Estate tax exposure calculator
The federal estate tax only reaches estates above the basic exclusion: $15 million per person for 2026. See how close your estate is today, and where growth could take it.
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- Educational, not advice
Federal estate tax exposure
Sample household- Tax at second death today
- $0
- on $0 over the exclusion
- Tax in 2041
- $1.5M
- in 15 years
- Exclusion today
- $30.0M
- two, with portability
- Taxable estate today
- $21.8M
- after debts and charity
At the second death today, the estate is under the exclusion: no federal estate tax. In 2041, about $3.7M would sit above the exclusion: $1.5M of federal estate tax. Without portability, today’s figure would be $2.7M.
Show the math
- Estate todayYour estate + your spouse’s$23,500,000
- Taxable estateEstate − debts and expenses − charitable bequests$21,800,000
- Exclusion$15,000,000 × 2 with portability$30,000,000
- Over the exclusionTaxable estate + lifetime taxable gifts − exclusion$0
- Federal estate tax40% of the amount over the exclusion$0
- Without portabilityThe same, with one exclusion$2,720,000
- In 2041Estate grown 15 years; exclusion indexed and rounded down to $10,000$1,485,925
- Married: assumes everything passes to the surviving spouse at the first death (no tax then, under the unlimited marital deduction).
- Lifetime gifts are counted at today’s value and combined for a couple; your attorney’s figures will be more precise.
- State estate and inheritance taxes aren’t included, and current law can change.
- Educational, not legal or tax advice.
How this calculator works
The 2026 basic exclusion is $15,000,000 per person, set by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and indexed for inflation from 2027. Above it, the federal estate tax rate is 40%, so the exposure is 40% of everything over the exclusion.
Lifetime taxable gifts (gifts above the annual exclusion) use up exclusion, so they’re added back. Debts, final expenses and charitable bequests reduce the estate.
For a married couple, we assume everything passes to the surviving spouse at the first death, which the unlimited marital deduction makes tax-free, and test the combined estate at the second death. With portability elected, the survivor keeps the first spouse’s unused exclusion; without it, that exclusion is lost. State estate and inheritance taxes aren’t included.
Questions
What goes into my estate?
Generally everything you own or control at death: assets in your name, your revocable trust, retirement accounts, your share of entities, and life insurance you own. Assets in a properly structured irrevocable trust usually don’t count.
What is portability?
When the first spouse dies, the executor can elect to pass any unused exclusion to the survivor by filing an estate tax return, even when no tax is due. Without that election, the unused exclusion is lost.
Will the exclusion change again?
Current law indexes it for inflation each year with no scheduled drop, but Congress can change it. The look-ahead assumes today’s law and the inflation rate you choose.
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Educational, not advice. These tools use simplified models; take decisions to your CPA, attorney or adviser.