Interested in writing for ABA Tax Times? Find out more about our submission guidelines and editorial process here.
Taxation
Estate Portability: Sowers Reap Unexpected Harvest in Estate of Sower v. Commissioner
In 2010, Congress introduced into the tax code the concept of portability for certain estates. Each estate has an applicable exclusion amount. Under portability, the executor of the estate of a deceased spouse may elect to give the surviving spouse that deceased spouse’s unused applicable exclusion amount (DSUE). In the recent case of Estate of Sower v. Commissioner, the Tax Court provided some guidance on the audit of the return of the first deceased spouse.