An AB Trust is two different trusts used as part of their Estate Plan to minimize estate taxes. The married couple creates these trusts in Wills or Revocable Living Trusts. The “A Trust” often called the “Marital Trust“, “Marital Deduction Trust” or “QTIP” Trust holds and amount that the deceased spouse’s exemption cannot shelter from tax and the “B Trust” or “Credit Shelter Trust,” “Family Trust,” or “Bypass Trust” holds the amount that the deceased spouse’s exemption can shelter.
The AB Trust allows a spouse to provide for the care of the surviving spouse while preserving all death tax exemptions and providing shelter from the surviving spouse’s creditors and future spouses. The AB Trust can also be crafted to ensure that the assets pass to the deceased spouse’s children or family at the surviving spouse’s death, keeping them out of the hands of the second husband/wife.
Here are some questions clients, beneficiaries, and Trustees ask:
The B Trust can include beneficiaries other than the surviving spouse. For example, children are often included as beneficiaries.
The “Marital Trust” is another term for the “A” Trust. The Marital Trust is a part of an AB Trust Estate Plan.
Asset protection, estate tax avoidance and maintaining assets within the family.
At the first spouse’s death, careful planning is required to follow the steps necessary to preserve the tax exemptions. Each trust is assigned a tax ID and must file a separate annual income tax return.
The “Marital Trust” is another term for the “A” Trust. The Marital Trust is a part of an AB Trust Estate Plan.
If you have any questions about AB Trusts or any other estate planning topics, please contact us to schedule a free consultation. For more than two decades Klenk Law has focused only on Estate Law. We’ve seen it all, and this experience allows us to explain complex estate law and planning techniques clearly and concisely. We make it easy for you to understand AB Trusts so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family.
Peter Klenk is the founding member of Klenk Law, a seven attorney boutique estate planning law firm. We serve clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Minnesota and Florida. Peter Klenk received his Masters in Taxation LL.M. from NYU Law School and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. He served his country in the Navy JAGC during Desert Storm. Easy to talk to, feel free to call Peter for an appointment. We will make the process as easy as possible!
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