How do I avoid estate taxes?

The new U.S. estate tax exemption now is $11.18 million per person, and a couple is entitled to a $22.36 million exemption. That is a significant amount of money a person may leave without paying estate taxes on the federal side. There are a handful of states that still have state estate taxes, so you do have to pay attention to that, especially if you move from one state to another. But overall, most people do not need to file an estate tax return.