US Federal Estate & Gift Tax Service
U.S. Federal Estate Tax — Planning, Portability & Fixed-Fee Form 706 Filing
End-to-end support for U.S. federal estate tax: planning around the basic exclusion, portability & DSUE, Form 706 filing and coordination with gift, GST and state estate/inheritance taxes — for U.S. residents, citizens abroad and nonresident estates with U.S.-situs assets.
Estate & gift tax planning — Federal
Forward-looking strategies around the basic exclusion, lifetime gifts, portability and state-level exposure. We align your plan with our U.S. Federal Estate Tax Guide and calculator.
Lifetime & Estate Plan — Federal Focus
Tiered pricing by complexity
- Tier A — Exclusion & Portability Check: $1,250–$1,950 Moderate estate, W-2/retirement, brokerage, primary home, straightforward heirs.
- Tier B — High-Net-Worth Plan: $2,450–$4,450 Multiple accounts/properties, entities or trusts, charitable intent, basic GST considerations.
- Tier C — Advanced & Ultra HNW: $4,950–$8,500 Operating businesses, complex trusts, family partnerships, multi-generational strategies.
What’s included
- Fact pattern & balance-sheet review; baseline exposure estimate
- Scenario modeling: current path vs. optimized plan (estate & gift)
- Portability, marital/charitable, GST and timing recommendations
- Notes for counsel on potential trust/entity structures (no legal drafting)
- Written planning memo & implementation checklist (federal + key states)
Advisory only; legal drafting via your attorney or family office counsel.
Nonresident & Cross-Border Estate Planning
Tiered pricing by holdings & jurisdictions
- Tier A — Single-Jurisdiction Focus: $1,750–$2,950 One main country + U.S., limited U.S.-situs assets (e.g., one property or portfolio).
- Tier B — Multi-Jurisdiction: $3,250–$5,950 2–3 countries, multiple U.S. assets, treaty/credit coordination, basic trusts.
- Tier C — Complex Cross-Border: $6,250–$10,500 Substantial worldwide estate, family office, multiple trusts/entities, DE/CH tax integration.
What’s included
- Analysis of U.S.-situs estate, treaty relief and credit mechanisms
- Interaction with foreign inheritance/estate tax (esp. Germany/Switzerland)
- Roadmap for titling, holding structures and liquidity for U.S. tax
- Coordination notes for local counsel & advisors in other countries
- Written planning memo & cross-border checklist
Third-party appraisals and foreign legal opinions are out of scope but coordinated.
Form 706 filing packages — Federal estates
Transparent, fixed-fee support for U.S. federal estate tax filings — from “do we even need a Form 706?” to complex, taxable estates. Most U.S. firms bill estate filings hourly and can range widely in cost; our fixed-fee model gives you defined scope, deliverables and timelines, with written quotes before work begins.
Industry surveys show that preparation fees for Form 706 often start around USD 1,250–2,500 and increase significantly with complexity. Many firms charge open-ended hourly rates of roughly USD 180–400+ per hour for senior staff. Our packages are positioned in this range but tied to clear deliverables: no surprise hours, no billing creep, and an audit-ready file at the end.
Starter — Threshold, Portability & Filing Check
$590 flat fee
- Review of estate balance sheet & prior gifts
- Assessment: Form 706 required, optional (portability), or not needed
- Portability (DSUE) recommendation for surviving spouse
- Written memo with filing decision, deadlines & next steps
What’s included
- 30–45 min intake call + document review
- Checklist of documents needed if you proceed to full filing
- Credit of the Starter fee if you upgrade to Standard/Premium
Typical turnaround: 3–5 business days after receiving initial data.
Standard — Form 706 Preparation & Filing
From $3,250 (typical range $3,250–$5,950)
- Everything in Starter
- Preparation of Form 706 for non-taxable or near-exclusion estates
- Portability (DSUE) computation & election, if applicable
- Reconciliation to state estate/inheritance filings where relevant
- Payment/extension guidance and filing package for executor/attorney
What’s included
- Draft Form 706, schedules and attachments
- One revision cycle after executor/attorney review
- Filing instructions, certified-mail checklist & retention guidance
Typical turnaround: 3–6 weeks after we receive complete documentation (deadlines and complexity dependent).
Premium — Taxable, Multi-State & Cross-Border
From $7,500 (typical range $7,500–$15,000+)
- Everything in Standard
- Taxable estates with full computation of federal estate tax
- Multi-state and cross-border coordination (DE/CH teams as needed)
- Integration with valuations, discounts and GST (where in scope)
- Audit-ready documentation package & exam support hours
What’s included
- Apportionment and reconciliation schedules (federal vs. state returns)
- Coordination with appraisers and attorneys on supporting evidence
- Written technical memo summarizing key positions & elections
- Allocation of included hours for IRS/state correspondence or audit response drafting
Typical turnaround: 6–12+ weeks depending on valuations, jurisdictions and data quality.
- Form 709 (Gift Tax) — Annual or catch-up filing: typically $450–$950 per return, depending on number of gifts, valuation requirements and prior history.
- DSUE-only Form 706 filings: tailored pricing for simplified “portability only” returns where no federal estate tax is due.
We will quote add-ons together with your main engagement so you have one integrated fee range.
Our process
- Discovery (free): facts, asset map, states/countries involved, deadlines and objectives.
- Engagement & checklist: clear scope, fixed-fee quote, responsibilities & document list.
- Analysis & drafts: planning scenarios or Form 706/709 drafts; coordination with appraisers and counsel where needed.
- Review & filing/implementation: confirm positions, finalize returns, support signatures and submission.
- Follow-through: confirmations, notices tracking, and an audit-ready digital file for your records.
Federal estate & gift tax hub links
- U.S. Federal Estate Tax Guide (overview)
- U.S. Federal Estate Tax Calculator
- U.S. Estate & Inheritance Tax Guide (federal + states)
- Germany–USA Cross-Border Inheritance Tax
- Switzerland–USA Cross-Border Inheritance & Property Tax
Prefer a done-for-you approach? Book a discovery call and we’ll handle planning and filing end-to-end.
Why choose us for U.S. federal estate tax?
- Form 706 & 709 focus: we treat estate & gift tax as a specialty, not an add-on to income tax season.
- Cross-border depth: integrated handling of U.S. rules with German/Swiss (and other) regimes where relevant.
- Predictable pricing: fixed-fee planning & filing packages with clear ranges by complexity.
- Executor- & counsel-friendly: checklists, timelines and clean workpapers designed for court files and audits.
- Lifecycle support: coordination with later sales, basis tracking and trust distributions, so you don’t lose the benefit of today’s planning.
Talk to a U.S. Federal Estate Tax Specialist
Whether you’re planning ahead, administering an estate or wondering if Form 706 or a portability filing is needed, we’ll review your facts, explain options and recommend the right package with a fixed-fee quote.