Virginia Estate Tax Calculator

Pri Geens

Pri Geens

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Virginia Estate Tax Calculator

Estimate the federal estate tax on a Virginia decedent’s estate and confirm that Virginia itself charges nothing. Virginia repealed its estate tax for deaths on or after July 1, 2015 (VERIFY) and has no inheritance tax and no gift tax, so for 2024-2026 deaths Virginia tax is $0. 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.

Virginia rules this calculator enforces: NO state estate tax for recent deaths (Virginia estate tax was tied to the federal state death tax credit and repealed for deaths on or after July 1, 2015; VERIFY exact date); no Virginia estate tax return is filed; no inheritance tax; no gift tax; common-law (equitable distribution) state, not community property; spousal elective share based on years of marriage (up to 50%; this tool approximates it as one-third of the net estate; VERIFY); simplified administration where the estate value is $50,000 or less (Virginia small estate; VERIFY); probate venue in the Circuit Court of the county/city of domicile (95 counties + 38 independent cities).
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%.
Sets the federal exclusion and annual gift exclusion. Virginia tax is $0 for all three years.
Circuit Court venue; no Virginia estate tax applies.Required. Please choose a Virginia county/city.
Select a county/city to see the Circuit Court venue, the small-estate threshold, and the federal exclusion for the selected year.

Assets at date of death

Home, land, rental buildings at fair market value.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Checking, savings, CDs, stocks, bonds, mutual funds.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, pensions, annuity contracts.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Death benefit includible when the decedent held any incident of ownership.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Closely held business, vehicles, equipment, receivables, trusts includible in the estate.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Virginia is a common-law (equitable distribution) state, not community property, so no community-property halving or double step-up applies.

Debts and administration costs

Deductible obligations of the decedent.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Deductible when paid by the estate.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Deductible administration expense.Enter a percentage between 0 and 25.
Filing fees, publication, appraisal costs.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Deductible if not compensated by insurance.Enter 0 or a positive amount.

Bequests and marital status

Unlimited marital deduction for a citizen spouse or a QDOT (federal).Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Unlimited federal deduction for qualifying charities.Enter 0 or a positive amount.

Prior gifts, portability and GST

Post-1976 taxable gifts; they consume the federal exclusion. Virginia has no gift tax.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Federal portability only; Virginia has no state exclusion to port.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Federal GST at a flat 40% on Form 706 Schedule R.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Equals the federal basic exclusion for the year of death.Enter 0 or a positive amount.

Gifting plan

Required in gifting mode. Annual-exclusion gifts are not taxable gifts.Required in gifting mode. Enter 1 or more donees.
Amounts above the annual exclusion become taxable gifts.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
Gifts carry over basis and lose the step-up at death.Enter 0 or a positive amount.
If the tax cannot be eliminated inside this horizon, the calculator says so.Enter a whole number between 1 and 200.

How it works

  • Virginia has no estate or inheritance tax. Virginia repealed its estate tax for deaths on or after July 1, 2015 (VERIFY exact date). There is no Virginia inheritance tax for recent deaths and no gift tax, so only federal transfer taxes apply.
  • No portability (Virginia). Virginia has no state exclusion to port; only the federal DSUE ports.
  • 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. Virginia 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 $50,000 or less; verify the current figure.
  • Binding factor names what controls the result: the federal exclusion, the federal unified schedule, or the GST.
  • Gifting mode uses the guarded bisection solver (60 expansions, 90 iterations, rounded up). Because only the federal exclusion applies, the solver targets that single exclusion.
  • Gifting is not free. Carryover basis loses the step-up; the deferred gain is netted against the tax saved.

Sources

  • Former Virginia estate tax (tied to the federal state death tax credit and repealed for deaths on or after July 1, 2015; VERIFY exact date); no Virginia inheritance tax or gift tax.
  • Virginia elective share based on years of marriage (up to 50%; VERIFY); Virginia small estate simplified administration ($50,000; VERIFY); probate venue in the Circuit Court of the county/city of domicile (95 counties + 38 independent cities).
  • 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

TC1 – Below federal exclusion. Fairfax (Fairfax), 2025, single. Real 3,000,000; financial 500,000; retirement 300,000; debts 100,000; funeral 10,000; atty 2%; court 400.
Gross 1,800,000; admin 34,400; deductions 144,400; net estate 1,655,600; TE 1,655,600 below 13,990,000 federal. Federal $0, VA $0, TOTAL $0. Headroom federal 12,334,400.
TC2 – Above federal exclusion. Fairfax (Fairfax), 2025, single. Real 9,000,000; financial 6,000,000; retirement 4,000,000; business 2,000,000; debts 300,000; funeral 20,000; atty 2%; court 400.
Gross 20,000,000; admin 394,400; deductions 689,400; net estate 19,310,600; TE 19,310,600 above 13,990,000 federal. Federal tentative 7,670,040 less credit 5,541,800 = FEDERAL 2,128,240. VA $0. TOTAL 2,128,240. Effective 10.64%.
TC3 – Above federal, marital + DSUE. Fairfax (Fairfax), 2025, married 20 years, citizen spouse, bequest 5,000,000, DSUE 1,000,000. Real 15,000,000; financial 7,000,000; life 3,000,000; debts 400,000; funeral 25,000; atty 2%; court 400.
Gross 24,000,000; admin 472,400; deductions 917,400; net estate 23,082,600; less marital 5,000,000 = TE 18,082,600. Federal exclusion 14,990,000; FEDERAL 837,040. VA $0. TOTAL 837,040. Effective 3.35%. No elective-share note (up to 50%; VERIFY).
TC4 – Gifting solver, 2026, maxYears 200. Fairfax (Fairfax), single. Real 8,000,000; financial 5,000,000; retirement 3,000,000; business 2,000,000; debts 300,000; funeral 20,000; atty 2%; court 400; 4 donees at 19,000.
Gross 20,000,000; admin 394,400; deductions 689,400; net estate 19,310,600; TE 19,310,600 above 15,000,000 federal. FEDERAL 1,724,240. VA $0. TOTAL 1,724,240. Solver must reach the federal exclusion 15,000,000: 76,000/yr requires 57 YEARS (removes 4,332,000 leaving TE 14,978,600), tax $0. Saved 1,724,240.
TC5 – Small estate. Fairfax (Fairfax), 2025, married 5 years, citizen spouse. Financial 20,000; retirement 4,000; debts 1,000; funeral 2,000; atty 2%; court 300.
Gross 24,000; admin 760; deductions 4,760; net estate 19,240; TE 19,240 below both exclusions. Federal $0, VA $0, TOTAL $0. Small estate available (estate 19,240 at or below 50,000). No elective-share note (up to 50%; VERIFY).

Estimates only. Not legal, tax or financial advice. The Virginia repeal date, elective share and small-estate figure are flagged for verification. Verify all figures with the Virginia Department of Taxation and federal rules before relying on them.

What Is a Virginia Estate Tax Calculator?

The Virginia Estate Tax Calculator determines the modeled transfer tax on an estate after adding estate assets, subtracting eligible deductions, applying federal exclusions and portability, and calculating any GST tax. Virginia estate and inheritance taxes remain $0 in the calculator, so its tax result is driven by federal calculations.

The calculator has three modes. Estate mode estimates the total transfer tax due. Headroom mode tests whether the entered estate profile produces tax and shows remaining federal exemption room. Gifting mode searches for the number of years of annual-exclusion gifting needed to bring the modeled total transfer tax to zero.

The supported death years are 2024, 2025, and 2026. The calculator uses federal basic exclusions of $13,610,000, $13,990,000, and $15,000,000 respectively. Federal DSUE entered by the user is added to the applicable exclusion. Virginia has no separate state exemption in this model because its calculated estate tax is always $0.

How the Virginia Estate Tax Calculation Works

The calculation starts by adding five asset categories: real property, financial accounts, retirement accounts and annuities, includible life insurance, and business interests or other property.

Gross Estate=Real Property+Financial Assets+Retirement+Life Insurance+Other Property\text{Gross Estate}=\text{Real Property}+\text{Financial Assets}+\text{Retirement}+\text{Life Insurance}+\text{Other Property}

Administration costs include the entered attorney and executor fee plus Circuit Court filing and other costs. Despite the field label referring to a percentage of net estate, the code applies the percentage to gross estate minus debts, with that fee base floored at zero.

Administration Costs=max⁡(Gross Estate−Debts,0)×Fee %100+Court Costs\text{Administration Costs}=\max(\text{Gross Estate}-\text{Debts},0)\times\frac{\text{Fee \%}}{100}+\text{Court Costs}

The calculator then subtracts debts, funeral expenses, administration costs, and casualty or theft losses. The calculated net estate cannot fall below zero.

Net Estate=max⁡(Gross Estate−Debts−Funeral−Administration−Losses,0)\text{Net Estate}=\max(\text{Gross Estate}-\text{Debts}-\text{Funeral}-\text{Administration}-\text{Losses},0)

A marital deduction is allowed only when the decedent is marked married and the surviving spouse is a U.S. citizen or the bequest passes to a QDOT. The deduction is limited to the net estate. The charitable deduction is limited to the amount remaining after the marital deduction.

Taxable Estate=max⁡(Net Estate−Marital Deduction−Charitable Deduction−Gift Reduction,0)\text{Taxable Estate}=\max(\text{Net Estate}-\text{Marital Deduction}-\text{Charitable Deduction}-\text{Gift Reduction},0)

In gifting mode, the annual reduction uses the smaller of the entered gift per donee and the calculator’s annual-exclusion amount. The code uses $18,000 for 2024 and $19,000 for both 2025 and 2026.

Gift Reduction=min⁡(Gift Per Donee,Annual Exclusion)×Donees×Years\text{Gift Reduction}=\min(\text{Gift Per Donee},\text{Annual Exclusion})\times\text{Donees}\times\text{Years}

Earlier taxable gifts are added back to the taxable estate to form the federal base. Federal DSUE is added to the basic exclusion.

Federal Base=Taxable Estate+Earlier Taxable Gifts\text{Federal Base}=\text{Taxable Estate}+\text{Earlier Taxable Gifts}
Federal Applicable Exclusion=Basic Exclusion+DSUE\text{Federal Applicable Exclusion}=\text{Basic Exclusion}+\text{DSUE}

If the federal base exceeds the applicable exclusion, the calculator applies its coded progressive federal schedule, with rates from 18% through 40%. It calculates tentative tax on the federal base and subtracts the schedule tax calculated on the applicable exclusion.

Federal Estate Tax=max⁡(SF(Federal Base)−SF(Federal Applicable Exclusion),0)\text{Federal Estate Tax}=\max\left(S_F(\text{Federal Base})-S_F(\text{Federal Applicable Exclusion}),0\right)

Here, SF represents the calculator’s progressive federal tax schedule. Virginia estate tax and Virginia inheritance tax are both set to zero by the calculation code.

Federal GST tax is calculated separately. Direct skips are reduced by the entered GST exemption, with the taxable amount floored at zero, then multiplied by 40%.

GST Tax=0.40×max⁡(Direct Skips−GST Exemption,0)\text{GST Tax}=0.40\times\max(\text{Direct Skips}-\text{GST Exemption},0)
Total Transfer Tax=Federal Estate Tax+GST Tax\text{Total Transfer Tax}=\text{Federal Estate Tax}+\text{GST Tax}

Worked Example

Consider a hypothetical 2025 estate with $8,000,000 of real property, $4,000,000 of financial assets, $2,000,000 of retirement assets, and $2,000,000 of business or other property. Gross estate is $16,000,000. 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 $15,700,000 after subtracting debts. A 2% fee is $314,000, and adding $400 of court costs produces $314,400 of administration costs. Total deductions are $634,400, leaving a net estate of $15,365,600.

With no marital deduction, charitable deduction, prior taxable gifts, DSUE, or gifting reduction, the federal base is $15,365,600. The calculator’s 2025 federal exclusion is $13,990,000. Its schedule calculation produces $550,240 of federal estate tax. Virginia estate tax is $0, so with no GST tax the total transfer tax displayed is $550,240. The effective rate is 3.44% of the $16,000,000 gross estate.

How to Use the Virginia Estate Tax Calculator

  1. Choose estate tax, larger-estate headroom, or years-of-gifting mode.
  2. Select the year of death: 2024, 2025, or 2026.
  3. Select the Virginia county or independent city of domicile used for the displayed Circuit Court venue.
  4. Enter real property, financial accounts, retirement assets, life insurance, and business or other property.
  5. Enter debts, funeral expenses, the attorney and executor fee percentage, court costs, and casualty or theft losses.
  6. Set marital status and, when applicable, spouse citizenship or QDOT status. Enter spousal and charitable bequests.
  7. Enter earlier taxable gifts, federal DSUE, direct skips, and the GST exemption allocated.
  8. For gifting analysis, enter the number of donees, annual gift per donee, unrealized gain, heirs’ capital-gains rate, NIIT selection, and maximum years to test.
  9. Check the required acknowledgment and use the calculation button for the selected mode.

Estate mode displays total transfer tax as the primary result. Headroom mode displays a verdict and reports total transfer tax, federal headroom, and the modeled tax-free ceiling. Gifting mode displays the number of years needed, “None needed” when baseline tax is already zero, or a result stating that more than the selected maximum years would be required.

Understanding the Results and Important Assumptions

The results provide a detailed path from gross estate to estimated transfer tax. They show gross estate, debts, funeral costs, administration costs, losses, net estate, marital and charitable deductions, planned gifting, taxable estate, federal tentative tax, federal credit, federal estate tax, Virginia tax, GST tax, and total transfer tax.

Federal headroom is the applicable federal exclusion minus the federal base, floored at zero. The calculator’s tax-free ceiling then adds that remaining headroom to the current gross estate.

Federal Headroom=max⁡(Federal Applicable Exclusion−Federal Base,0)\text{Federal Headroom}=\max(\text{Federal Applicable Exclusion}-\text{Federal Base},0)
Tax-Free Ceiling=Gross Estate+Federal Headroom\text{Tax-Free Ceiling}=\text{Gross Estate}+\text{Federal Headroom}

The effective transfer-tax rate divides total calculated transfer tax by gross estate. If gross estate is zero, the code returns a zero effective rate. Dollar results are rounded to the nearest whole dollar for display, while the effective rate is shown to two decimal places.

Effective Rate=Total Transfer TaxGross Estate\text{Effective Rate}=\frac{\text{Total Transfer Tax}}{\text{Gross Estate}}

The calculator also displays a marginal federal rate of 40% whenever the federal base exceeds the applicable exclusion. Otherwise, the displayed marginal rate is 0%.

Small-Estate and Elective-Share Indicators

The small-estate indicator uses a $50,000 threshold that the calculator itself flags for verification. The actual code compares that threshold only with financial accounts, retirement assets, life insurance, and business or other property. Real property is not included in this specific small-estate test.

Small-Estate Test Amount=Financial+Retirement+Life Insurance+Other Property\text{Small-Estate Test Amount}=\text{Financial}+\text{Retirement}+\text{Life Insurance}+\text{Other Property}

For a married decedent, the calculator also displays an elective-share estimate equal to one-third of the calculated net estate. The interface states that Virginia’s elective share is based on years of marriage and may reach a different amount, so the one-third calculation is explicitly labeled as an approximation requiring verification.

How the Gifting Analysis Works

Gifting mode searches for the first whole number of years that reduces total modeled transfer tax to zero, up to the entered maximum testing horizon. The maximum-years field accepts values from 1 through 200, and the calculation reads the value as an integer.

The gift reduction never uses more than the calculator’s annual exclusion per donee. Entering a larger gift does not automatically add the excess to earlier taxable gifts. Earlier taxable gifts are taken only from the separate “Earlier taxable gifts” input.

The calculator also estimates a carryover-basis cost from the user-entered unrealized gain. It multiplies that gain by the selected long-term capital-gains rate of 0%, 15%, or 20%. If the NIIT option is checked, it adds 3.8 percentage points to that modeled rate.

Basis Cost=Unrealized Gain×(LTCG Rate+NIIT Rate if selected)\text{Basis Cost}=\text{Unrealized Gain}\times\left(\text{LTCG Rate}+\text{NIIT Rate if selected}\right)
Net Gifting Benefit=Transfer Tax Saved−Basis Cost\text{Net Gifting Benefit}=\text{Transfer Tax Saved}-\text{Basis Cost}

The gifting results include annual exclusion per donee, effective gift per donee, gift amount per year, tax before and after gifting, tax saved, basis cost, net benefit, total gifts modeled, and projected transfer tax after one, two, and three years.

Most dollar fields allow values from $0 through $100,000,000. The attorney and executor fee field is limited to 0% through 25%, and the donee field ranges from 0 through 200. County or city selection and the acknowledgment are required before calculation. The donee field is marked as required in gifting mode, although the code’s numeric validation accepts zero.

This calculator provides an estimate based on the assumptions encoded in the tool. Actual estate administration, filing obligations, deductions, gift treatment, tax liability, and succession rights can depend on facts and rules not represented here. The Virginia repeal date, elective-share approximation, and small-estate amount are specifically marked for verification in the calculator.

Estate Tax Calculators for All 50 U.S. States

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does this calculator charge Virginia estate tax?

No. The calculation code always sets Virginia estate tax to $0 for the supported 2024 through 2026 death years. It also sets Virginia inheritance tax to $0. The interface states that Virginia’s former estate tax was repealed for deaths on or after July 1, 2015, while flagging that exact repeal date for verification.

What federal estate tax exclusions does the calculator use?

It uses $13,610,000 for 2024, $13,990,000 for 2025, and $15,000,000 for 2026. Any DSUE entered in the federal portability field is added to that year’s basic exclusion before federal estate tax is calculated.

How does the calculator determine federal estate tax?

It adds earlier taxable gifts to the calculated taxable estate to create the federal base. When that base exceeds the applicable federal exclusion, it applies the coded progressive federal schedule to both amounts and subtracts the schedule tax on the exclusion from the tentative tax on the federal base.

Does a marital bequest always receive a deduction?

No. The calculator allows the modeled marital deduction only when the decedent is marked married and the surviving spouse is a U.S. citizen or the bequest to a non-citizen spouse passes to a QDOT. The allowed deduction cannot exceed the calculated net estate.

How is GST tax calculated?

The calculator subtracts the entered GST exemption from direct skips to grandchildren or later generations. Any positive remainder is multiplied by 40%. Because GST is calculated separately, GST tax can remain even when annual gifting reduces the modeled federal estate tax to zero.

How does the years-of-gifting solver work?

The solver tests increasing gifting periods until it finds a range where total transfer tax reaches zero, then uses a numerical search to narrow the result. It rounds the final result upward to a whole number of years. If zero tax cannot be reached within the selected maximum horizon, it reports that more years would be needed.

What does the calculator count for its small-estate test?

The code adds financial accounts, retirement assets, includible life insurance, and business or other property and compares that total with $50,000. Real property is not included in this particular test. The calculator marks the $50,000 small-estate figure for verification.

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