Net inheritance from Marital Portion (A) in 2033 + $11,000,000 ………………………………. The need for splitting the estate into “marital” and “credit shelter” portions at the first death would be eliminated. George dies in 2011 and his estate makes the portability election. The first of these proposals would reset the estate tax exemption back from the current amount which is exempt from taxation of $11,580,000 per person to $5,490,000. Here, the applicable exclusion amount available to Barbara’s estate equals $9.25 million, which is calculated as follows: Any applicable exclusion amount of the first spouse to die that is used to reduce the estate tax liability of that spouse’s estate tax reduces the amount of the excess applicable exclusion amount that carries over to the surviving spouse in the form of the “deceased spousal unused exclusion amount” or DSUE amount. By NOT electing “portability”, the common and well-known marital-credit shelter A-B plan can be implemented at the first death instead. Based on these assumptions, does it make sense to elect “portability” if Mr. Johnson died unexpectedly today and Mrs. Johnson died at her life expectancy, which is age 85 (18 years)? Historically speaking, estate tax exemptions and estate tax portability have undergone multiple changes since the year 2000 when the exemption amount hovered at $675,000. (a) Election required for portability. Credit shelter (B) portion at 1st death, = $10,570,000 …………………………….. Marital deduction (A) portion (Growth at 4% for 18 Years), • $21,413,000 Estate of Survivor in 2033 Minus $7,760,000 Exemption ……………………. limitations for a properly filed estate tax return is three years. Portability of the estate tax exemption The American Tax Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) signed into law on January 3, 2013, by President Obama extended the opportunities for “portability” of a decedent’s unused estate tax exemption. In this regard, the DSUE equals the lesser of the following two items: So, this post discusses what portability is and what it does. It's $11.58 million for deaths occurring in 2020, up from $11.4 million in 2019. In the past, I have also served as Vice-Chair or Chair on a number of committees including the Asset Protection Planning Committee of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the ABA. Portability refers to the ability of a surviving spouse, to make use of a deceased spouse’s unused estate tax exclusion amount (DSUE amount). It is portable between spouses, meaning if the right legal steps are taken, a married couple can protect up to $22.36 million. Part 6 of Form 706 is where you elect Portability of Deceased Spousal Unused Exclusion (DSUE) for the estate. • Splitting the estate into a marital-credit shelter plan at the first death can protect the credit shelter portion ($5.43 million) against creditors of the surviving spouse. Technically, this is known as the “Deceased Spousal Unused Exclusion” (DSUE) and must be formally elected on the Form 706 U.S. Estate Tax return of the first spouse to die. For information on electing portability of the decedent's DSUE amount, including how to … That is, the IRS has years from the initial three filing deadline to challenge the estate tax return. 100% estate tax marital deduction (Growth at 4% for 18 Years), • $32,000,000 Estate of Survivor in 2033 Minus $13,190,000 Exemption …………..……“Portable” current exemption of $5.43 million + $7.76 million indexed exemption of survivor (2%) = $18,810,000 …………………………. Note. The answer is that portability allows the first spouse to die to transfer his/her unused estate tax applicable exclusion amount to the surviving spouse, who can then use it for his/her gift or estate tax purposes. This may lower the tax assessment and, consequently, the taxes on the new property. Indexed exemption of survivor (2%), = $13,653,000 …………………………… Taxable estate at 2nd death in 2033 40% ………………………………………. This widely used A-B technique would result in $0 estate taxes at the first death and defer all estate taxes to the second death. We can generally conclude that if the estate is expected to grow at a modest rate between the first and second death of a married couple, that it may make sense NOT to elect “portability” at the first death. I. Portability – t’s ere to Stay C. Federal Estate Tax Basics: “A tax is hereby imposed on the transfer of the taxable estate of every decedent who is a citizen or resident of the United States.” (IRC § 2001(a)) Federal Estate Tax Rate – The Federal Estate Tax Rate is graduated with a maximum rate of 40% on taxable estates over The temporary regulations require than an executor include a computation of the DSUE amount on the decedent’s estate tax return in order to allow portability of that decedent’s DSUE amount. 2001(b)(1) on the estate of that deceased spouse. The question of future asset appreciation from the first death to the second death against a current 40% estate tax rate needs to be taken into account. For example, if your taxable estate is valued at $8 million, it will be reduced to $2.51 million after deducting the lifetime exemption for the purpose of calculating your gift and estate taxes due. Net inheritance to heirs by electing “portability”, • $26,952,000 …. She also has a … The Federal Estate Tax Exemption The federal estate tax exemption is indexed for inflation, so it increases periodically, usually yearly. Computing the estate tax due for an estate with a closely-held business is the same as for other estates. The excess of (a) the applicable exclusion amount of the last such deceased spouse, over (b) the amount with respect to which the tentative tax is determined under Code Sec. To allow a decedent's surviving spouse to take into account that decedent's deceased spousal unused exclusion (DSUE) amount, the executor of the decedent's estate must elect portability of the DSUE amount on a timely filed Form 706, “United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return” (estate tax return). What is estate tax portability? Since the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA), the common planning technique to assure that this exemption was not “wasted” at the first death was the Marital-Credit Shelter Trust, commonly known as the A-B Marital-Family Trust or A-B Marital / By-Pass Trust. Federal Estate Tax. When someone dies, their estate and inheritances from it become subject to taxation, at least in theory. Example. Portability … Portability was intended to simplify estate planning for married couples by eliminating the need for a bypass trust. With this information, the married couple can make an informed decision about whether or not “portability” should be elected at the first death. Their estate planning advisors have informed them that federal estate taxes can be deferred to the death of the survivor with certain planning techniques. One of the most important issues is is how to elect portability, which will be the subject of our  next post. The husband dies with $3 million of assets in his estate, which he is leaving to the couple’s children. W remarries after H's death. The federal estate tax exemption is $11.18 million in 2018, after the 2017 tax law took effect. In these cases, the survivor may NOT want to elect portability so that the deceased’s estate tax exemption can be used at the first death: • At what age did the first spouse die? Planning on a case by case basis may still involve a marital-credit shelter A-B split at the first death for a number of reasons. The death proceeds would be income tax and estate tax free and allow the heirs to inherit upwards of 100% of the estate value without any shrinkage. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/washington-estate-tax.html In other words, if your assets are worth $11.18 million or less at the time of your death (and you have not used any of your combined estate and gift tax exemption), your estate owes no estate tax. The Evolution of Estate Tax Portability. Or would it? The estate tax exemption in 2015 is currently $5,430,000 and it is also permanently indexed up each year for inflation. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. In 2002, the exemption was increased to $1 million. Net inheritance from Credit Shelter Portion (B) in 2033 = $26,952,000 ……………. $16,000,000 Estate Electing “Portability” Growing at 4% for 18 Years, • $16,000,000 Estate in 2015 ………. I am a prolific author and frequent speaker on tax and estate planning issues, co-authoring numerous books including Asset Protection Strategies: Tax and Legal Aspects and Valuation of Closely HeldBusinesses: Tax and Legal Aspects. It … They are Florida residents and have no state death taxes to worry about. If the filing threshold has been met, or in other words, if, independent of the portability election, the estate is required to file an estate tax return based on the total value of the gross estate and adjusted taxable gifts, no extension of time to elect portability is available and Revenue Procedure 2017-34 PDF does not apply. An Estate Tax Return is filed for H, taking a DSUEA election of $1,250,000 and H has no estate tax due. Since in 2015 the federal estate tax exemption is $5.43 million per person (the exemption changes every year since it is indexed for inflation), this means that a married couple can potentially pass on $10.68 million to their heirs free from federal estate taxes. By electing section 6166, you may be required to provide security for estate tax deferred under section 6166 and interest in the form of a surety bond or a section 6324A lien. Change 1: Cut the tax exemption in half. George dies in 2011 and his estate makes the portability election. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are each 67 years old and have a combined estate of $16,000,000. Add that sum to your base taxes and that’s how much you owe in estate taxes. Note. The projected estate tax free growth on the B portion is important considering that this growth will avoid the 40% federal estate tax rate at the death of the survivor. As of January 1, 2018, the estate tax exemption for individuals is $11.18 million, adjusted for inflation. W has her own Lifetime Exclusion of $5,250,000. W also dies in 2013 with an estate of $1,000,000. In a Q-TIP trust the second spouse has only a limited income interest in the trust with the trust principal preserved for children from the first marriage. Then, they can decide how much life insurance may be needed to offset projected estate taxes at the second death. Now the wife’s estate has $19 million available to transfer to the he… The estate tax in the United States is a tax on the transfer of the estate of a deceased person. If the first spouse died in their 60s or 70s, a surviving spouse may have a life expectancy of 15-25 years or more. The credit shelter portion (B) was typically allocated an amount of property equal to the estate tax exemption then available (ranging from $600,000 to the current $5,430,000) with the remainder of the estate allocated to the marital portion (A) via the unlimited marital deduction. On January 1, 2013, Congress passed the American Tax Relief Act of 2012 (“ATRA”), which President Obama signed on January 2, 2013. -Federal Estate Tax Return due 10/05/2012 – extended to 4/05/2013 -PA Inheritance Tax Return due 10/05/2012 – extended to 4/05/2013 -“Gross estate” plus “adjusted taxable gifts” are less than $5,120,000 Federal filing requirement. George and Barbara are married. Total net inheritance to heirs in 2033, Case Study Example Summary of Electing “Portability” versus NOT Electing “Portability at 1st Death, • $24,476,000 …. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Michigan Economic Development Corporation With Forbes Insights. $350,000 – $200,000 = $150,000 in Tax Benefit. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. A conservative growth rate for the estate is assumed to be 4%. First, the federal estate and gift tax exemption is at a historic high of $11,580,000 in 2020—$23,160,000 for couples if portability is elected on a federal estate tax return. Proc. However, if the husband’s estate files an estate tax return and makes the election to transfer the DSUE, the wife’s exclusion is increased by $8 million. The growth of the estate will not avoid the 40% federal estate tax rate at the surviving spouse’s death if “portability” was elected. This contrasts with electing “portability” at the first death with an unlimited marital deduction for the surviving spouse. Don’t complete B and C. If no estate tax return was […] $16,000,000 Estate NOT Electing “Portability” Growing at 4% for 18 Years Marital-Credit Shelter A-B Plan at First Death, • $16,000,000 Estate in 2015 ………………“Portability” is NOT elected, Minus $5,430,000 Exemption ……………. EXAMPLE: You sell your current Florida Homestead that has an Assessed Value of $200,000 and a Just (Market) Value of $350,000. In this case, children from the first marriage need to be considered, possibly as remainder beneficiaries a special trust known as a Q-TIP Marital-Credit Shelter trust. Net inheritance to heirs by NOT electing “portability”, • $2,476,000 …… Net increased inheritance to heirs by NOT electing “portability” at 1st death. -Federal Estate Tax Return filed for portability. However, federal estate taxes are a concern. Here’s an example: Let’s say your total estate is worth $5 million. PORTABILITY EXAMPLE 2. Assume the DSUE amount from George’s estate is $4 million. The Portability Amendment literally made that tax savings “portable” so you can now transfer up to $500,000 of your accrued Save Our Homes benefit to your new home. The growth on the B portion “by-pass” amount will not be included in the estate of the survivor. Assume the DSUE amount from George’s estate is $4 million. For example: in 2020, if your estate is $5.85 Million, no taxes are due. It is assumed that the estate tax exemption will be indexed into the future at a 2% rate. In 2013, when the basic applicable exclusion amount equals $5.25 million, Barbara dies. This list details what do for each section of Part 6: Section A, Opting Out of Portability: Check the box to elect out of portability. In 2013, Congress also made permanent the "portability" of a spouse's estate tax exemption. Taxable estate at 2nd death in 2033 40% ……………………………………… Estate tax rate, = $7,524,000 …………………………… Federal estate tax at 2nd death in 2033, • $24,476,000 ……………………….. 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