Estimate federal estate tax liability based on your total assets and debts. The estate tax applies to estates exceeding the federal exemption amount, which is $15 million for 2026. Most estates fall well below this threshold.
The federal estate tax is a tax on the transfer of property at death. It applies only to the portion of an estate that exceeds the exemption amount. The current tax rate is 40% on the taxable portion. Assets transferred to a surviving spouse are generally exempt.