Estate Tax Calculator
Estimate federal estate tax liability using the 2024 exemption of $13.61 million.
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Estimate potential federal estate tax on an estate above the federal exemption amount, and see the net value that would pass on to your heirs after tax, debts, and deductions.
How Estate Tax Calculator Works
The calculator first subtracts debts, mortgages, and funeral/administrative expenses from your gross estate value to arrive at the adjusted gross estate. It then subtracts any marital deduction (assets passing to a US citizen spouse, which is unlimited) and any charitable deduction to arrive at the taxable estate.
From the taxable estate, the calculator subtracts the federal estate tax exemption — defaulted to $13,610,000, the 2024 federal figure, though you can override it to model a different year or state threshold. Whatever remains above the exemption is taxed at a flat 40% rate, which mirrors the top federal estate tax bracket that applies once an estate is meaningfully above the exemption line.
The effective tax rate shown is simply the total estate tax divided by the original gross estate, which is usually far lower than 40% since only the amount above the exemption is actually taxed — most of the estate passes through untaxed.
See It In Action
Who Uses Estate Tax Calculator and Why
- Estimating potential federal estate tax exposure for an estate that exceeds the federal exemption amount.
- Seeing how a marital deduction (assets passing to a US citizen spouse) or a charitable deduction reduces the taxable estate.
- Modeling a different exemption year or threshold by overriding the default $13,610,000 figure.
- Checking the net value that would actually pass to heirs after tax, debts, and administrative expenses.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming the 40% rate applies to the entire estate — it only applies to the portion of the taxable estate that exceeds the exemption amount; everything at or below the exemption passes tax-free at the federal level.
- Forgetting this tool covers federal estate tax only — a number of states levy their own estate or inheritance tax with much lower exemption thresholds, so a taxable estate here could still owe state-level tax not reflected in this result.
- Overlooking that the marital deduction is unlimited for a US citizen spouse — leaving that field blank when a spouse is the intended beneficiary will overstate the taxable estate and resulting tax.
Tips for Best Results
- Use the effective tax rate figure, not the 40% top rate, to understand the real percentage impact on the full gross estate — it's typically far lower since only the amount above the exemption is taxed.
- Test different charitable deduction amounts to see their effect on the taxable estate before discussing specific giving strategies with an estate planning attorney.
Fixing Common Problems
My effective tax rate looks much lower than the 40% rate mentioned. — This is expected — the 40% rate only applies to the portion of the taxable estate above the exemption amount, so the effective rate (total tax divided by the full gross estate) will always be meaningfully lower than 40%.
Terms Explained
Federal estate tax exemption: The threshold amount an estate can pass tax-free at the federal level, defaulted here to the 2024 figure of $13,610,000.
Marital deduction: An unlimited deduction for assets passing to a surviving spouse who is a US citizen, deferring estate tax until the spouse's own estate is settled.