Foreign trust reporting: Beware of late-filing penalties
Late-filing penalties for foreign trust filings can be devastating to clients and a significant challenge to CPAs trying to explain or eliminate them.
Estates
Trusts and estates are permitted certain deductions
The IRS issued proposed regulations to clarify that certain deductions are allowed to an estate or nongrantor trust because they are not miscellaneous itemized deductions.
Inherited IRA strategies after the SECURE Act
This article discusses alternatives to the stretch IRA.
Gift and GST returns added to postponed tax and filing deadlines
The IRS postponed the payment and return filing requirements for gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes due April 15 to July 15, matching prior postponements granted to federal income taxes and returns.
Seize the increased basic exclusion amount
Taxpayers can obtain unique benefits when it comes to gift and estate tax planning by using trusts and taking advantage of applicable valuation conventions.
IRS rules eliminate estate and gift tax clawback
The IRS issued final regulations that reconcile the current higher exclusion for the estate and gift tax unified credit amount in effect under the TCJA with the lower unified credit scheduled to go into effect in 2026.
Charitable deduction rules for trusts, estates, and lifetime transfers
There are various planning opportunities for nonstandard donations and potentially unintended consequences if the donation is not made following the rules governing the specific area of tax.
Business entity selection after the TCJA: Post-death considerations
This discussion considers some of the key differences that affect post-mortem planning when looking at entity selection.
Split-dollar agreements and estate inclusions: Estate of Cahill
As a recent Tax Court case demonstrates, when dealing with property interests in certain cases, advisers must carefully consider whether Sec. 2036(a) can cause an estate inclusion of the property interests.
Final regs. eliminate estate and gift tax clawback
The IRS issued final regulations that reconcile the current higher exclusion for the estate and gift tax unified credit amount in effect under the law known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with the lower unified credit, which is scheduled to go into effect in 2026, eliminating a possible future clawback of the higher exclusion amount.
Recent developments in estate planning: Part 2
This second part of a two-part article covers court cases, proposed regulations, and other IRS guidance issued over the last year on gifts and estates.
A shakeup in trust taxation: Kaestner and Paula Trust
This item discusses the implications of the Court’s ruling in Kaestner and compares the issues at hand in Paula Trust.
Recent developments in estate planning: Part 1
This article is the first of two parts of an annual update on developments in trust, estate, and gift taxation. Part 1 discusses developments affecting trusts and the generation-skipping transfer tax, as well as inflation adjustments.
Trust income: The Supreme Court’s narrow opinion on state nexus
The U.S. Supreme Court recently addressed the circumstances in which a state may levy income tax on a trust that has only minimal connection to the state.
Unexpected tax bills for simple trusts after tax reform
Post-TCJA, expenses that are miscellaneous itemized deductions are taken into account in computing trust accounting income but are now nondeductible in computing taxable income and distributable net income for the trust.
Trust planning opportunities available with swap powers
The inclusion of swap powers is a common method of qualifying a trust as a grantor trust for income tax purposes while still removing assets from the grantor’s taxable estate.
Estate planning for digital assets
A well-drafted estate plan should address the management and distribution of digital assets to mitigate additional administrative burdens on fiduciaries.
Estate planning for the other 99%
The implications of the TJCA's large increase in the estate and gift tax exemption are complex and affect estate planning for everyone, not just the small percentage of the population who will still file estate tax returns.
Using trusts to shift income to children
Use of a Sec. 2503(c) or minor’s trust allows for transfers of property (and income shifting) to children, while parents maintain control of the property at least until the child reaches age 21.
Supreme Court holds North Carolina cannot tax trust
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision holding that North Carolina’s attempt to tax a trust based solely on the residence of a beneficiary violates the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.
