With decades of experience, turn to a trusted team for your estate planning, estate administration and probate litigation needs.

A Disclaimer Trust Can Be Used To Benefit A Surviving Spouse

Many husbands and wives with substantial assets are concerned that their estate may be subject to state or federal estate taxes upon their passing. You and your spouse may be looking for an estate planning tool that addresses the possibility of estate taxes but also functions just as well even if your estate is not subject to this kind of taxation.

A Trusted Morris County Attorney Is Here To Help

At J. Jeffrey Press, P.A., we can help you craft a solution that makes sense for your situation. Attorney J. Jeffrey Press has decades of experience serving clients in Morris County and throughout northern New Jersey.

Is This Type Of Trust Right For You?

We often recommend that married couples creating wills consider disclaimer trusts.

We have found that disclaimer trusts are an attractive tool for clients seeking to reap the asset protection benefits of a credit shelter trust. Moreover, disclaimer trusts allow the surviving spouse to wait until the time of the first spouse’s death to decide whether or not to fund the trust, taking into account the size of the estate and the amount of the state or federal tax exemption at the time the first spouse dies.

The primary benefit of a disclaimer trust is flexibility. It gives the surviving spouse two options:

  1. Accept all the assets he or she is entitled to receive as a result of the other spouse’s death.
  2. Disclaim (refuse to accept) all or part of the assets and place the disclaimed assets in a trust.

What Is The Best Way To Minimize Or Avoid Estate Taxes?

These options are critical in minimizing or avoiding state or federal estate taxes.

If, at the time of the first spouse’s death, the estate is not large enough to be subject to either the federal or New Jersey estate tax, the surviving spouse can take control of the assets and not fund the trust or partially fund it. If, however, the estate is large enough to be taxed, the survivor can disclaim assets, put them into the trust and thereby avoid taxation.

Similarly, even if the surviving spouse’s estate is not large enough to incur estate taxes, but exceeds the exempt amount when assets from the estate of the first spouse are included, the surviving spouse can minimize or avoid estate taxes in her or his estate by disclaiming all or a portion of the deceased spouse’s estate to the disclaimer trust.

The result is flexibility – the survivor can wait until the death of the first spouse to make the decision of whether or not to fund the trust. This allows the survivor to make decisions based on known facts (i.e., whether or not the estate is large enough to be taxed), rather than create an estate plan without knowing for certain.

Take Action To Learn How A Disclaimer Trust Can Help You. Call Today.

We are here to guide you in the right direction. Don’t wait until it’s too late. To schedule a consultation, please call our office at 973-323-2654 or contact us online.