Tax

Community Property and Estate Planning

  • tax
執筆者
The Estate Guide Research Desk
監修者
Editorial standards review
最終確認日
課税年度
2026
管轄
United States (general; state law varies)

基本的な説明

Community-property law classifies ownership between spouses and can affect control, division, creditor exposure, federal reporting, and basis at death; nine states use a general community-property system and some states permit elective arrangements.

Classification turns on domicile, source and tracing
Domicile, source of funds, agreements, and tracing can determine classification.
Nine general community-property states
Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin are general community-property states.
Three states offer an elective system
Alaska, South Dakota, and Tennessee have elective community-property mechanisms; an election is not the same as general statewide classification.
Get local advice before retitling or moving
Local family-law and tax advice is important before changing title or moving states.

The four parts of a working plan

  1. People Identify the owner, decision-makers, fiduciaries, and beneficiaries.
  2. Property Map title, contract rights, debts, tax attributes, and practical access.
  3. Documents Coordinate wills, trusts, powers, directives, and beneficiary forms.
  4. Review Revisit the plan after life, ownership, law, tax, or relationship changes.
A general educational sequence. A real matter can follow a different path.

さらに深く学ぶ

Community-property states treat much of what spouses acquire during marriage as owned half by each. This guide covers how property is classified, which states use the system and why it matters at death.

検討することが多い人

Married couples in Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington or Wisconsin, couples who have moved out of one of those states, and spouses weighing an elective community-property arrangement.

Tax lens

The main tax difference shows up at the first death. Both halves of community property can take a basis equal to value at death under IRC § 1014(b)(6), not only the decedent's half, while only the decedent's half is included in the federal gross estate.

に関する質問 Community Property and Estate Planning

Does state law matter?

Usually. Document execution, probate, spousal rights, creditor rules, trust administration, and state tax treatment can vary by jurisdiction.

What should be verified before acting?

Verify the current governing instrument, title and beneficiary records, applicable state law, current tax year, primary authority, and advice from appropriately qualified professionals.

Sources

最終確認日August 21, 2026

課税年度2026

管轄United States (general; state law varies)

  1. IRS Publication 555: Community PropertyInternal Revenue Service · United States—federal tax treatment

情報源は見直し日時点における一般的な教育的内容を裏付けるものです。公式資料は変更される場合があり、情報源へのリンクは個別事情に基づく専門家の分析に代わるものではありません。 法律・税務・投資・会計に関するアドバイスではありません。