Question 1

Does this calculator charge South Carolina estate tax?

Accepted Answer

No. The implemented South Carolina estate-tax amount is always $0 for the supported 2024 through 2026 death years. The calculator also sets South Carolina inheritance tax to $0. Its tax total therefore comes from federal estate tax and any calculated federal GST tax.

Question 2

What federal estate-tax exclusions does the calculator use?

Accepted Answer

The code uses a federal basic exclusion of $13,610,000 for 2024, $13,990,000 for 2025, and $15,000,000 for 2026. Any DSUE amount entered by the user is added to the selected year's basic exclusion before the federal estate-tax calculation.

Question 3

How are prior taxable gifts treated?

Accepted Answer

Earlier taxable gifts are added to the federal tax base after the calculator determines the estate remaining after deductions and modeled annual-exclusion gifting. They do not increase the displayed gross estate. Because they increase the federal base, they can reduce the calculator's remaining federal headroom.

Question 4

How is the effective transfer-tax rate calculated?

Accepted Answer

The effective rate equals total transfer tax divided by gross estate. Total transfer tax can include federal estate tax and GST because the calculator's South Carolina estate and inheritance taxes are both zero. If gross estate is zero, the calculator returns an effective rate of zero instead of dividing by zero. Effective Rate=TTotalG×100%	ext{Effective Rate}=\frac{T_{Total}}{G}	imes100\%

Question 5

When does the calculator flag federal Form 706?

Accepted Answer

The calculator marks federal Form 706 as required when its federal tax base exceeds the applicable federal exclusion. It always displays the South Carolina estate-tax return as not required. These are calculator decision rules and should not be treated as an independent determination of every possible filing obligation.

South Carolina Estate Tax Calculator