Estate Tax Exemption 2026: $15 Million
For someone who dies in 2026, the first $15,000,000 of the estate and lifetime taxable gifts is exempt from federal estate tax, and everything above it is taxed at 40%. Enter the estate below to see the federal estate tax and whether a Form 706 is due.
Giving some of it away this year? The gift tax exclusion 2026 calculator shows what is free of tax by December 31.
What is the estate tax exemption for 2026?
The federal estate tax exemption (the basic exclusion amount) for 2026 is $15,000,000 per person, up from $13,990,000 for 2025 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32). The tax is figured on the IRC §2001(c) table and then reduced by a unified credit of $5,945,800, the tax on the first $15,000,000, so in practice it is 40% of whatever the taxable estate and lifetime taxable gifts exceed the exemption by. Example: a widow who dies in 2026 leaving $20,000,000, with $1,000,000 of debts and expenses, has a taxable estate of $19,000,000 and owes $1,600,000 of federal estate tax. Had she inherited $15,000,000 of unused exclusion from her late husband through portability, she would owe $0.
| Key number | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Basic exclusion amount, per person (Rev. Proc. 2025-32) | $15,000,000 |
| Basic exclusion amount in 2025 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32) | $13,990,000 |
| Unified credit (tax on the first $15,000,000) (§2010(c)) | $5,945,800 |
| Rate above the exemption (§2001(c)) | 40% |
| Married couple with portability, up to (§2010(c)(4)) | $30,000,000 |
| Annual gift exclusion, per recipient (Rev. Proc. 2025-32) | $19,000 |
| Form 706 due (§6075(a)) | 9 months after death |
An estimate of the federal estate tax for a U.S. citizen or resident dying in 2026, not tax or legal advice. It does not model state estate or inheritance taxes, the generation-skipping transfer tax, credits for foreign or prior-transfer taxes, or the valuation of the assets. An estate near the exemption should be planned with an estate attorney.
Federal estate tax calculator (2026)
How the 2026 estate tax is figured
The taxable estate is the gross estate less debts, funeral and administration expenses, what passes to a U.S.-citizen spouse (IRC §2056) and what passes to charity (IRC §2055). The taxable gifts made during life are added back, the §2001(c) table is applied to the total, and the gift tax already payable on those gifts and the unified credit are subtracted (§2001(b)). The credit is the tax on the basic exclusion amount plus any unused exclusion inherited from a late spouse (§2010(c)).
The exemption is per person. A surviving spouse can add the first spouse’s unused exclusion only if the first spouse’s executor files an estate tax return and elects portability (§2010(c)(5)(A)).
Lifetime gifts within the annual exclusion never touch the exemption: in 2026 that is $19,000 per recipient, and it has to be used by December 31. Retirement accounts left to heirs carry income tax as well; the inherited IRA RMD calculator shows what the beneficiary will owe.
Common questions
- What is the estate tax exemption for 2026?
- $15,000,000 per person for someone who dies in 2026, up from $13,990,000 in 2025 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32). It is set in the law at $15,000,000 and indexed for inflation from 2027 (IRC §2010(c)(3)). Lifetime taxable gifts use up the same exclusion.
- How much is the federal estate tax in 2026?
- Nothing on a taxable estate (plus lifetime taxable gifts) up to the $15,000,000 exclusion, and 40% of everything above it, because the unified credit of $5,945,800 cancels the tax on the first $15,000,000 (IRC §2001(c)). A $20,000,000 estate with $1,000,000 of debts and expenses owes $1,600,000.
- What is the estate tax exemption for a married couple in 2026?
- Each spouse has $15,000,000. Everything left outright to a U.S.-citizen spouse is deducted, and the first spouse’s unused exclusion (DSUE) can pass to the survivor if the executor elects portability on a timely estate tax return (IRC §2010(c)(4)–(5)), so a couple can shelter up to $30,000,000.
- Does an estate need to file Form 706 in 2026?
- Yes when the gross estate, plus the adjusted taxable gifts made since 1976, is more than $15,000,000 (IRC §6018(a)), even if no tax is due after deductions. The return is due nine months after the date of death (IRC §6075(a)). A smaller estate does not have to file one, but a married decedent's executor files one to elect portability for the surviving spouse.
- Do lifetime gifts reduce the estate tax exemption?
- Gifts within the $19,000 annual exclusion do not. Taxable gifts above it are added back to the estate as adjusted taxable gifts, so they use up the same $15,000,000. The gift tax exclusion 2026 calculator shows how much a year of gifts uses.
- Does my state have an estate tax?
- Some states levy their own estate or inheritance tax, with exemptions far below the federal one. This calculator covers the federal estate tax only; check your state’s revenue department.