What is the 2026 estate tax exemption?

Each person can shield $13,990,000 from federal estate tax in 2026. A married couple using portability can shield $27,980,000 combined. Only the value above the exemption is taxed.

What is the top estate tax rate?

The federal estate tax tops out at 40%. The graduated schedule rises from 18% on the first $10,000 of the taxable amount to 40% on amounts over $1,000,000 above the exemption.

On a $20M single estate, what is the tax?

With a $13.99M exemption and no deductions, the taxable estate is $6,010,000. Applying the graduated schedule, the first $1M is taxed under the rising 18%-39% bands and the remaining $5,010,000 at 40%, giving about $2,349,800 in estimated federal estate tax.

Does this include state estate or inheritance tax?

No. This estimates only federal estate tax. Several states levy their own estate or inheritance tax with separate thresholds, so your total liability may be higher. Confirm with the IRS and your state.

What is the Federal Estate Tax Calculator (2026)?

Estimate federal estate tax for 2026 using the $13.99M per-person exemption and the 40% top rate. Subtracts the exemption from the gross estate and applies the graduated estate-tax schedule to the taxable remainder to show estimated federal estate tax due. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Federal Estate Tax Calculator (2026)

Name: Federal Estate Tax Calculator (2026)
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Estimate federal estate tax for 2026

This calculator estimates the federal estate tax on an estate in 2026. It uses the $13,990,000 per-person exemption (doubled to $27,980,000 for a married couple electing portability) and the graduated federal estate-tax schedule that tops out at 40% on the taxable amount above the exemption.

The 2026 exemption is the result of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which temporarily doubled the base exemption. Without further legislation, the exemption is scheduled to revert to the pre-2018 level (adjusted for inflation) after December 31, 2025, though congressional action may alter that path. Planning around a moving exemption makes estimating tax exposure ahead of time especially valuable for larger estates.

How it works

The taxable estate is the gross estate minus deductions (debts, charitable and marital transfers) and the applicable exemption, floored at zero. The graduated schedule is then applied slice by slice to that taxable remainder:

taxable estate = max(0, gross - deductions - exemption)
18% to $10k, 20% to $20k, 22% to $40k, 24% to $60k,
26% to $80k, 28% to $100k, 30% to $150k, 32% to $250k,
34% to $500k, 37% to $750k, 39% to $1M, 40% above $1M

Because the unified credit effectively absorbs tax below the exemption, the schedule is applied only to the portion above it.

Worked example

A single person dies with a $20,000,000 estate and no deductions. Subtracting the $13,990,000 exemption leaves a taxable estate of $6,010,000. The first $1,000,000 runs through the rising 18% to 39% bands (totaling $345,800), and the remaining $5,010,000 is taxed at 40% ($2,004,000). The estimated federal estate tax is about $2,349,800 — an effective rate near 11.7% on the $20M gross estate.

A married couple with a combined $20M estate can elect portability to effectively double the exemption to $27,980,000, shielding the entire estate and owing no federal estate tax — provided the surviving spouse filed a timely Form 706 after the first death to claim the deceased spouse’s unused exemption.

What the deductions cover

Three main deductions reduce the gross estate before the exemption is applied:

Debts and expenses — mortgages, loans, funeral costs, and administration fees
Marital deduction — assets passing outright to a surviving US citizen spouse can pass estate-tax-free under the unlimited marital deduction
Charitable deduction — bequests to qualifying 501(c)(3) charities reduce the taxable estate dollar for dollar

What this calculator does not model

This is an estimate only and not tax, legal, or financial advice. It excludes state estate and inheritance taxes (many states have lower thresholds than the federal level), prior taxable gifts that consume lifetime exemption, valuation discounts for illiquid or fractional interests, irrevocable trust structures, and life-insurance proceeds inside the estate. Consult an estate attorney and the IRS before relying on any figure.