In a world of computers that fit in your pocket and phones on your wrist, "portability" is all the rage. And for the last six years, it has been all the rage in estate planning circles as well — except "portability" in this context has nothing to do with how small something is.
What is estate tax portability?
As of January 1, 2018, the estate tax exemption for individuals is $11.2 million, adjusted for inflation. In other words, if your assets are worth $11.2 million or less at the time of your death (and you have not used any of your combined estate and gift tax exemption), your estate owes no estate tax. But upon the death of the first spouse, the surviving spouse can elect to use the deceased spouse's unused exemption amount (also known as "DSUE"), effectively doubling the estate tax exemption for married couples to $22.4 million. This election is known as estate tax portability.