Form 706 Changes for 2026 Decedents: $15M Exclusion | HelloBooks The 07/2026 Form 706 instructions: a $15,000,000 basic exclusion for 2026 decedents, new 2032A and 6166 amounts, and which revision 2025 estates use.
The IRS revised the Form 706 instructions in July 2026 with the amounts for people who die in 2026. Estates of 2025 decedents keep using the August 2025 revision of the form.
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Basic exclusion amount, 2026 decedents
$15,000,000
Applies: Decedents dying in 2026From IRS.gov · checked October 10, 2026
For decedents dying in 2026, the instructions give a basic exclusion amount of $15,000,000, a basic credit of $5,945,800, a special-use valuation ceiling under section 2032A of $1,460,000 and a section 6166 2% portion amount of $1,940,000. The IRS will publish later years’ amounts in annual revenue procedures.
The revision table says estates of decedents who died after December 31, 2024 use the August 2025 revision of Form 706. For a 2025 death the basic exclusion is $13,990,000.
Many estates below the exclusion still file to elect portability, so the surviving spouse can use the unused exclusion later. Raise the election with every married client’s executor, even when no tax is due.
The plain-English summary for business owners
Form 709 · gifts made in 2025
Form 1041 · tax year 2025
Reference · 2025 and 2026
General information for tax professionals, not advice on a specific return. Figures are from IRS.gov on the date shown; check the current IRS instructions before filing.
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