Washington state levies an estate tax on people who die with more than a threshold amount of net worth. In 2024, as I write this, that threshold equals $2,193,000.
To estimate the Washington state estate tax someone might owe, use the Washington State estate tax calculator shown below. Instructions and additional information appear below the calculator input and outputs.
Taxable Estate: 0.00
Washington Estate Tax: 0.00
Instructions for Washington State Estate Tax Calculator
You need to describe an estate using the roughly half a dozen inputs. But the two things to know are as follows:
First, Washington state subtracts the following items from your taxable estate: Liabilities, spousal transfers, estate administration costs, charitable contributions and then a “standard” exclusion equal to $2,193,000.
Second, if you have out of state real estate, the formulas adjust for this. Washington state doesn’t tax its residents on real property held out of state. (Those other states, by the way, might.) But as an example, if someone holds real estate outside Washington state that amounts to 25 percent of the person’s estate? Washington state only taxes the remaining 75 percent.
The actual tax calculation uses a sliding scale which starts at 10 percent and rises to 20 percent.
One wrinkle for people who have real property outside of Washington state. The values you enter for that property in the “Washington state assets” and “Non-Washington state assets” boxes need to be net of any nonrecourse debt like mortgages the decedent isn’t personally liable for. Use the liabilities box to show the total recourse liabilities.
You ought to consider the calculation results an estimate. But they do give you a sense of the taxes an estate pays.
Other Resources
From our CPA firm website: Washington State Estate Tax Returns: When to File and Pay Taxes and Washington State Estate Tax Planning Tactics
Raemi Gilkerson, a local attorney in Redmond, did a very useful guest blog post that you will find informative: Washington Estate Tax Worries: 3 Tips Save Thousands.
Finally, additional details about the estate tax appear on the Washington Department of Revenue website: Washington State Estate Tax Tables