Helping with the preservation and/or transfer of your assets, with an eye for tax, legal, family and inheritance aspects. Our integrated approach guarantees success. Our integrated approach guarantees success.
Estate and succession planning
Advice before, during and after divorce
Complex settlements and distributions
Declaration of estate
Disputes and inheritance
Extrajudicial power of attorney and administration
Family businesses
Gifts & wills
Living and investing abroad
Marriage and cohabitation contracts
Mediation and conciliation
Preparing companies for donation
Private purchases abroad
Re-organisation of non-profit organisations
Real estate operations
Registration duties and inheritance tax
Wealth tax
Transferring your wealth to the next generation is a crucial step. Want tax efficiency and legal certainty in your wealth transfer? Divorce is no fun on an emotional level but can be particularly difficult when one of the partners is self-employed or the spouses run a business together. The company may need to be divided between the divorcing parties and, if so, the appropriate solution will require specialist knowledge. You will find that knowledge in the experts working in the PRIVATE team. As the firm can call upon years of experience in complex cases, this team of experts can guide you through the process of liquidation and distribution of estates and matrimonial communities. As tax experts, we at Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers handle estate tax returns and follow up on the further tax settlements. The team has years of experience in this field. They will handle your case in close consultation with one another and keep their fingers on the pulse at all times. A dispute over an estate is often an emotional challenge. When it comes to a large and complex cases, it is best to leave it to the professionals. We will guide you through the distribution of inheritance and resolve the corresponding disputes. As you age or your health declines, it is important to be prepared for the future. An extrajudicial power of attorney gives you peace of mind that your assets are in good hands should you become unable to make decisions yourself. Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers offers guidance on drafting extrajudicial powers of attorney and will ensure that your wishes are properly recorded legally. We also offer assistance in guardianship proceedings and extrajudicial power of attorney disputes. Family businesses are managed within the family and passed on from generation to generation. A good relationship between all generations is essential. If your business faces challenges such as succession planning, a sale or conflicts within the family, it is best to be supported by an experienced team where all these concerns are identified and evaluated. A sustainable solution, which respects the interests of all family members involved and ensures the survival of the company, is always our experts’ preferred option. As part of your estate planning, you can draw up a will to determine who gets what in the event of your death. Would you like to pass on wealth to one or more persons while they are still alive? Then you could do it via a gift. As a donor, you want to know the most appropriate way to benefit a particular person. Tax implications will also help determine your choice. The PRIVATE team offers you the necessary support in this regard. If you are a Belgian living abroad and/or have foreign assets, you need to consider foreign gift and inheritance tax, and the PRIVATE team will help you understand the tax principles across borders so that unwanted tax consequences can be avoided. This involves Belgians planning to move or invest abroad and Belgians who have already taken this step. The PRIVATE team also provides guidance on foreign estates. Spouses and cohabiting partners can organise their affairs to better protect each other and create legal certainty over their assets. How do you deal with children from a previous relationship? What if you build a house on one partner’s land? What if one partner is much wealthier than the other? How can the surviving partner obtain financial security without adversely affecting the children? The PRIVATE team will help you draw up a tailor-made marriage or cohabitation contract. Prevention is better than cure and, at Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers, we believe in the power of mediation whereby parties seek a solution to their conflict together through amicable means (i.e. out of court). Because family conflicts not only have an impact on your private life, but can also affect your business, we apply an alternative dispute resolution method for family disputes. Are you considering gifting your business to your children? Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers can guide you through the complex tax rules and provide a robust legal structure. We can thus help you ensure the continuity of your business and secure your own financial security. Are you planning to purchase a vehicle abroad? Or do you want to invest in art, antiques or real estate? It is important to have a good understanding of local laws and regulations. In addition, you can be assisted by a specialist in international law, real estate law, and contract law. Don’t get caught out by the legal nuances of your foreign purchases. Non-profit organisations, such as Dutch non-profits, associations, orders, foundations, etc., have their own specific legal and tax systems. Our team has the necessary knowledge to support directors and members of non-profit organisations in their day-to-day operations or restructuring. So, as a client, you will avoid legal pitfalls and create a solid legal foundation for your organisation. Our team helps you manage your real estate investments as efficiently as possible. We provide expert tax advice, optimising your tax position and ensure your real estate portfolio is structured effectively. We make sure your investments are tax-efficient and legally watertight. We guide you every step of the way, from purchase to management, so you can focus on maximising your returns. Registration duties and inheritance tax apply to crucial and often emotional key moments, such as buying a home or receiving an inheritance. In this context, a dispute with the tax administration is particularly sensitive. The PRIVATE team can assist you with regard to tax administration, striving for fair and equitable taxation. The experts at Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers offer specialised services and strategic advice on all taxes imposed on assets. They assist clients with compliance with specific laws and regulations and represent them with regard to tax administration. Completing returns and resolving disputes are among the options.Estate and succession planning
Our expertise focuses on high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs and families with significant assets. Indeed, the PRIVATE team specialises in tax law, family law, inheritance law and (family) estate planning. This includes optimising tax burdens, drafting wills, gifts, advising on setting up control structures, and so on.Advice before, during and after divorce
Complex settlements and distributions
Declaration of estate
Disputes and inheritance
Extrajudicial power of attorney and administration
Family businesses
Gifts & wills
Living and investing abroad
Marriage and cohabitation contracts
Mediation and conciliation
Preparing companies for donation
Private purchases abroad
Re-organisation of non-profit organisations
Real estate operations
Registration duties and inheritance tax
Wealth tax
The tax world never stands still and the beginning of 2025 also comes along with changes. The legislature is aiming for harmonization and greater automatization of the collection processes, but also wants to encourage the compliant behaviour of the VAT payer. After the successful sale of their business, a wealthy family approached us asking how they could transfer their assets to the children in a tax-efficient manner, without losing control and income from those assets. To meet these needs, we worked out a tailor-made structure using partnerships and opportunity contracts. This structure allowed the parents to transfer their assets on a tax-efficient basis, while retaining sufficient control and authority. With this solution, the family not only took an important step in their wealth planning, but also laid a solid foundation for the future prosperity of their children and grandchildren.
The team had the privilege of assisting a family with a prosperous business in transferring the business to the next generation. This transfer was not only an important step to preserve the family business, but also an opportunity to avoid high inheritance taxes in case of death. A crucial element in this case was the defence before the tax administration regarding the applicability of the favourable regime for family partnerships, allowing the parents to make a gift without incurring gift tax. Besides obtaining tax certainty, we also assisted the family in preparing the gift deed and completing all the administrative formalities involved in a business transfer.
A young heir unexpectedly turned out to be the beneficiary of a substantial foreign life insurance policy 10 years after the death of a relative, which nobody knew existed. This discovery had far-reaching tax and legal implications. We successfully defended our client against the tax administration, which wrongly wanted to impose a penalty because the life insurance had never been declared before. In addition, the PRIVATE team was able to successfully reach a settlement agreement with the other heirs in which our client's best interests were defended, and a new, equitable distribution of the estate was agreed.
Our efforts ensured not only that the life insurance was handled correctly for tax purposes and without undue penalties, but also that the inheritance was redistributed in a fair manner. Further conflicts and lengthy legal proceedings were avoided.
After a divorce, the joint assets between our client and her ex-partner remained undivided for many years. When the ex-partner unexpectedly died, it created new complications; a significant portion of the assets were in danger of being wrongfully allocated to the ex-partner's children, while our client still had some entitlement. The situation was complicated by the fact that assets had changed years after the divorce and administrative and financial records were often incomplete or outdated. We took on the challenge of investigating and defending our client’s rights to the joint assets. This required a thorough analysis of all available, and sometimes very old, financial data, real estate rights and legal documents. After establishing our client's claims, we initiated negotiations with the ex-partner's children. Despite the complexity of the situation, we managed to reach a settlement that was satisfactory to all. This ensured that the stress and cost of a lengthy court process could also be avoided.
An ambitious couple, one of whose partners is financially wealthy, approached us with a desire to share financial success with the less wealthy partner. They asked us to thoroughly assess their form of cohabitation and advise them on how to create a legal framework to fulfil their requirements. During intensive discussions with the couple, we discussed all possible legal constructions, considering both tax and real estate law aspects. Ultimately, we assisted the couple in making gifts, drafting a specific prenuptial agreement, and drafting wills.
A client heavily involved in the art world wanted to sell a very valuable work of art, but was concerned about capital gains tax. We investigated his situation and applied for a tax ruling. Thanks to our efforts, it was confirmed that the sale would be tax-exempt, allowing our client to keep the full proceeds without tax pressure. We assisted a wealthy client with no children to gift some of his assets to his partner. Crucially, he wanted to retain control and income over the donated assets. We worked out a control structure that enabled this, and guided the client with the execution of the gift. This allowed our client to offer a gift to his partner, while ensuring that he retained control over and income from his assets. Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers helped a care company work out a specific real estate structure for its care properties. This structure allows private individuals to co-invest in assisted housing and offers them the opportunity to eventually use that assisted housing. The PRIVATE team helped an illegitimate child legally establish her parentage shortly after the death of her biological father. By conducting a DNA analysis soon after the death, we were able to have the parentage legally confirmed. As a result, our client was recognised as a legal heir and could claim the estate. A family branch with a minority stake in a family business was disadvantaged by the other family branches. The other family branches conspired to put their own interests first at the expense of the company. Through court mediation, we were able to quickly and efficiently achieve a buyout for the family, allowing them to exit the company in a fair manner. A man with a minor child from a previous marriage wanted to avoid the possibility of that child's mother gaining control of the man's assets in the event of his death. Without interfering with the rights of the child, we worked out a control structure to ensure that the management of the assets after death is allocated to a trustee of the husband.
Building up wealth is not easy. Retaining it can be even more difficult. We are partners in structuring and protecting your assets from a fiscal point of view, particularly with regard to inheritance tax, but more generally with regard to anyone and anything that poses a threat.
Are you looking for robust, well-founded tax advice, written in regular language and which offers a viable solution? Then you have come to the right place at Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers! Together, we opt for well-founded solutions that meet both short and long-term objectives. We also take the lead in implementation and are happy to work with your trusted advisers (notary, accountant, banker, etc.).
You can count on the team at Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers for assistance with family disputes. Whether it is the division of a matrimonial community of real estate or the contestation of a will, Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers strives for practical and lasting solutions. Amicably if possible, through the courts if necessary.
Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers defends taxpayers’ interests during audits and discussions on registration duties and inheritance tax. We support clients both at the administrative stage and in court.
Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers are experienced negotiators. From tax to family issues, our priority is always the best possible deal for our clients. We provide the most favourable solution!
Are you looking for robust, well-founded tax advice, written in regular language and which offers a viable solution? Then you have come to the right place at Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers! Together, we opt for well-founded solutions that meet both short and long-term objectives. We also take the lead in implementation and are happy to work with your trusted advisers (notary, accountant, banker, etc.).
You can count on the team at Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers for assistance with family disputes. Whether it is the division of a matrimonial community of real estate or the contestation of a will, Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers strives for practical and lasting solutions. Amicably if possible, through the courts if necessary.
Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers defends taxpayers’ interests during audits and discussions on registration duties and inheritance tax. We support clients both at the administrative stage and in court.
Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers are experienced negotiators. From tax to family issues, our priority is always the best possible deal for our clients. We provide the most favourable solution!