Estate Planning Flashcards
What are some assets that pass by contract?
- Life Insurance proceeds
- retirement plans/IRA’s
- annuities
• all with valid named beneficiaries - POD / TOD accounts
Pass outside of probate
What are some assets that pass by operation of law?
- JTWROS property
- tenancy by entirety
- trust property (transferred before grantors death)
Pass outside of probate
What are some assets that pass by will?
- fee simple ownership
- decedents share of TIC/comm prop ownership
Doesn’t avoid probate
Real estate probated in states where it’s located
Personal property is probated in the state of the decedents domicile
How are property settlements between divorcing spouses treated?
Prop settlements pursuant to a written divorce agreement are deemed to be full and adequate compensation are not subject to gift tax
applies to transfers up to 3 years AFTER the divorce
How is interest on gift loans (below market loans) of $10,000 or less treated for gift tax purposes?
Interest isn’t subject to gift tax unless loan proceeds are used by donee to purchase income producing property
How is interest on gift loans (below market loans) of $100,000 or less treated for gift tax purposes?
If donees NII doesn’t exceed $1,000
- not subject to gift tax
If donees unearned income exceeds $1,000
- the imputed interest (gift) is the difference between the federal rate and interest charges, not to exceed borrowers NII
- if there is no imputed interest -> no gift
- if there is imputed interest -> gift is the imputed interest
*if loan was purely for tax avoidance -> loan loses all tax benefits
How is interest on gift loans (below market loans) of $10,000 or more treated for gift tax purposes?
The imputed interest is the interest of the federal rate - the interest charged
How is interest on gift loans (below market loans) between ER/EE’s and Corps/Shareholders treated?
ER/EE loans
- the imputed interest is considered compensation
Corp/Shareholder loans
- imputed interest is characterized as a dividend and no gift has been made
What’s the gift tax exclusion for a noncitizen spouse?
The first $159,000 of present interest gifts in 2021 to a noncitizen spouse are not subject to gift tax
What’s the valuation of gift real estate?
Generally FMV
Could be % of ownership depending on the titling of asset
What is the valuation of gifted stock?
Generally the average of high and low prices on date of gift/bequest
Discounts
- lack of marketability discount
- minority interest discount
What is the value of gift life insurance?
The REPLACEMENT VALUE
NEVER THE FACE AMOUNT
What’s a 5x5 power?
A provision that limits withdrawals from trust shouldn’t exceed either the GREATER OF;
- $5,000; or
- 5% of the value of the trusts property
Exceeding those numbers creates a taxable gift to the remainderman
What’s the equation to determine a donees basis when the donor pays gift tax on appreciates property?
Donors adjust basis + (unrealized appreciation/(FMV - annual exclusion used by donor if any) * any gift tax paid) = Donee’s basis
ex) donor gives asset with A/B of $20k and FMV of $60k to donee, paying $15k in gift taxes after using their annual exclusion. What’s the donees basis?
• $20k + ($40k/(60k-15k) * $15k)
• Donee’s basis in the asset is $33,333.33
What are Net Gifts and how are they treated re: gift taxes?
Net gifts are when the donor and donee agree that the donee pays the gift tax on a gift from the donor
- usually when the donor doesn’t have enough cash to pay the tax
- can’t be used until the lifetime credit is all used up
Treatment
- part sale and part gift
- donor realizes taxable income to extent gift tax paid by donee exceeds donors adjusted basis
- if the annual exclusion is available if is deducted from the FMV of the gift BEFORE calculating the tax due
What’s the estate tax calculation?
1) Gross Estate - ABCD’s = AGE • A - Admin/Accounting • B - Burial costs • C - casualty and theft losses • D - Debts
2) AGE - Unlimited’s = Taxable Estate
• Unltd Charitable Deduction
• Unltd Marital Deduction
• State estate tax
3) Taxable Estate + Adj. Taxable GIFTS = Tentative Tax Base
4) compute tentative tax
5) subtract gift taxes paid on gifts included in tax base = estate tax before reductions
6) subtract applicable credit amount = taxable estate
What’s a QPRT?
Qual. Pers. Residence Trust
Grantor retains right to live in a home during term, trust pays grantor income
- one home per trust
- home passes to non charitable at end of term
Asset is removed from GE if trust holder lives beyond term (can lease @ market rate from bennys if they do)
Value of the gift is FMV discounted by years of trust term
Term holder can covert to a GRAT
Term holder may sell QPRT residence to someone else and reinvest $ in another home, also can hold cash in the trust
- PRT’s are basically the same as QPRT except for this
What’s an installment sale/SCIN?
Seller sells an asset and receives a series of payments over time
Inst Sale
- asset removed from GE
- if seller dies before repayment -> amount of unpaid balance plus accrued interest included in their GE
SCIN
- installment sale that cancels at death
- any remaining unrecognized gain from sale at sellers death must be reported on their ET return
- payments and asset value removed from GE
What are the different types of Buy/Sell agreements and how are they treated re: estate tax?
Cross purchase
- each person buys a policy on the other
- more expensive
- premiums not deductible, proceeds not taxable
Entity purchase
- entity buys a policy on all owners
- premiums not deductible, proceeds not taxable
Wait & See
- hybrid of x-purchase and entity purchase
- owners wait until someone dies before deciding if they want to buy their interest
- entity has right of first refusal
What is a business recapitalization?
Biz succession technique
SR FM trades common stock for preferred stock and nonvoting common stock
- preferred stock allows them to control biz
- future appreciation is attributed to non voting common stock
- zero valuation rules value their preferred at $0 generally, freezes value for estate tax
SR FM makes gifts of stock over time
- present interest, gift taxable w/ Ann exclusion
Allowed to use the
- valuation discounts
- lack of marketability discounts
What’s a FLP?
Family Ltd Partnership
SR FM transfers partnership into a FLP in exchange for 1% GP / 99% LP
- SR FM retains 1% GP and control of biz
- gifts LP % to family members over time
- gift taxable, Ann exclusion available
FLP is a separate asset, not marital asset
NO ANCILLARY PROBATE IF FLP HOLDS RE IN OTHER STATES
Discounts for minority interest
What’s a bargain sale?
A sale for less than full consideration
- part sale and part gift
Sellers tax consequence
• FMV - sale price = gift (Ann. Excl. available)
• sale price - basis = taxable gain
Buys basis, the GREATER of;
• amount paid by the buyer; OR
• sellers basis in asset @ time of transfer + any GT paid
Property removed from GE of seller, but any GR paid will be added back when calculation the taxable estate
What are gift and sale leasebacks?
When one person gifts/sells fully depreciated asset/equipment to someone, usually family, who then leases it back to them at a reasonable rate
GIFT LB
- tax deductible to biz / taxable income to recipient
- removed from donors GE
SALE LB
- helps buyer eventually buy biz from seller
- seller gets income and removes asset from GE
- buyer buys biz w/o paying full consideration all at once
What is a private annuity?
The sale of an asset in exchange for an UNSECURED PROMISE to pay an annuity for life
NOT A GIFT
Tax implications
- interest component is ordinary income
- return of basis calc’d w/ exclusion ratio
- cap gain calc’d w/ INCLUSION ratio
Asset removed from sellers GE
Usually used when seller is in poor health and isn’t expected to live beyond actuarial life expectancy
What are GRAT/GRUTs
Grantor Retained Annuity/Unitrust Trusts
Irrevocable trust
Grantor retains interest in assets, income is taxed to them. If G lives beyond the term, the asset is removed from their GE
Value of gift @ creation is FMV - value of G’s retained interest
- future interest gift, no Ann. Exclusion
Passes to non charitable bennys at end of income term
Income stream
• GRAT - pays fixed amount
• GRUT - pays % of net FMV
What is a QDOT and what are its requirements?
A QDOT allows a decedent spouse to leave assets to a noncitizen spouse and still qualify for the unlimited marginal deduction
Requirements
- at least one trustee has to be a us citizen/corporation
- trustee has the right to withhold estate tax on the distribution of the corpus
- executor must make irrevocable election on Form 706
What’s an A Trust?
An A trust/POA Trust is a trust for a spouse that qualifies for the Unltd Marital Deduction
Req’s
- spouse gets a G. POA (total control of all trust assets)
- gets income payed for life at least annually
- assets included in their GE to extent it isn’t spent/consumed/given away