Estate Tax Calculator: Federal and State Estate Tax

Estimate federal estate tax, state estate tax, and generation-skipping transfer tax in one place. Enter the estate's value, deductions, and lifetime gifts to see what's left for heirs.

The short version: in 2026, federal estate tax applies only when your taxable estate plus lifetime taxable gifts exceeds $15,000,000, and the excess is taxed at 40%. But 12 states and DC have their own estate tax, with exemptions as low as $1 million, so a state bill is far more likely than a federal one for most families. The $15 million figure is from the IRS estate and gift tax updates.

This calculator is for informational purposes only. Its results are estimates, and state estate taxes in particular are simplified.

For planning ideas once you see your number, read estate tax planning strategies. For who pays and how inheritance taxes differ, see inheritance tax vs. estate tax.

What each input means

How the calculator works

1. Gross estate = total assets + life insurance − the valuation discount. The discount applies only to the business or farm interest you enter, never to cash, securities, or life insurance.
2. Taxable estate = gross estate − debts and expenses − charitable bequests − marital deduction.
3. State tax uses your state's own exclusion and graduated table for the selected date of death (details below).
4. Federal tax follows Form 706: the state estate tax is deducted from the taxable estate (IRC §2058), lifetime taxable gifts are added back, the rate table is applied, and the unified credit on $15,000,000 (plus any DSUE) is subtracted.
5. GST tax = 40% × (generation-skipping transfers − the $15,000,000 GST exemption), if positive. The GST exemption isn't portable.

The federal step matches Form 706 for most estates. Because every bracket below 40% ends at $1 million, the federal tax works out to 40% of the amount over your exclusion. It assumes any lifetime gifts were sheltered by the exemption, so no gift tax was paid on them.

The state step uses each state's published method:

• Excess-over-exclusion tables: Washington, Minnesota, Maine, Hawaii, Oregon, and DC apply graduated rates only to the amount above the exclusion (Oregon and DC define their brackets by total taxable estate).
• Flat rates on the excess: Connecticut (12%), Maryland (16%), and Vermont (16%).
• Whole-estate tables: New York taxes the entire estate once it passes 105% of the exclusion. Massachusetts and Rhode Island apply the old federal state death tax credit table to the whole estate, then subtract a fixed credit ($99,600 in Massachusetts; $87,940 for 2026 in Rhode Island).
• Illinois uses an interrelated calculation; the tool approximates the Attorney General's method, which reproduces the AG's example of $285,714 on a $5,000,000 estate.

The tool doesn't add back gifts made within three years of death (New York and Minnesota do), doesn't count Connecticut taxable gifts toward the Connecticut estate, and doesn't apportion tax for property located in another state.

Worked example: a $20 million estate

A widow dies in 2026 in a state with no estate tax. She owns $19,000,000 of assets plus a $1,000,000 life insurance policy, leaves $500,000 to charity, and made $800,000 of taxable gifts during life.

• Gross estate: $19,000,000 + $1,000,000 = $20,000,000
• Taxable estate: $20,000,000 − $500,000 = $19,500,000
• Add lifetime taxable gifts: $19,500,000 + $800,000 = $20,300,000
• Over the exemption: $20,300,000 − $15,000,000 = $5,300,000
• Federal estate tax: $5,300,000 × 40% = $2,120,000

If her late husband's executor had filed Form 706 to elect portability and passed along an unused $10,000,000 exclusion, her taxable amount would drop to zero.

2026 state estate tax exemptions and rates

The calculator uses these exemptions and each state's rate table. Hawaii's 2026 figure and DC's 2026 exclusion couldn't be confirmed with the state when this page was updated, and Illinois and Maryland figures are approximations of the official worksheets, so check those four against the state's own forms before relying on them.

The New York cliff in numbers

New York's 2026 exclusion is $7,350,000, and 105% of it is $7,717,500. An estate at $7,350,000 owes no New York tax. An estate at $7,800,000 loses the exclusion completely and pays New York tax on the entire $7,800,000. Charitable bequests that bring the taxable estate back under $7,717,500 can save far more than they cost.

What to gather before you run the numbers

You'll get a far better estimate if you pull real figures instead of guessing:

• Latest statements for every bank, brokerage, and retirement account.
• A recent home value, such as a broker's opinion or the county's assessed value adjusted to market.
• Life insurance policies showing the owner and death benefit. Ownership, not the beneficiary, decides whether the payout is in the estate.
• Copies of every Form 709 you've filed, for the lifetime taxable gift total.
• Business valuations or partnership agreements if you own part of a company.
• Your will, trust, and beneficiary forms to split amounts between your spouse, charity, and other heirs.

Rerun the calculator each time a large asset changes value or you change your plan.

Federal estate tax: the rules behind the number

• Exemption: $15,000,000 per person for 2026, indexed for inflation in later years.
• Rate: 40% on the excess.
• Portability: a surviving spouse can use the deceased spouse's unused exclusion if the executor files a timely Form 706, even when no tax is due. Most states don't allow portability of their own exemptions.
• Marital deduction: unlimited for property passing to a U.S.-citizen spouse. For a non-citizen spouse, the property must pass through a qualified domestic trust (QDOT) to qualify.
• Filing: Form 706 is due nine months after death; Form 4768 extends the filing deadline six months.
• GST tax: a separate 40% tax on transfers that skip a generation, with its own $15,000,000 exemption in 2026.

What goes into the gross estate

• Everything owned outright, including the home, brokerage and bank accounts, and business interests.
• Retirement accounts at full value. Heirs will also owe income tax when they withdraw from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s.
• Life insurance the decedent owned or could control, even though the payout goes to a named beneficiary.
• The decedent's share of jointly owned property (generally half for spouses).
• Property in a revocable living trust. A revocable trust avoids probate, not estate tax.

What comes off

• Debts, mortgages, funeral costs, and estate administration expenses.
• Charitable bequests.
• Property passing to a U.S.-citizen spouse.
• State estate taxes paid (deductible on the federal return).

Lifetime gifts and the estate tax

Taxable gifts reduce the exemption left for your estate, which is why the calculator asks for them. Gifts within the $19,000 annual exclusion, and tuition or medical bills paid directly, don't count. Model gifting with the gift tax calculator, then bring the total here.

Ways to reduce an estate tax bill

• Elect portability at the first spouse's death, even with no tax due.
• Make annual exclusion gifts of $19,000 per recipient, or $38,000 for couples.
• Leave assets to charity, or use a charitable remainder trust to get an income stream first; see the charitable remainder trust calculator.
• Move life insurance into an irrevocable life insurance trust more than three years before death.
• Consider domicile if you live in a low-exemption state and spend time elsewhere; Illinois and Massachusetts residents have the most to gain. See Illinois and Massachusetts estate tax planning.

Valuation discounts, family limited partnerships, GRATs, and sales to grantor trusts can also work for larger estates, but they require appraisals and an estate attorney.