Credit Shelter Trust

Vehicle through which the federal estate tax credit is protected from estate tax payment. The procedure is to leave the federal estate tax credit to the shelter trust with the trust established for the benefit of one's spouse (spouse receives the income from the trust and the assets of the trust are held for the benefit of the spouse). The assets of the trust are not subject to federal estate tax upon the death of the spouse since the assets are not in the spouse's estate at that time.