Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Estimated estate tax
$0
Federal portion (40% top rate)
$0
State portion
$0
Taxable estate
$10,100,000
Net passing to heirs
$10,100,000
Effective tax rate
0.00%
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How to use this
- 1Enter gross estate (property, investments, business) ($).
- 2Enter life insurance you own ($).
- 3Enter debts and final expenses ($).
- 4Enter charitable bequests ($).
- 5Enter passing to spouse (marital deduction) ($).
- 6Enter federal exclusion available ($).
- 7Enter ported spousal exclusion (dsue) ($).
- 8Enter state exclusion ($).
- 9Enter state estate tax rate (%).
- 10Read your estimated estate tax on the right — it updates as you type.
- 11Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Very few estates owe federal estate tax, but the ones that do owe a lot, and a dozen states plus the District of Columbia impose their own estate or inheritance tax at thresholds far below the federal one. This calculator totals your gross estate — real property, investments, business interests, and life insurance you own rather than a trust owns — subtracts debts, charitable bequests, and the marital deduction, then applies the federal exclusion (with a deceased spouse's unused exclusion if portability was elected) and a separate state exclusion and rate. Life insurance surprises people: a policy you personally own is included in your gross estate at its death benefit, which can push an otherwise ordinary estate over a state threshold. Use the tool to size the exposure, then discuss the standard remedies with an estate attorney: irrevocable life insurance trusts, lifetime gifting within the annual exclusion, and charitable vehicles.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Gross estate (property, investments, business): 9000000 $
- Life insurance you own: 1500000 $
- Debts and final expenses: 400000 $
- Charitable bequests: 0 $
- Passing to spouse (marital deduction): 0 $
- Federal exclusion available: 13990000 $
- Ported spousal exclusion (DSUE): 0 $
- State exclusion: 0 $
- State estate tax rate: 0 %
Results
- Estimated estate tax: $0
- Federal portion (40% top rate): $0
- State portion: $0
- Taxable estate: $10,100,000
- Net passing to heirs: $10,100,000
- Effective tax rate: 0.00%
What each field means
Inputs
- Gross estate (property, investments, business) ($)
- The gross estate (property, investments, business) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 9000000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 100000–200000000 $.
- Life insurance you own ($)
- The life insurance you own used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1500000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–50000000 $.
- Debts and final expenses ($)
- The debts and final expenses used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 400000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–50000000 $.
- Charitable bequests ($)
- The charitable bequests used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100000000 $.
- Passing to spouse (marital deduction) ($)
- The passing to spouse (marital deduction) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–200000000 $.
- Federal exclusion available ($)
- The federal exclusion available used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 13990000 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–30000000 $.
- Ported spousal exclusion (DSUE) ($)
- The ported spousal exclusion (dsue) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–30000000 $.
- State exclusion ($)
- The state exclusion used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–15000000 $.
- State estate tax rate (%)
- The state estate tax rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 0 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20 %.
Results
- Estimated estate tax
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Federal portion (40% top rate)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- State portion
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Taxable estate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Net passing to heirs
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Effective tax rate
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Is the federal exclusion permanent?
No. The exclusion amount is indexed and has been changed by legislation more than once, and scheduled sunsets have moved it sharply in the past. Enter the figure that applies to the year you are modelling rather than assuming today's number holds.
Why is life insurance included?
A policy you own is part of your gross estate at its full death benefit. Ownership by an irrevocable life insurance trust, set up correctly and outside the three-year lookback, is the standard way to keep it out.
What is portability?
A surviving spouse can inherit the deceased spouse's unused exclusion, but only if the estate files a timely federal estate tax return electing it — even when no tax is owed. Missing that filing is a common and expensive error.
Do inheritance taxes work the same way?
No. A handful of states tax the recipient based on their relationship to the deceased rather than taxing the estate. This tool models estate taxes; check your state if it levies an inheritance tax instead.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Estate Tax Exposure Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/estate-tax-exposure-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/estate-tax-exposure-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Estate Tax Exposure Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Estate Tax Exposure Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/estate-tax-exposure-calculator) (2026).