German-American Estate Planning
Services
We advise Germam-American families, Americans living in Germany and Americans with assets in Germany on German-American estate planning, taking into account the tax consequences (estate planning). Our services include:
- Reviewing existing Wills and trusts;
- Designing and drafting both U.S. Wills and German Wills;
- Advising on the German inheritance (Erbschaftsteuer) and foreign death taxes;
- Advice on structuring U.S.-based trusts to avoid or minimize German estate, inheritance or gift tax liabilities;
- Advising on the impact of the German-American Double-Taxation Treaty;
- Preparing Living will (Patientenverfügung) and Health care proxy (Vorsorgevollmacht).
Planning tools include, for example
- Testament (last will and testament);
- U.S. trusts;
- German trust equivalents;
- Joint bank accounts (Gemeinschaftskonten);
- Joint tenancy (Gesamtgut mit Anwachsungsrecht);
- German payable on death account (Vertrag zu Gunsten auf den Todesfall);
- German transfer on death accounts (Vertrag zu Gunsten auf den Todesfall);
- Foreign payable on death accounts and transfer on death accounts;
- Life insurance policies (Lebensversicherungsverträgen);
- Retirment accunt (Altersvorsorgepläne);
- Annuities (Rentenversicherungen);
- (revocable) Lifetime gifts (Schenkungen) with or without retained life estate (Nießbrauch).
In-Person Consultation and Remote Consultation
We typically provide advice via remote communication (Zoom, telephone, e-mail). In-Person consultation, we provide in Berlin and Munich.
Cooperation with US lawyers for estate planning
We are happy to work together with our clients' estate planning lawyer. Upon request, we can also recommend a US attorney.
Do You have any Questions?
We look forward to assisting you. For the sake of simplicity and efficiency, we request that you use our contact form for your inquiry and describe the matter as clearly as possible. In addition, you can include relevant attachments. After submitting your inquiry, we will contact you either by telephone or e-mail within 2 working days. If we can assist, we will suggest a time and date for an initial consultation. Of course, you can also contact this firm or a particular attorney directly to make an appointment for a personal consultation or telephone consultation (find contact details here). Please be advised that no attorney-client relationship is created by sending us an email or filling out this contact form. For information on our fees, please click here.
Upon request, we offer consultation via Zoom. For general information on how to join an instant meeting through an email invite, please visit the Zoom website.
News
- Germany: Amendment to the Rules on the Taxation of Lifetime Benefits from Foreign tax-priviledged Retirement Assets
- Tax Court of Münster: Distributions upon the Termination of a Trust may be Subject to German Income Tax
- BFH: The Treaty does not prevent Germany from imposing Inheritance Tax on the Acquisition of a U.S. citizen beneficiary resident of Germany even if he has stayed no longer than 10 years in Germany
- German Federal Fiscal Court Ruling on Gift Tax triggered by Distributions from a Foreign Trust
- German Federal Fiscal Court: Assets titled in Trust to which the Grantor has reserved comprehensive Powers are to be considered owned by him for German Inheritance and Gift Tax Purposes
- Decicison of the German Federal Fiscal Court on the Taxation of Distributions from a 401(k) to Beneficiary in Germany