Books and Articles by Kathryn A. Murphy

As of January 1, 2013, an additional 3.8 percent tax was added to investment income in estates and trusts, thanks to provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. It's not an additional tax on every dollar, but only on the lesser of undistributed net investment income or any amount of adjusted gross income in excess of the highest tax bracket in any year.

As the fiduciary of an estate or trust, you have many duties, beginning immediately upon the decedent’s (deceased person’s) passing. You’re also guaranteed to become intimately familiar with a host of tax forms you may not have known existed.Tax forms to know as the fiduciary of an estate or trustWhen you’re administering an estate or trust, you may have to prepare a seemingly endless array of tax returns.

If you are serving as executor for a loved one's estate, you’ll need to consider all the stuff you find in the decedent’s residence (or residences). Everything the decedent owned outright on their date of death is now under your care as executor; you’re responsible for making sure that you account for this stuff and that it ends up where it’s supposed to.

When you’re administering an estate or trust, you may have to prepare a seemingly endless array of tax returns. The following table lists some of the most popular ones. Check with your accountant or attorney if you have any questions. Federal Tax Form Number and Name When It’s Required When It’s Due Form 1040 U.

When you’re asked to administer a trust or estate for a relative or friend (especially if that person didn’t have a will), this important responsibility can feel overwhelming during an already difficult time. Here are ten pitfalls that often trip up unwary administrators — and that you should avoid:Don't fail to terminate an existing real estate purchase and sale agreement.

When searching for an attorney to help you with your estate or trust, you may be wondering, where’s the best place to look? Unfortunately, you can’t rub a magic lamp and ask for an attorney to appear, but you can do some investigative work on your own to uncover one that’s a good match for you. Check out the following resources when searching for an attorney: Phone directory or search engine: Your first thought may be to rush to your phone directory and start flipping through the listings, or turn on your computer and begin a search.

If you’re preparing Form 1041, you’re almost done. All that’s left is to answer some questions at the bottom of page 2. Some of these questions are easy and obvious, but questions 3 and 4 concerning foreign accounts and trusts are more complex; you may want to ask for professional advice if you think the decedent, the estate, or the trust qualifies.

The IRS generally loves the concept of electronic filing for just about everything, but the estate tax return is one return you can’t submit online. You must file Form 706 nine months after the decedent’s date of death, on paper, by snail mail. Send the completed tax form to Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Center, Cincinnati, OH 45999.