Ch 5 - Gifts To Family Members & Trusts Flashcards
–removes property from the estate
–removes appreciation from the estate
How do gifts reduce the size of the estate?
•gifts reduce estate taxes
What can reduce the size of the Estate
–Consider income tax issues
- Income-shifting
- Carryover basis for gifts vs. basis step up
- must be considered in the context of the client’s goals and objectives
What needs to be considered when trying to reduce an estate size through gifts?
Outright giving
What is easiest way to reduce the size of a gross estate?
•Gifts which completely remove property from the estate
- –Annual Exclusion Gifts
- –Medical and tuition expenses paid directly to a provider
- Unified Credit exempts the equivalent of $5,250,000 of taxable transfers from gift tax.
- Gift taxes are exclusive if made more than 3 years before death
- gifts of income producing property can shift (and lower) income tax burdens
- Some lifetime gifts to grandchildren avoid the GST
What are the 5 Advantages of Lifetime Gifts
- IRC Section 2503(b)
- permits donor to give $14,000 per year per donee free of gift tax
What is the Annual Gift Exclusion Amount?
Can spouses combine their Annual Gift Exclusion Amount?•
YES - gift splitting with the donor’s spouse is permitted BUT gift tax return must be filed
•Can a gift of future interest qualify for the Annual Gift Exclusion Amount?
NO - to qualify, the gifts must be gifts of a present interest
- independent of and available in addition to the annual exclusion
- payments must be made to service provider
- no family relationship is required
- –note that parental support payments are not gifts
How do Gifts for Tuition & Medical Expenses work? [IRC Sec. 2503(e)]
- grantor can give assets without giving outright control to the donee
- grantor determines the terms of the trust
What is an advantage of Giving Through Trusts
•to serve estate reduction goals, must be truly irrevocable
Does a trust need to be truly irrevocable to qualify for estate tax reduction?
•may be complete for gift tax purposes, but incomplete for estate or income tax purposes
Do the same rules for completion of a gift apply to a estates tax reduction as it does to income tax reduction?
- gives temporary withdrawal powers to beneficiaries when property is transferred to the trust
- withdrawal power makes the transfer eligible for the annual gift tax exclusion
What is a Crummey Accumulation Trusts?
•Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs)
What is normally associated with a Crummey Accumulation Trusts?
- the donor wishes to make systematic gifts to family members to reduce his or her gross estate
- the donor wishes to qualify gifts for the annual exclusion
- the donor wants the assets held under the protection and dispositive control of a trustee and wants the assets to accumulate for a time before the beneficiaries receive distributions.
What are the 3 reasons for using a Crummey Trusts?