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Estate Planning and Probate

Tennessee Estate and GiftTax PlanningAttorney

The Matter

Coordinate Your Legacy Decisions

Estate and gift tax planning brings family goals, property, and financial information into one conversation. Dale Law Group offers estate and gift tax planning within its estate planning practice. Start with an accurate picture of your circumstances and the gifts or legacy plans you are considering.

01 / Getting oriented

Your intended gifts

Describe the people or organizations you hope to benefit and the timing you have in mind.

02 / Getting oriented

Your financial picture

Gather available information about property, prior gifts, and existing plans.

03 / Getting oriented

Your advisors

Identify tax and financial professionals whose work may need to be coordinated.

Estate and Gift Tax Planning in Tennessee

Estate and Gift Tax Planning With a Tennessee Attorney

Tennessee does not currently impose a state estate tax, inheritance tax, or gift tax. The state inheritance tax was repealed for deaths in 2016 and later, and the state gift tax was repealed earlier. Federal estate and gift taxes still apply to larger estates.

Most families will not owe federal estate tax, but planning still matters for business owners, larger estates, and anyone making significant gifts.

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How the Federal System Works

Federal law provides a lifetime exemption that applies to both taxable gifts and assets at death, and amounts above it are generally taxed. The exemption is adjusted for inflation and has changed through legislation, so current figures should be confirmed when you plan.

Married couples may be able to use portability, which lets a surviving spouse use the deceased spouse’s unused exemption if a timely federal estate tax return is filed.

Annual Exclusion Gifts

You can give up to the federal annual exclusion amount to as many individuals as you like each year without using your lifetime exemption. Gifts above that amount generally require a federal gift tax return, even when no tax is due.

Planning Tools Your Lawyer May Discuss

The right tools depend on the size and type of your assets and your family goals.

  • Lifetime gifts and gifts to trusts for children or grandchildren
  • Irrevocable life insurance trusts
  • Charitable remainder and lead trusts
  • Business succession planning and ownership transfers
  • Beneficiary designation review for retirement accounts
  • Coordination with your CPA and financial advisor

Talk With a Murfreesboro Estate and Gift Tax Planning Attorney

Carolyn D. Dale is the founding attorney of Dale Law Group, PLLC in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, serving Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Nashville, and communities throughout Middle Tennessee. Call +1 866-576-5317 or send a brief, non-confidential message to start a conversation about your goals.

This page provides general information, not legal advice. Representation begins only after a written engagement agreement.

What Your Lawyer Checks

A conversation about estate and gift tax planning starts with your circumstances. These topics can help you prepare questions and organize the information you already have.

Family goals

Discuss the purpose of your giving and your own future needs.

Property information

Prepare an overview of ownership and available valuations.

Prior planning

Bring existing estate documents and relevant tax records for review.

Timing

Explain proposed transactions and any approaching decisions.

General information only. The right approach depends on your circumstances, documents, and applicable law. Discuss your specific questions with the attorney before acting.

Terms You May Hear

Terms Your Lawyer Uses

A few terms you may encounter when discussing this service. Their application depends on the documents and circumstances involved.

Lifetime gifts

Transfers made during a person’s life.

Review Gift andEstate Tax Questions

Gift and estate tax planning starts with the size and type of what you own and the gifts you have already made. Bring numbers, not a guessed tax result.

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  1. Assemble the picture

    Collect recent statements, business values you already have, and a list of lifetime gifts.

  2. Flag prior returns

    Bring gift tax returns and any estate planning letters from an accountant or prior lawyer.

  3. Separate tax from control

    Discuss which ideas are about tax exposure and which are about who manages or inherits the property.

More Ways Your Lawyer Can Help

Explore estate planning, probate, and business services that may connect with your priorities.

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Estate and Gift Tax PlanningFAQs

Common questions about estate and gift tax planning. Your documents and circumstances decide the right next step.

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Can I rely on a fixed tax outcome from this page?

No. Tax considerations depend on the circumstances and applicable rules. Discuss your records and proposed plans with the attorney and your tax advisor.

What records help start an estate and gift tax discussion?

Prepare an overview of assets, ownership, estimated values, significant past gifts, and available tax returns. Include business interests and any existing trusts so the discussion has a broader financial context.

Should my tax professional be part of the planning conversation?

Bring your tax professional’s contact information and any questions they have identified. Ask how legal planning and tax advice should be coordinated before implementing a proposed transaction.

Can I plan around a tax threshold I found online?

Treat online figures as a starting question, not a basis for a transfer. Ask for a review of current law, your prior gifts, and your circumstances before relying on an exclusion, deduction, or projected tax result.

Does Tennessee have a state estate tax?

Tennessee does not currently impose a state estate or inheritance tax. Federal estate and gift tax is a separate question, and it depends on the size of the estate, prior gifts, and the law in the year of the transfer.

Will my family owe federal estate tax?

Most estates do not, but the filing threshold changes and prior gifts count. Do not rely on a dollar figure from a blog. Bring a rough list of what you own and any large gifts you have already made.

What is the difference between a gift and leaving property at death?

A gift is a transfer while you are alive. An estate transfer happens at death. They are reported differently, and a gift you make now can affect the tax result later. Ask before you retitle the house.

Should I make large gifts before we meet?

No. A gift you cannot undo is a poor first step. Bring the idea, the property, and your reasons, and wait for advice that includes your own need for that money.

Can a trust change the tax on a transfer?

Sometimes. It can also do nothing useful, or create a worse result. The trust has to match the tax rule you are trying to use. Your CPA should see the plan before anything is signed or transferred.

What should I bring?

A list of assets and how they are titled, recent gift records, and the name of your tax preparer. Business interests and existing trusts belong on that list too.

Related Reading

Guides From the Dale Law Blog

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