Estate Tax Calculator 2026
Enter what an estate is worth, what comes off it and any lifetime gifts to estimate the federal estate tax due for a death in 2026. The calculator applies the $15,000,000 basic exclusion, adds a late spouse's unused exemption if you enter one, and runs the IRS rate schedule that climbs from 18% to 40%.
Everything the person owned at death: property, investments, retirement accounts, business interests, life insurance they owned.
Mortgages and other debts, funeral costs, executor and legal fees.
Amounts left to qualifying charities.
Counts as the marital deduction. A bequest to a spouse who is not a U.S. citizen only qualifies through a qualified domestic trust (QDOT).
Taxable gifts made after 1976, meaning the part of each gift above the annual exclusion. Your gift tax returns (Form 709) list them.
Usually 0, since gift tax is only due once lifetime gifts pass the exemption. If you owed gift tax, enter it as recomputed at 2026 rates. Form 706 subtracts the gift tax payable at current rates, not the amount you originally paid.
Only if the first spouse's estate elected portability on Form 706. Capped at $15,000,000.
How to use the Estate Tax Calculator
- Enter the gross estate. That is the fair market value of everything the person owned at death, including retirement accounts, business interests and life insurance policies they owned.
- Enter the deductions. Debts, funeral and administration costs, charitable bequests and anything left to a U.S.-citizen spouse all come off before tax.
- Enter lifetime taxable gifts from past gift tax returns (Form 709) and any gift tax on them, recomputed at 2026 rates. Leave both at 0 if no gift tax return was ever filed.
- If a spouse died first and their estate elected portability, enter the unused exemption (the DSUE amount) shown on their Form 706.
- Press Calculate. You get the taxable estate, the exemption applied, the amount over the exemption, the federal estate tax due and the effective rate on the gross estate.
How the 2026 federal estate tax is calculated
Tax = T(taxable estate + lifetime taxable gifts) − gift tax payable at current rates − T(exemption), where T is the § 2001(c) rate schedule
The taxable estate is the gross estate minus debts, expenses, charitable bequests and the marital deduction. Lifetime taxable gifts go back on top, and the IRC § 2001(c) schedule gives a tentative tax on the total. The applicable credit is the tentative tax on the exemption: $5,945,800 on the $15,000,000 basic exclusion, more if you add a DSUE amount. Every dollar above $1,000,000 falls in the 40% bracket, so an estate that clears the exemption owes 40% of the excess, minus any gift tax you enter.
Worked example
A $20,000,000 estate with no deductions, no lifetime gifts and no DSUE, which are the calculator's default inputs. Tentative tax on $20,000,000 = $345,800 + 40% × $19,000,000 = $7,945,800. The credit on the $15,000,000 exclusion is $5,945,800, so the federal estate tax is $2,000,000, or 10% of the gross estate. Leave $5,000,000 of it to a U.S.-citizen spouse and the taxable estate drops to $15,000,000, which brings the tax to $0.
The 2026 estate tax rate schedule
Form 706 uses one rate table for every estate. The calculator runs it twice. Once on the taxable estate plus lifetime taxable gifts, and once on the exemption. The difference is the tax.
The brackets below 40% cancel out. The credit on the $15,000,000 exemption covers all of them, so an estate that owes tax pays 40% on each dollar above the exemption.
| Amount over | Not over | Tax on the lower amount | Rate on the 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 | No limit | $345,800 | 40% |
Married couple using portability
A widow dies in 2026 with a $40,000,000 estate. Her husband died earlier and his estate elected portability, passing her a $15,000,000 DSUE amount. Her exemption is $30,000,000, the amount over it is $10,000,000, and the federal estate tax is $4,000,000.
Lifetime gifts use up the same exemption
Someone who made $5,000,000 of taxable gifts during life and leaves a $12,000,000 taxable estate is taxed on $17,000,000. That is $2,000,000 over the exemption, so the tax is $800,000 even though the estate alone sits below $15,000,000.
Frequently asked questions
What is the federal estate tax exemption in 2026?
$15,000,000 per person for deaths in 2026. Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, raised the basic exclusion to that amount for 2026. An estate below it, after adding back lifetime taxable gifts, owes no federal estate tax.
How does portability work for married couples?
When the first spouse dies, the executor can file Form 706 and elect portability. The unused part of that spouse's exemption, called the DSUE amount, passes to the survivor and adds to the survivor's own $15,000,000. Enter it in the DSUE field. A couple who uses portability can pass up to $30,000,000 without federal estate tax.
Why do lifetime gifts count against the estate?
Gift tax and estate tax share one exemption. Taxable gifts made during life get added to the taxable estate before the tax is worked out, so they use up part of the $15,000,000. Gifts within the annual exclusion, $19,000 per recipient in 2026, don't count.
Does the calculator include state estate or inheritance tax?
No. It computes federal estate tax only. Some states charge their own estate tax or inheritance tax, and their thresholds are often far below the federal one. Check the rules with the revenue department of the state where the person lived or owned property.
Is the estate tax 40% of the whole estate?
No. The 40% rate applies only to the amount above the exemption. A $20,000,000 estate with no deductions owes $2,000,000, which is 10% of the gross estate. The effective rate in the results shows that share for your figures.
Who has to file Form 706?
The executor files Form 706 when the gross estate plus adjusted taxable gifts is more than $15,000,000 for a 2026 death. An estate below that line can still file to elect portability for the surviving spouse.