Quick answer: exemption of $5,000,000, then a flat 16% on everything above it — no tiers, no cliff. Run your own numbers in the Vermont estate tax calculator.
The entire rate schedule, straight from the statute
This flat structure is relatively recent
Before 2016, Vermont computed its estate tax using an old federal state death tax credit table — the same style of mechanism several other states, including Rhode Island and Maryland, still use today. Legislation passed that year, titled "An Act Relating to Creation of a Flat Rate Vermont Estate Tax," replaced that older system entirely with the simple exemption-plus-flat-rate structure now in effect.
A genuine 2026 change to the filing threshold
For years, Vermont's filing threshold sat below its payment threshold: an executor had to file a return whenever the federal gross estate plus taxable gifts made within two years of death exceeded $2,750,000, even though tax was only actually owed above $5,000,000. In 2026, the Vermont Legislature raised the filing threshold to match the $5,000,000 payment threshold, effective June 18, 2026 — so older sources describing a $2,750,000 filing trigger are now out of date.
Out-of-state property reduces the Vermont share
For a Vermont resident who also owns property outside the state, the computed tax is multiplied by a fraction: the numerator is Vermont-situs property plus Vermont-situs gifts made within two years of death, and the denominator is the federal gross estate plus those same gifts. Nonresidents with Vermont-situated real estate or tangible property, like a camp or a plane based in Vermont, can also owe this tax even if most of their estate sits elsewhere.
A local probate attorney can review your estate — many offer a free consultation.
Form EST-191 is due 9 months after death. A 6-month filing extension is available, but it only extends the paperwork deadline — the tax itself is still due at the original 9-month mark.