By Erica Fitzgerald, Esq. 

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 ("ATRA"), enacted in January 2013, made changes to the laws governing Federal estate and gift taxes. Specifically, the Federal estate and gift tax exemption amount was set at $5,000,000 and provides for annual increases to account for inflation. As a result, as few as 1% of estates are expected to owe Federal taxes.