Oregon has its own ESTATE TAX, and it begins far earlier than the federal one. Smart, lawful planning can make the difference between what your heirs receive and what the state collects.
Estate and gift-tax planning coordinates ownership, transfers, trusts, beneficiary designations, liquidity, and available elections under current law. For 2026, the federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million per individual. Oregon separately generally requires an estate-tax return when an Oregon resident's gross estate is $1 million or more. The systems use different rules, deductions, and credits, so Oregon planning can be relevant even when no federal estate tax is expected.
The portability difference. Federal law may allow a surviving spouse to use a deceased spouse's unused federal exclusion, but portability generally requires a timely filed federal estate-tax return and a valid election. Oregon does not provide comparable portability of its $1 million amount. Couples near Oregon's threshold should consider how ownership, trust funding, deductions, and each spouse's estate may interact; no single trust structure is appropriate for every couple.
Depending on the circumstances, planning may consider revocable or irrevocable trusts, lifetime gifts, charitable arrangements, entity planning, liquidity, and beneficiary designations. Each option has control, basis, income-tax, transfer-tax, administration, and family consequences that should be evaluated before implementation.
Strategies we use
Federal and Oregon rules. Coordinate Oregon's $1 million gross-estate filing threshold with the 2026 federal basic exclusion amount of $15 million per individual and any available deductions, credits, or elections.
Lifetime gifting. Use annual exclusions and the lifetime exemption to move wealth out of your taxable estate.
Charitable giving. Reduce taxable estate while supporting causes, through bequests, CRTs, and donor-advised funds.
Generation-skipping. Plan transfers to grandchildren and beyond using the GST exemption efficiently.
Marital planning & testamentary trusts. Because Oregon's exemption is not portable, Credit Shelter and QTIP-style testamentary trusts may help preserve both spouses' Oregon exemptions, depending on funding and circumstances.
Oregon's relatively low filing threshold can be relevant to families who do not expect a federal estate-tax issue. Schedule a consultation to review the estate, identify potential exposure, and consider appropriate planning options.