Question 1

Does this calculator charge North Carolina estate tax?

Accepted Answer

No. The implemented calculation sets both North Carolina estate tax and North Carolina inheritance tax to $0 for its supported 2024, 2025, and 2026 death years. Federal estate tax and federal GST tax can still produce a positive total transfer-tax result.

Question 2

How does DSUE affect the calculation?

Accepted Answer

The calculator adds the entered DSUE amount directly to the federal basic exclusion for the selected year. It then compares the federal base with that combined exclusion and calculates the federal applicable credit using the same progressive schedule applied to the total exclusion.

Question 3

How are earlier taxable gifts handled?

Accepted Answer

Earlier taxable gifts are added to the taxable estate to form the federal tax base. That amount is then compared with the federal applicable exclusion. The calculator does not add a North Carolina gift tax or a separate state gift add-back.

Question 4

How does the spousal elective-share estimate work?

Accepted Answer

When the married option is selected, the calculator multiplies its net estate by 50% if there are zero or one entered surviving lineal descendants. With two or more descendants, it multiplies the net estate by one-third. The calculator marks this North Carolina rule for verification.

Question 5

How does the gifting-years solver work?

Accepted Answer

The solver caps each effective gift per donee at the encoded annual exclusion, multiplies that value by the number of donees, and tests increasing gifting periods. It uses a guarded binary-search process and rounds the solution up to a whole number of years. If tax remains after the maximum period, it reports that more years are needed.

North Carolina Estate Tax Calculator