Category Archives: Marital Deduction Trusts

Marital Deduction Planning

Posted on March 23, 2010 by David L. Silverman, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation)

By making a QTIP election, the Executor will enable the decedent’s estate to claim a full marital deduction. To qualify, the trust must provide that the surviving spouse be entitled to all income, paid at least annually, and that no person may have the power, exercisable during the surviving spouse’s life, to appoint the property to anyone other than the surviving spouse. Since the Executor may request a 6 month extension for filing the estate tax return, the Executor in effect has 15 months in which to determine whether to make the QTIP election. Continue reading →

Posted in Estate Planning, Marital Deduction, Marital Deduction Trusts, Trusts | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Marital Deduction Trusts

Posted on March 15, 2010 by David L. Silverman, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation)

Property passing by bequest outright to a surviving spouse qualifies for the unlimited marital deduction. Property placed in trust for the surviving spouse may, depending upon the trust language, also qualify for the marital deduction. However, Code Sec. 2056(b) provides that a bequest to a surviving spouse will not qualify for the deduction where the interest passing to the surviving spouse will “terminate or fail.” Terminable interests are generally those which enable a person other than the surviving spouse to possess or enjoy any part of the property after a lapse of time or the occurrence of an event, such as the surviving spouse’s remarriage. Continue reading →

Posted in Estate Planning, Marital Deduction, Marital Deduction Trusts, Tax News & Comment, Trusts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment