The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 gives us a two year window for significant estate tax planning, ending December 31, 2012. However, this comes with some serious planning issues. Here are two:

One pitfall of the new law: The new portable credit requires a proactive election by the executor at the first death. Like the frequent failure to make proper QTIP and GST allocation elections, this is an area subject to risks. For example, if the assets are in trust, the survivors may choose not to appoint an executor, missing the opportunity to save the unused credit for the second death.

Also, the portable exemption amount only applies to the unused exemption from the last spouse. For multiple marriages, only the most recent spouse’s amount is available. In addition, an election must be made in the estate of the first spouse to die to preserve the unused exemption and allow for its use by the last deceased spouse.

Second, old trusts that had too much going to the credit portion, the beneficiaries of which are not your spouse, then he or she could be left with very little from your estate.

Please see Estate Planning Overview for definitions and tax impacts, and “to do” list.