People are often curious — or confused — about the role trusts play in saving on taxes. Given how frequently this issue comes up, we’re going to explain the tax implications associated with different types of trusts in order to clarify this issue. Of course, if you need further clarification about trusts, taxes, or any other issue related to estate planning, meet with us.

TWO TYPES OF TRUSTS

There are two primary types of trusts — revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts — and each one comes with different tax consequences.

REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST

A revocable living trust, also known simply as a living trust, is by far the most commonly used form of trust in estate planning. As long as you’re living, there’s absolutely no tax impact of creating a living trust.

A living trust uses your Social Security Number as its tax identifier, and this type of trust is not a separate entity from you for tax purposes. However, a living trust is a separate entity from you for the purpose of avoiding the court process called probate, and this is where the confusion regarding taxes often comes from. Before we explain the tax implications of a living trust, let’s first describe how a living trust works.

A living trust is simply an agreement between a person known as the grantor, who gives assets to a person or entity known as a trustee, to hold those assets for the benefit of a beneficiary(s). In the case of a revocable living trust, the reason there are no tax consequences is because you can revoke the trust agreement or take the assets back from the trustee at any time, for any reason. In fact, as long as you’re living, you can change the terms of the trust, change the trustee, change the beneficiaries, or terminate the trust altogether.

The revocable living trust becomes irrevocable if you become incapacitated or when you die. At that point, the trustee you’ve named will step in and take over management of the trust assets, and one of the first things your trustee will do is to apply for a tax ID number for the trust. At this point, the trust becomes a taxable entity, and any income earned inside of the trust that isn’t distributed in that year would be subject to income taxes, at the taxable rates of the trust (or at the tax rates of the beneficiaries, if income is distributed to the beneficiaries).

IRREVOCABLE TRUSTS

An irrevocable trust is created when you make a gift to a trustee to hold assets for the benefit of the beneficiary, and you cannot take back the gift you’ve made to that individual.

When you create an irrevocable trust, either during your lifetime, or at death through a testamentary trust (a trust that arises at the time of your death through your will), or through a revocable living trust creating during your lifetime, the trust is a separate tax-paying entity, and it’s either subject to income tax on the earnings of the trust at the rates of the trust or at the rates of the beneficiaries.

Unlike a revocable living trust, an irrevocable trust is (as the name implies) irrevocable. This means that the trust’s terms cannot be changed, and the trust cannot be terminated once it’s been executed. When you transfer assets into an irrevocable trust, you relinquish all ownership of those assets, and your chosen trustee takes total control of the assets transferred into the name of the trust. Because you no longer own the assets held by the trust, those assets are no longer considered part of your estate, and as long as the trust has been properly maintained, the assets held by the trust are also protected from lawsuits, creditors, divorce, serious illness and accidents, and even bankruptcy.

However, as mentioned earlier, irrevocable trusts also come with tax consequences. As of 2022, the income earned by an irrevocable trust is taxed at the highest individual tax bracket of 37% as soon as the undistributed taxable income reaches more than $13,450. To avoid this high tax rate, in some cases, an irrevocable trust can be prepared so that the tax consequences pass through to the beneficiary and are taxed at his or her rates, which are typically much lower.

We often set up a trust in this way when creating a Lifetime Asset Protection Trust for a beneficiary. When set up like this, the trust can provide the beneficiary with protection from common life events, such as serious debt, divorce, debilitating illness, crippling accidents, lawsuits, and bankruptcy, without being taxed at such a high rate on such little income.

If you have a trust set up and would like us to review its income tax consequences for your loved ones upon your death, meet with us.

THE ESTATE TAX: WHAT IT IS & WHO PAYS IT

The estate tax is a tax on the value of a person’s assets at the time of their death. Upon your death, if the total value of your estate is above a certain threshold amount, known as the federal estate tax exemption, the IRS requires your estate to pay a tax, known as the estate tax, before any assets can be passed to your beneficiaries.

As of 2022, the federal estate tax exemption is $12.06 million for individuals ($24.12 million for married couples). Simply put, if you die in 2022, and your assets are worth $12.06 million or less, your estate won’t owe any federal estate tax. However, if your estate is worth more than $12.06 million, the amount of your assets that are greater than $12.06 million will be taxed at a whopping 40% tax rate.

You can reduce your estate tax liability—or even eliminate it all together—by using various estate planning strategies. Most of these strategies are fairly complex and involve the use of irrevocable trusts, but such strategies are without question worth it, if you can save your family such a massive tax bill. To learn how to save your family from such a major tax burden, meet with us to discuss your options.

Please note, we’re only speaking about the federal estate tax here. Currently 12 states have their own estate tax, which are separate from the federal estate tax. We’ll cover the specifics of what happens in our state regarding your estate tax when we have a Family Wealth Planning Session. Give us a call to schedule yours!

THE FUTURE ESTATE TAX

The current $12.06 million estate tax exemption is set to expire on Jan. 1, 2026, and return to its previous level of $5 million, which when adjusted for inflation is expected to be around $6.03 million. Here’s one thing we know for sure: We don’t know what the estate tax exemption will be at the time of your death, and we also don’t know what the value of your assets will be at the time of your death. Because of this, when you plan with us, we’ll ensure that we put in place planning strategies to protect your estate from estate taxes, regardless of the amount of the estate tax exemption or the size of your assets.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU

If you’re trying to decide whether a revocable living trust, irrevocable trust, Lifetime Asset Protection Trust, or some other estate planning vehicle is the right solution for you and your family, meet with us. We’ll support you in making that decision so your estate can provide the maximum benefit for the people you love most, while paying the least amount of taxes possible. Call us today to schedule your visit.

This article is a service of Brittany Cohen, Personal Family Lawyer. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That’s why we offer a Family Wealth Planning Session, during which you’ll get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $750 session at no charge.

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858-427-0539

2022.10.04

SELLING REAL ESTATE OR A BUSINESS? AVOID CAPITAL GAINS TAX WITH A CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST

If you have a sale of real estate or assets coming up that will result in you owing capital gains tax, you may want to give us a call to discuss whether to set up a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) first. Think of it this way: would you rather pay taxes and send your hard-earned money to the government, or use that same money to provide yourself with a lifetime of income and support your favorite charity at the same time?

CRTs offer a number of benefits to everyone involved. These trusts allow you to contribute to your most beloved charities, while also generating a valuable extra source of income for the beneficiaries, which can assist with retirement, paying off taxes, or be used for additional estate planning purposes. Such trusts aren’t for everyone, so call us to see if a CRT fits in with your planning goals.

HOW A CRT WORKS

A CRT is what’s called a “split-interest” trust, meaning it provides financial benefits to both the charity and the non-charitable beneficiary. The non-charitable beneficiary can be your spouse, child, another heir, or even you.

Here’s how these unique trusts work: when you set up a CRT, you name a trustee, an income beneficiary (or beneficiaries), and a charitable beneficiary. Then, you’ll contribute your appreciated asset to the CRT, and the trustee will sell, manage, and invest the asset(s) to produce income that’s paid to the non-charitable beneficiary.

Normally, the sale of these assets would generate capital gains taxes. But instead, you get a charitable deduction for the donation when you do

nate the assets to the CRT, and the CRT doesn’t pay capital gains tax upon sale of the appreciated assets. Sounds like a win/win, right?

After sale of the appreciated assets, the cash generated is invested by the trustee, and the non-charitable beneficiary receives income from the trust, which is paid out either annually, semiannually, quarterly, or monthly, depending on how the trust is set up. And if income is not paid out, it can accumulate in the trust and not be subject to income tax, further growing in value. Then, at the end of the non-charitable beneficiary’s life, whatever assets “remain” (hence the name “remainder” trust), pass to the charity or charities named in the trust.

The trustee can be yourself, a charity, another person, or even a third-party entity. Since the trustee (if it’s not you) is not only responsible for seeing that your wishes are properly carried out, but also for managing the trust assets in accordance with complex state and federal laws, it’s vital that the trustee you select has experience with financial management, and ideally, with trust administration.

You can use the following types of assets to fund a charitable remainder trust:

Publicly traded securities
Some types of closely held stock (Note that CRTs cannot hold S-Corp stock)
Real estate
Certain other complex assets

If you have assets you think might be useful for funding a CRT, contact us your Personal Family Lawyer® to see if a CRT might be a good fit for your estate planning goals.

MAIN TYPES OF CRTS

There are two main types of charitable remainder trusts, both of which are based on your options for how the trust income is paid out.

CHARITABLE REMAINDER ANNUITY TRUSTS (CRATS)

The beneficiary can receive an annual fixed payment using a Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust. With this option, the income payments from the trust will not change, regardless of the trust’s investment performance. With this type of trust, additional contributions to the trust are not allowed.

CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNITRUST TRUSTS (CRUTS)

With a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, the beneficiary is paid a fixed percentage of the trust’s assets, and the payouts fluctuate depending on the trust’s investment performance and value. Unlike with CRATS, additional contributions can be made with this type of trust.

TAX BENEFITS OF CRTS

Since CRTs are used primarily to reduce taxes, they come with some significant tax breaks. As mentioned earlier, you can take a partial income tax deduction within the year the trust was created for the value of your donation. The partial tax deduction you receive is based on the trust’s type and term, the projected income payments to the charitable beneficiaries, and interest rates set by the IRS, which are determined based on the growth rate of trust assets.

That said, your deduction is limited to 30% of your adjusted gross income. And if the donation exceeds that limit, you can carry over any excess into subsequent tax returns for up to five years.

Again, profits from appreciated assets sold by the trustee aren’t subject to capital gains taxes while they’re in the trust. Plus, when the trust assets finally pass to the charity, that donation won’t be subject to estate taxes either. Such hefty tax breaks can seriously add up, so if you have the means to set such a trust up, they can be quite beneficial for all parties involved, so if you think such a trust might be right for you, definitely meet with us to discuss your options

It’s important to note that the beneficiaries will pay income tax on income from the CRT at the time it’s distributed. Whether that tax is capital gains or ordinary income depends on where the income came from—distributions of principal are tax free.

DON’T GO IT ALONE

CRTs come with very specific and complex requirements surrounding their creation, operation, and the responsibilities of the trustee, so if you are considering setting up a CRT, it’s vital that you consult with a lawyer experienced with such trusts. To this end, if you have highly appreciated assets you’d like to sell while minimizing tax impact, maximizing income, and benefiting charity, call us so we can determine the best way to achieve your charitable objectives, while maximizing your tax-saving and other financial benefits. Contact us today to learn more.

This article is a service of Brittany Cohen, Personal Family Lawyer®. We do not just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That’s why we offer a Family Wealth Planning Session™, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $750 session at no charge.

[email protected]

858-427-0539