2026 Federal Estate Tax Exemption: What California Families Need to Know

Big changes are here for estate planning in 2026. The federal estate tax exemption has increased to $15,000,000 for an individual and $30,000,000 for a married couple, a significant jump from the 2025 exemption of $13.99 million.
So how does this affect you? Put simply, you will only owe federal estate tax if the total value of your estate exceeds these thresholds