. The high exemption is the enacted 2026 figure — build the estate plan on what the law says now, and revisit as it changes.

See your own numbers

HeirCalc applies the federal exemption, the 40% rate, portability, and any state estate or inheritance tax to your exact asset list — and shows the statutory reason behind every figure. It runs entirely in your browser; nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

This guide is general information for 2026, not legal, tax, or financial advice. The outcome turns on precise facts — residence, domicile, the exact assets, reliefs and elections available, and how title is held — that can change the result. Confirm your situation with a qualified professional. HeirCalc is an estimator by Krometis Analytics.