Tennessee Estate Planning Law : Tennessee Estate Planning Lawyer & Attorney : Bryan Howard : Howard & Mobley Law Firm : Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis

One of my clients has been diagnosed with a rare disease that will very likely end her life in 2010. Due to the peculiar estate tax laws that apply to decedents dying in 2010, there are some unusual planning steps that my client and her husband are taking.

As a general rule, you want to make sure that the first spouse to die has sufficient assets titled in their name so that they can take maximum advantage of federal and Tennessee estate and inheritance tax exemptions. In 2009, the magic number was $3,500,000. This year, the amount is unlimited.

We previously split assets between the husband and the wife with each of them owning assets worth approximately $6 million. The husband is in the process of transferring most of his assets to his wife.

Another change that we are making is to create a revocable trust for the wife that will replace her will. The wife’s revocable trust will own her assets so that it will be unnecessary to probate her will. The revocable trust will transfer $1 million to a typical credit shelter trust of which the husband and children are beneficiaries. The remaining $11 million of assets will be transferred to a marital trust for the husband’s sole benefit during his lifetime. Assuming the wife dies when there is no federal estate tax, it will not be necessary to claim a marital deduction for the marital trust for federal estate tax purposes. We will elect to qualify for the marital deduction for Tennessee inheritance tax purposes so that no Tennessee taxes will be owed.

The overall result of this plan is that all of the couple's assets are eligible for a basis step up. Since the combined built-in appreciation of their assets is $4 million and there is $4.3 million of basis step up available, they will receive a full basis increase. Since they own some significant rental properties, the higher basis will increase the husband’s depreciation deductions.

More importantly, the $11 million marital trust will not be subject to federal estate taxes upon the husband’s subsequent death. This will be a tremendous advantage to the family if they do not ever have to worry about paying federal estate taxes.

In summary, simple planning steps are needed to take full advantage of the absence of federal estate taxes in 2010.
 

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One of the sad things about my profession is that my clients eventually die. Some deaths are sudden and unexpected, but most deaths occur after an accident or illness that makes death imminent within a few days or perhaps a few weeks. Though I am sensitive to the feelings of grief and stress that my clients and their families are experiencing, I have the unpleasant task of explaining to my clients and their families the heavy penalties they will pay to the federal and Tennessee governments if they decline to take advantage of “last minute” tax reduction opportunities.

I am currently working with one of my clients who has been given a life expectancy of 2 months or less. Because my client is likely to die in 2010, some of the planning issues are unique. However, some of the planning opportunities are the same as they would be for a death in a different year. Some of the major issues we have considered:

1. Make sure all assets are owned by the Revocable Trust so that probate can be avoided. My client has done an excellent job of funding her revocable trust. However, she recently loaned some money to a friend and the Note is payable to her rather than her trust. We are doing a simple assignment of the Note to make sure that it is owned by her trust.
2. Make annual exclusion gifts of $13,000. My client is making gifts of $13,000 to all of her children and grandchildren, as well as to spouses of her children. At a minimum, this will reduce Tennesse inheritance taxes. If federal estate taxes are reinstated with an effective date prior to the date of my client’s death, or, if she survives until 2011, the gifts will also reduce federal estate taxes.
3. My client is converting her IRA to a Roth IRA.
4. My client’s revocable trust makes charitable bequests totaling $500,000. My client trusts her children to make these gifts. Therefore, she is amending her trust to give the money to her children. The children will pay Tennessee inheritance taxes on this bequest at the rate of 9.5%. However, they will receive charitable income tax deductions which will reduce their federal income taxes by approximately 35%. Furthermore, two of the children live in states with state income taxes. The charitable bequests will also reduce state income taxes. This plan will backfire if federal estate taxes are reinstated retroactively. If this were to happen, federal estate taxes would be higher than the income tax savings. In order to account for this possibility, the revocable trust will provide that if the children disclaim the bequest, then the bequest will go to the charities. This will allow the children to see what happens over the next nine months before they must decide whether to disclaim.
5. Should appreciated assets be sold to avoid losing the benefit of a capital loss carryover? Fortunately, no sales are necessary, because the carryover basis law that applies for decedents dying in 2010 allows the unused capital loss carryover to be added to the $1.3 million basis increase. My client’s executor will have more flexibility to avoid future capital gains if the capital loss carryover is preserved.
6. Finally, my client is researching her records regarding her income tax basis for several assets. She can find this information much more easily than her Executor.

Estate planning when death is imminent can reduce taxes and other problems. Even though the circumstances are unpleasant, the potential benefits are substantial. I have been told by some of my former clients and/or their families that they took comfort in their final days from the knowledge that financial matters were in good shape.
 

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Our firm is assisting Executors and Trustees with the administration of several estates and revocable trusts of decedents who have died during 2010. Administering these estates has presented numerous challenges.

The first problem is that we do not know whether federal estate taxes will be reinstated retroactively. We are advising the Executors that there are two different sets of laws that could apply, either the law that is currently on the books, or another law that has not yet been written. We are guessing that a retroactive law, if one is enacted, will be similar to the law that existed as of December 31, 2009; however, there are no guarantees.

If there is no federal estate tax, this is great news for most of our estates. However, the price to be paid for having no federal estate taxes is carryover basis. I was not practicing law in the late 1970’s when the prior version of carryover basis was the law, but have been forewarned by various practitioners who were practicing during that time period. Carryover basis is even worse than I had imagined.

We are advising Executors to assume that carryover basis is the law. This means that the Executor needs to ascertain the cost basis of the decedent’s assets unless the total value of the assets is less than $1.3 million, or is less than $4.3 million if the decedent was married and leaves at least $3 million of assets to the spouse or a qualified marital trust. Fortunately, most publicly traded securities held in brokerage accounts now list the cost basis. Determining the cost basis of various other assets such as furniture, artwork, real estate and interests in closely held businesses is not so easy.

One revocable trust has a large holding in a single stock. The stock has performed well since the time of the decedent’s death and the Trustee would like to sell a substantial portion of this position. However, the decedent’s basis in the stock was very low and the beneficiaries do not want the Trustee to sell and incur a large capital gains tax. If carryover basis is repealed and stepped-up basis is restored, everyone will be delighted to sell the stock. By the time the law is settled, the value of the stock may have declined precipitously.

Another revocable trust makes a large charitable bequest that will only occur if federal estate taxes are reinstated retroactively. Neither the charity nor the alternate takers can make plans until the law is settled.

Another estate holds significant real estate holdings. The Executor would prefer not to sell the real estate in the current market. Sales are not necessary if there are no federal estate taxes, but sales will be necessary if federal estate taxes are reinstated retroactively. Waiting until the law is settled may be too late to raise money in time to pay taxes if that becomes necessary.

There are numerous income tax planning issues that must be addressed due to carryover basis and all of its complicated rules. There are also carryover basis strategies that should be considered prior to death when you know that death is imminent but have at least a few days to make changes. I plan to discuss these strategies in a future article.

Because of the Tennessee inheritance tax, Executors still have to obtain date of death values, and perhaps alternate valuation date values, for all assets owned by the decedent. This means that Executors for estates of 2010 decedents have more to do than ever before.

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2010 is the year where there will be no federal estate taxes due to a law that was passed in 2001. The heirs of wealthy individuals who die this year are set to enjoy a huge windfall.

Several congressmen have vowed to reinstate estate taxes during the year. Indeed, the Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus, has vowed that Congress will reinstate federal estate taxes retroactive to January 1, 2010.

The one year repeal of federal estate taxes and the threat of a retroactive repeal of the repeal requires planning for three separate tax systems that have very significant differences. System #1 is the law that currently exists for 2010. Even though you do not have to “worry” about federal estate taxes, planning for someone’s death in 2010 is challenging for several reasons.

First, Tennessee still has an inheritance tax with an exemption of only $1 million. Second, there are numerous Wills containing formulas that will not work if the testator dies in 2010. Third, most outright bequests should be converted to trust bequests in order to avoid estate or generation-skipping tax upon the subsequent death of the beneficiary.

Finally, System #1 eliminates the automatic step-up in basis for inherited assets. Heirs will need to obtain records that establish the decedent’s historical cost basis in his or her assets. Furthermore, if there was substantial appreciation, the heirs will incur capital gains tax when they later sell the assets. Each decedent has $1.3 million worth of basis increase that can be allocated by the executor. There is an additional $3 million worth of basis increase that can be allocated to assets passing to a surviving spouse. These “basis exemptions” will solve problems for most families, but will have numerous complications in their application.

System #2 is the law that will apply beginning in 2011, when the federal estate tax will reappear with a $1 million exemption and a top marginal rate of 60%. Planning for System #2 is very familiar because this system was in place prior to the changes made in 2001. A lot of families have assumed that the federal estate tax exemption was always going to be significantly higher than $1 million. They have failed to take planning steps that seemed to be unnecessary.

System #3 is what Congress might put into place later this year. My best guess is that System #3, if enacted, would be similar to the system that was in place for 2009. The House passed such a bill in December of 2009. The Senate elected not to pass this bill, but could change its mind. If there is a System #3, it is possible that it could make changes that were not part of the bill passed by the House in December of 2009. For example, discounts for Family Limited Partnerships could be eliminated.

Many people will assume that System #1 will not be relevant for them, because they will not die this year and/or the law will be changed before they die. If the law is not changed retroactively, it is inevitable that the families of some wealthy individuals who die this year will be disappointed despite the absence of federal estate tax.

There is widespread sentiment that System #2 will not arrive. I now believe that System #2 might arrive in 2011 because I have no confidence that the Senate will be able to get the 60 votes necessary to enact System #3.

You need to be prepared for all 3 systems. Fortunately, there are practical steps that can be taken to minimize taxes under all 3 systems.

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It now appears very likely that we will begin the new year with no Federal estate tax in place. A law passed in 2001 repealed Federal estate taxes for the year 2010. That same law provided that the estate tax would reappear in the year 2011 with a $1 million exemption amount and a top rate of 55%.

Congress has known about this anomaly for the last 8 years. There has been universal agreement that the law needed to be amended in some fashion. Nevertheless, the law has not been changed because Congress could never agree on how to change it.

One group of legislators wants to permanently repeal estate taxes. Another group wants to retain estate taxes with a higher exemption amount than $1 million. It is widely predicted that Congress will address this issue early in 2010 and perhaps reinstate estate taxes effective as of January 1, 2010. An attempt to enact a retroactive tax might be a violation of the United States Constitution. There is some precedent suggesting that a retroactive tax would be allowed if enacted.

There is another significant issue for persons dying in 2010. Assets will no longer receive a basis equal to the date of death value of the assets, which is current law. Instead there will be a "carryover basis" regime, with the ability to obtain a "step-up" in basis for a limited amount of assets. A similar regime was briefly enacted in the 1970s, and was repealed almost immediately because it was so impractical. It is very difficult to establish the historical basis of inherited assets. Additionally, heirs of many estates that would not have been required to pay Federal estate tax under current law will now have to pay capital gains taxes when they sell inherited assets.

Planning your estate amidst this uncertainty is challenging. You need to be prepared for the law that is on the books, i.e., a federal exemption of only $1 million per person in future years. You also need to make sure that your Will will work in the manner intended if you die during the year 2010. In particular, you need to review any formulas in your Will that are based on an estate tax system that may not exist at the time of your death.

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