At Pacific Tax & Financial Group, we offer expert help with the preparation of 706 Estate tax returns and annual 1041 trust tax returns. We can manage all your estate and trust tax filing needs in a timely matter. You may find yourself unexpectedly appointed as a trustee of a trust or executor of an estate, often during challenging times such as the loss of a loved one.
We will guide you through the complexities of tax law and provide peace of mind as you manage the responsibilities of the estate or trust. Not all estates must file a federal estate tax return. IRS Form 706 Estate tax return is required by the IRS for estates that meet certain criteria or can elected to be filed for portability purposes. The tax return is due nine months after the decedent’s death.
Locally owned and operated
Not all tax preparation companies offer tax return preparation services for estates and trusts. We are staffed with experienced CPA’s and IRS Enrolled Agents (EA’s). We are locally owned and operated, which helps us provide the personal service you need without the inflated fees that the large firms or attorneys charge. We can also work with your attorney or your tax preparer to fill the void with services that they do not provide.
Estate Portability Election
Starting in 2011 a surviving spouse can elect to pick up his/her deceased spouse’s unused estate tax exemption and add it to their $13.61 million estate tax-free balance. The portability election effectively allows a couple to double up their tax-free estate allowance. We can help you with filing the portability election. This becomes even more important when the TCJA provisions related to the estate tax exemption sunset on December 31, 2025 — causing the exemption limits to revert to approximately $7 million per individual.
Annual Tax Return Filings
Fiduciary income tax returns (Form 1041) are income tax returns that are required to be filed for trusts and estates to properly report the earnings after the date of death of the taxpayer. If applicable, the 1041 tax return also allocates the taxable earnings of the trust or estate to the beneficiary per the legal document that controls the decedent’s estate. We will prepare the K-1’s which the trustee or administrator is responsible for issuing to the beneficiaries to report their taxable income from the trust return.
Gift Tax Returns
A gift tax return is required to be filed if the taxpayer gifts more than the annual IRS gifting allowance to any one person. For 2024, the annual exclusion from gift tax (i.e. the amount that may be gifted annually to individuals without tax consequence) is $18,000 per recipient.
With years of experience in trusts and estates, combined with access to extensive resources, we guide our clients through the trust and estate tax preparation process with clarity and expertise.