Washington Estate Tax Calculator
Estimate the combined federal and Washington estate tax on a Washington decedent’s estate. Washington imposes its own estate tax with an exclusion of $2,193,000 (VERIFY) and graduated rates from 10% to 20%. Washington has no inheritance tax and no gift tax. Three modes: estimate the tax, test a larger estate, or solve for the years of gifting needed to reach zero. Fields marked * are required; Calculate names any left empty.
Federal: unified estate and gift schedule topping at 40%; basic exclusion $13,610,000 (2024), $13,990,000 (2025), $15,000,000 (2026); federal portability (DSUE) allowed; unlimited marital and charitable deductions; GST 40%.
Exclusions and portability
Gross estate to taxable estate
Tax computation
What heirs receive
Washington succession
Gifting analysis
Three-year gifting projection
How it works
- Washington has its own estate tax. Washington imposes an estate tax (RCW 83.100) with an exclusion of $2,193,000 (VERIFY) and graduated rates from 10% to 20%. Tax is the rate table applied to (Washington taxable estate minus the exclusion), floored at zero.
- No portability of the Washington exclusion. Washington does not port its exclusion to a surviving spouse; only the federal DSUE ports.
- No inheritance tax, no gift tax. Washington has no inheritance tax and no gift tax.
- Community property state. Washington is a community property state; this tool does NOT halve community property or apply a double step-up.
- Federal estate tax applies above the federal basic exclusion using the unified 18% to 40% schedule; the federal GST applies at 40% to direct skips above the allocated GST exemption.
- Spousal elective share. Washington elective share is based on years of marriage (up to 50%); this tool approximates it as one-third of the net estate (VERIFY).
- Small estates. Simplified administration is available where the estate value is $100,000 or less; verify the current figure.
- Binding factor names what controls the result: the federal exclusion, the Washington exclusion, the federal unified schedule, or the GST.
- Gifting mode uses the guarded bisection solver (60 expansions, 90 iterations, rounded up). Because both the federal and Washington exclusions apply, the solver targets the binding exclusion.
- Gifting is not free. Carryover basis loses the step-up; the deferred gain is netted against the tax saved.
Sources
- RCW 83.100 (Washington estate tax); exclusion $2,193,000 (indexed; VERIFY); graduated rate table from 10% to 20% (VERIFY); tax is the rate table applied to (Washington taxable estate minus the exclusion); no Washington inheritance tax or gift tax.
- Washington elective share based on years of marriage (up to 50%; VERIFY); Washington small estate simplified administration ($100,000; VERIFY); probate venue in the Superior Court of the county of domicile (83 counties).
- IRC chapter 11 unified schedule and exclusion ($13,610,000 / $13,990,000 / $15,000,000 for 2024 / 2025 / 2026); IRC 2010 portability; IRC 2042 life insurance inclusion; IRC 2055 charitable deduction; IRC chapter 13 GST at 40%; IRC 1014 step-up and 1015 carryover basis.
- IRS Form 706 and Form 4768 instructions (9-month deadline, 6-month filing extension).
Test cases
Gross 1,800,000; admin 34,400; deductions 144,400; net estate 1,655,600; TE 1,655,600 below 2,193,000 WA and 13,990,000 federal. Federal $0, WA $0, TOTAL $0. Federal headroom 12,334,400; WA headroom 537,400.
Gross 10,000,000; admin 194,400; deductions 494,400; net estate 9,505,600; TE 9,505,600 above 2,193,000 WA, below 13,990,000 federal. WA taxable base 9,505,600 – 2,193,000 = 7,312,600; WA rate table 1,026,268 = WASHINGTON 1,026,268. Federal $0. TOTAL 1,026,268. Effective 10.26%.
Gross 24,000,000; admin 472,400; deductions 917,400; net estate 23,082,600; less marital 5,000,000 = TE 18,082,600. WA taxable base 18,082,600 – 2,193,000 = 15,889,600; WA rate table 2,857,920 = WASHINGTON 2,857,920. Federal exclusion 14,990,000; FEDERAL 1,237,040. TOTAL 4,094,960. Effective 17.06%. No elective-share note (up to 50%; VERIFY).
Gross 20,000,000; admin 394,400; deductions 689,400; net estate 19,310,600; TE 19,310,600. Federal 1,724,240; WA taxable base 19,310,600 – 2,193,000 = 17,117,600; WA rate table 3,093,520 = WASHINGTON 3,093,520. TOTAL 4,817,760. Solver must reach both exclusions: 76,000/yr requires more than 200 YEARS (removes 17,117,600 leaving TE 2,193,000), so NOT reachable within 200 years. Saved 0.
Gross 24,000; admin 760; deductions 4,760; net estate 19,240; TE 19,240 below both exclusions. Federal $0, WA $0, TOTAL $0. Small estate available (estate 19,240 at or below 100,000). No elective-share note (up to 50%; VERIFY).
Estimates only. Not legal, tax or financial advice. The Washington exclusion, rate table, elective share and small-estate figure are flagged for verification. Verify all figures with the Washington Department of Revenue and federal rules before relying on them.
What Is a Washington Estate Tax Calculator?
A Washington estate tax calculator estimates transfer taxes after adding estate assets, subtracting modeled deductions, applying federal and Washington exclusions, and calculating the applicable tax schedules. This calculator separately shows federal estate tax, Washington estate tax, GST tax, exemption headroom, filing indicators, and an estimated amount remaining for other heirs.
This calculator offers three modes. Estate mode estimates the transfer tax on the entered estate. Headroom mode tests whether the estate produces tax and shows remaining federal and Washington headroom. Gifting mode searches for the number of years of modeled annual-exclusion gifts needed to reduce total calculated transfer tax to zero.
The code uses a Washington estate-tax exclusion of $2,193,000 and graduated Washington rates from 10% through 20%. It uses federal basic exclusions of $13,610,000 for 2024, $13,990,000 for 2025, and $15,000,000 for 2026. Federal DSUE can increase the federal exclusion, but it does not increase the Washington exclusion in this model.
How the Washington Estate Tax Calculation Works
The calculation starts by adding real property, financial accounts, retirement accounts and annuities, includible life insurance, and business interests or other property.
Administration costs include the attorney and executor fee plus entered Superior Court costs. Although the field label refers to a percentage of net estate, the code actually applies the percentage to gross estate minus debts, floored at zero.
The calculator subtracts debts, funeral expenses, administration costs, and casualty or theft losses to determine the net estate.
A marital deduction is used only when the decedent is marked married and the surviving spouse is a U.S. citizen or the bequest passes to a QDOT. It cannot exceed the net estate. The charitable deduction is then capped at the amount remaining after the marital deduction.
In gifting calculations, the calculator uses the smaller of the entered gift per donee and the coded annual exclusion. It uses $18,000 for 2024 and $19,000 for 2025 and 2026.
The code then adds earlier taxable gifts to both the federal base and the Washington base, even though the input is labeled “Earlier taxable gifts (federal base).”
Federal estate tax is calculated only when the federal base exceeds the basic exclusion plus entered DSUE. The calculator applies its progressive federal schedule to the base and subtracts the same schedule’s tax on the applicable exclusion.
For Washington, the calculator subtracts $2,193,000 from the Washington base and applies its graduated state schedule to any positive remainder.
| Washington taxable amount above exclusion | Rate used by calculator |
|---|---|
| First $1,000,000 | 10% |
| $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 | 14% |
| $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 | 15% |
| $3,000,000 to $6,000,000 | 16% |
| $6,000,000 to $9,000,000 | 18% |
| Above $9,000,000 | 20% |
Federal GST tax is calculated separately at 40% of direct skips remaining after the entered GST exemption. Washington inheritance tax is set to zero.
Worked Example
Assume a hypothetical 2025 estate has $2,000,000 of real property, $1,500,000 of financial assets, $1,000,000 of retirement assets, and $1,000,000 of business or other property. Gross estate is $5,500,000. Assume $300,000 of debts, $20,000 of funeral expenses, a 2% attorney and executor fee, and $400 of court costs.
The fee base is $5,200,000. A 2% fee is $104,000, and adding $400 of court costs gives $104,400 of administration costs. The net estate is therefore $5,075,600.
With no marital deduction, charitable deduction, prior gifts, gifting reduction, or GST tax, the federal base remains below the calculator’s 2025 federal exclusion, so federal estate tax is $0. The Washington amount above the $2,193,000 exclusion is $2,882,600.
The Washington schedule charges 10% on the first $1,000,000, 14% on the next $1,000,000, and 15% on the remaining $882,600. That produces $372,390 of Washington estate tax. Total transfer tax is therefore $372,390, and the displayed effective rate is 6.77% of the $5,500,000 gross estate.
How to Use the Washington Estate Tax Calculator
- Choose estate-tax, larger-estate headroom, or years-of-gifting mode.
- Select the year of death from 2024, 2025, or 2026.
- Select the Washington county of domicile used for the displayed Superior Court venue.
- Enter real property, financial accounts, retirement assets, life insurance, and business or other property.
- Enter debts, funeral expenses, the attorney and executor fee percentage, court costs, and casualty or theft losses.
- Set marital status and, when relevant, spouse citizenship or QDOT status. Enter spousal and charitable bequests.
- Enter earlier taxable gifts, federal DSUE, direct skips, and the GST exemption allocated.
- For gifting analysis, enter the number of donees, gift per donee, unrealized gain, heirs’ capital-gains rate, NIIT choice, and maximum years to test.
- Check the required acknowledgment and select the calculation button.
Estate mode displays total transfer tax as the main result. Headroom mode displays a tax-status verdict with federal headroom, Washington headroom, and a tax-free ceiling. Gifting mode displays the calculated years required, “None needed” when baseline tax is already zero, or a message that more than the selected maximum years would be required.
Understanding the Results and Calculator Assumptions
The detailed results show the path from gross estate to transfer tax. Outputs include the net estate, marital and charitable deductions, gifting reduction, taxable estate, federal tentative tax, federal credit, federal estate tax, Washington estate tax, Washington inheritance tax, GST taxable amount, GST tax, total transfer tax, and effective rate.
Federal headroom is the applicable federal exclusion minus the federal base, floored at zero. Washington headroom uses the same approach with the $2,193,000 coded Washington exclusion. The calculator’s tax-free ceiling adds the smaller of those two headroom amounts to the current gross estate.
The effective transfer-tax rate divides total transfer tax by gross estate. If gross estate is zero, the effective rate is zero. Currency values are rounded to the nearest whole dollar for display, while the effective rate is shown to two decimal places.
The calculator also displays a coded marginal transfer-tax rate. It shows 0% when neither federal nor Washington thresholds are exceeded, 20% when only the Washington threshold is exceeded, 40% when only the federal threshold is exceeded, and 60% when both are exceeded. This is a display rule in the calculator rather than a recomputation of the exact next-dollar rate in each graduated bracket.
Community Property Treatment
The calculator identifies Washington as a community property state. However, its calculation does not halve community property and does not apply a double step-up adjustment. Users enter the asset amounts that should be included, and those entered amounts flow directly into the gross-estate calculation.
Small-Estate and Elective-Share Indicators
The small-estate indicator uses a coded $100,000 limit that is marked for verification. The actual test adds financial accounts, retirement assets, life insurance, and business or other property. Real property is not included in this specific comparison.
For a married decedent, the calculator displays an elective-share estimate equal to one-third of the calculated net estate. The interface states that the actual Washington elective share depends on years of marriage and may reach a different amount, so the one-third value is expressly presented as an approximation that requires verification.
Filing Indicators
The federal filing indicator turns on when the federal base is greater than the federal applicable exclusion. The Washington return indicator turns on when the Washington base is greater than $2,193,000. These are the calculator’s coded filing tests and should not be treated as a substitute for checking actual filing requirements.
How the Gifting Solver Works
Gifting mode searches for the first whole number of years that reduces total calculated transfer tax to zero. It first expands the testing period and then performs a numerical search. The maximum testing horizon is entered by the user and is limited by the form to 1 through 200.
The number-of-donees field is marked as required in gifting mode, but zero is still inside the coded numeric range. With zero donees or a zero effective gift amount, gifting does not reduce the estate.
The calculator caps the effective annual gift per donee at the coded annual exclusion. An entered amount above that limit is not automatically added to earlier taxable gifts. The prior-gifts input is handled separately.
The gifting section also estimates a carryover-basis cost. It multiplies entered unrealized gain by the selected long-term capital-gains rate of 0%, 15%, or 20%. If the NIIT checkbox is selected, the calculator adds 3.8 percentage points.
The gifting results can show the annual exclusion, effective gift per donee, annual gifting amount, tax before and after gifting, modeled tax savings, basis cost, net benefit, total gift reduction, and projected transfer tax after one, two, and three years.
Most dollar inputs accept values from $0 through $100,000,000. The attorney and executor fee accepts 0% through 25%. The donee field ranges from 0 through 200, and the maximum-years field ranges from 1 through 200. The county and acknowledgment must be completed before the calculation runs.
This is an estimate based on user-entered assumptions and the rules implemented in the calculator. Real tax liability, deductions, return requirements, probate procedures, gift treatment, and estate-planning consequences may differ. The calculator itself flags several Washington values for verification and is not a substitute for professional legal, tax, or financial advice.
Estate Tax Calculators for All 50 U.S. States
Frequently Asked Questions
What Washington estate tax exclusion does the calculator use?
The calculator uses a Washington exclusion of $2,193,000 for all three supported death years. It does not change that amount when the year changes. The code labels the amount as indexed but also explicitly flags the figure for verification.
Does federal portability increase the Washington exclusion?
No. Entered DSUE increases only the calculator’s federal applicable exclusion. Washington headroom and Washington estate tax continue to use the separate $2,193,000 exclusion. The result section therefore identifies Washington portability as not allowed within the model.
How does the calculator determine Washington estate tax?
It adds the taxable estate and earlier taxable gifts to create the Washington base. If that base exceeds $2,193,000, the excess is passed through the calculator’s graduated Washington rate schedule. The resulting amount is displayed as Washington estate tax.
Does the calculator include Washington inheritance tax or gift tax?
The Washington inheritance-tax output is always $0 in the calculation code, and the calculator describes Washington gift tax as unavailable in its model. Federal estate tax and federal GST tax are calculated separately from the Washington estate-tax amount.
How are earlier taxable gifts handled?
Earlier taxable gifts are added to the taxable estate before both federal and Washington threshold and tax calculations. This is the calculator’s implemented behavior even though the user-facing field is labeled as a federal-base input.
Why might gifting fail to eliminate all transfer tax?
The gifting solver must bring the calculator’s total transfer tax to zero within the selected maximum number of years. Annual gifts reduce the modeled taxable estate, but they do not reduce the separate direct-skips input used for GST tax. A remaining GST amount or insufficient annual gifting can therefore prevent the solver from reaching zero.
How is the small-estate result calculated?
The code adds financial accounts, retirement assets, includible life insurance, and business or other property and compares that total with $100,000. Real property is excluded from this particular small-estate calculation. The calculator marks the $100,000 figure for verification.