Estate & Trust Tax
Estate tax returns, fiduciary income tax filings, and gift tax reporting for families, executors, and trustees in Garden City, across Long Island, and throughout New York. We help you settle an estate correctly and coordinate the tax side of a generational plan with your attorney.
Reviewed by James R. Hurley, CPA · June 2026
Clarity and care when it matters most.
Settling an estate or administering a trust is rarely simple, and it almost always arrives at a difficult time. JRH & Associates, Inc. has guided Long Island families, executors, and trustees through estate and trust taxation since 1989. With more than 35 years of experience, we bring the same hands-on, face-to-face approach to this work that defines everything we do.
Estate and trust taxation sits at the intersection of federal rules, New York State rules, and the legal documents that govern an estate. We prepare the returns, document asset values and basis, and coordinate closely with your estate attorney so the tax outcome supports the plan rather than undermining it. Our goal is to reduce avoidable transfer tax, keep filings accurate and timely, and take the administrative weight off the people who are already carrying enough.
Schedule a Free Consultation"Families come to us at one of the hardest moments of their lives, and the last thing they should have to worry about is a return they have never seen before. Our job is to handle the estate and trust filings correctly, protect the step-up in basis their heirs are entitled to, and watch the New York cliff so a small miscalculation does not cost the family the entire exclusion."
James R. Hurley, CPAFounder & President, JRH & Associates Estate Tax Returns (Form 706)
When an estate is large enough to require a federal or New York estate tax return, accurate valuation and careful elections make a real difference. We prepare the return, document date-of-death values, and watch the New York cliff so the estate is not taxed on more than it should be.
Get StartedFederal Estate Tax (Form 706)
Preparation of the federal estate tax return, including asset valuation, deductions, and available elections.
New York Estate Tax
New York State estate tax returns prepared with the phase-out and the New York cliff carefully in view.
Asset Valuation Support
Coordination of date-of-death valuations for real estate, investments, and business interests held by the estate.
Step-Up in Basis
Establishing and documenting the stepped-up basis of inherited assets to protect heirs from unnecessary capital gains tax.
Portability Elections
Guidance on preserving a deceased spouse's unused federal exclusion where a return is filed to elect portability.
Deadline Management
Tracking filing and payment deadlines, including extensions, so the estate stays in compliance throughout administration.
Estate Income Tax (Form 1041)
Fiduciary income tax returns for estates earning income during the period of administration.
Trust Income Tax (Form 1041)
Annual fiduciary returns for revocable, irrevocable, and testamentary trusts holding income-producing assets.
Schedule K-1 Preparation
Preparation of beneficiary K-1s so income distributed from the estate or trust is reported correctly by each beneficiary.
New York Fiduciary Returns
New York State fiduciary income tax filings prepared alongside the federal return for full compliance.
Distribution & DNI Analysis
Distributable net income analysis to allocate income correctly between the entity and its beneficiaries.
Final Estate Returns
Preparation of final returns to close out an estate or trust cleanly once administration is complete.
Trust & Estate Income Returns (Form 1041)
Estates and trusts that hold income-producing assets file their own income tax returns each year. We prepare the federal and New York fiduciary returns, issue beneficiary K-1s, and make sure income is allocated correctly between the entity and the people it benefits.
Get StartedGift Tax & Planning Coordination
Lifetime gifting and a well-structured estate plan can meaningfully reduce transfer tax for the next generation. We prepare gift tax returns, model the tax impact of gifting strategies, and work directly with your estate attorney so the legal documents and the tax plan move in the same direction.
Talk to a CPAGift Tax Returns (Form 709)
Preparation of federal gift tax returns for reportable gifts and proper use of the lifetime exemption.
Annual Exclusion Gifting
Planning around the annual exclusion so families can transfer wealth efficiently year over year.
Attorney Coordination
Direct collaboration with your estate planning attorney so wills, trusts, and tax filings work together.
Estate Plan Tax Modeling
Tax modeling of proposed estate structures so you can see the projected impact before documents are signed.
Executor & Trustee Support
Practical, ongoing support for executors and trustees navigating their tax responsibilities and deadlines.
Generational Coordination
Coordinating the tax side of multi-generational planning so wealth transfers with the least avoidable tax.
Steady guidance from the first call.
Free Consultation
We learn the situation, the documents in place, and the deadlines that matter, with no obligation.
Document & Value Review
We gather records, establish date-of-death values, and identify the returns the estate or trust requires.
Preparation & Coordination
We prepare the returns and coordinate with your attorney so the tax work supports the legal plan.
Ongoing Support
We support the executor or trustee through annual filings until the estate or trust is fully settled.
Estate & trust tax in New York, explained.
Yes. New York imposes its own estate tax that is separate from the federal estate tax, and it works very differently. New York provides a basic exclusion amount, but once an estate exceeds that exclusion by more than 5 percent, the exclusion phases out entirely and the estate is taxed on its full value, not just the amount over the threshold. That sharp phase-out is what practitioners call the New York estate tax cliff. For Garden City and Long Island families whose estates fall near the exclusion, careful planning is critical because crossing the line by a relatively small amount can trigger tax on the entire estate.
They serve two different purposes. The federal estate tax return, Form 706, reports the value of everything a person owned at death and calculates any transfer tax due. A fiduciary income tax return, Form 1041, reports income earned by the estate or trust after death, such as interest, dividends, rents, and capital gains, while it is being administered. Many estates we handle in Nassau County require both: a one-time 706 to settle the estate tax question and annual 1041 filings for as long as the estate or trust continues to hold income-producing assets.
When someone inherits an asset, its cost basis is generally adjusted, or stepped up, to its fair market value as of the date of death. That can significantly reduce or eliminate the capital gains tax an heir would owe if they later sell the asset. Documenting date-of-death values correctly is one of the most valuable things an executor can do, and it is an area where mistakes are common. We work with executors and trustees to establish and substantiate basis so heirs are not overpaying tax years later.
A federal gift tax return is generally required when you give any individual more than the annual exclusion amount in a single year, even if no tax is actually due. Filing is also how you formally use part of your lifetime exemption. Many people make reportable gifts without realizing a return is required. We prepare Form 709 and coordinate gifting strategy as part of a broader estate plan so the paperwork supports your long-term goals rather than creating problems later.
Yes, and we strongly prefer to. Estate and trust work is most effective when the CPA and the attorney are coordinated. Your attorney drafts the wills, trusts, and governing documents; we handle the tax returns, basis tracking, and the tax modeling that informs those documents. We regularly collaborate with Long Island estate attorneys so the legal structure and the tax strategy reinforce each other rather than working at cross purposes.
Settling an estate or managing a trust?
Your first consultation is completely free. Let us review the situation, explain the filings involved, and take the tax burden off your shoulders. Serving Garden City, Nassau County, and all of Long Island.