The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2021 (now “of 2024”) may have taken on new life recently as Kamala Harris promised, if elected, to make housing affordable. That promise has to be funded somehow and the “how” of it seems to be rolling back the estate and gift tax exclusion amounts significantly. At […]
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On July 19, 2024, the IRS published final regulations regarding required minimum distributions (RMDs) from qualified plans. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are the minimum amounts you must withdraw from your retirement accounts each year. You generally must start taking withdrawals from your traditional IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, and retirement plan accounts when you reach […]
Stetson’s College of Law announced that it will offer a graduate certificate program for Elder Law Attorneys who need tax knowledge, but not the Tax LL.M. They state: Many cases affecting clients involve tax issues. Because clients often fall in the middle class, they do not always need sophisticated tax planning. But, attorneys who represent […]
The amounts below are the estate tax exclusion amounts as provided by the IRS. Unless Congress takes action, in 2026, the exclusion amount will revert to the pre-2018 level ($5,490,000) per deceased person. You can, however, use your exemption now. On November 26, 2019, the IRS clarified that individuals taking advantage of the increased gift […]
In 2021, we blogged about a valuation case, Connelly v. U.S., 20 F. 4th 412 (8th Cir. 2023). We noted at the time that a Petition for a writ of certiorari was filed. On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case, ruling for the United States. Justice Thomas, writing for a unanimous […]
On November 28, 2023, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel published a memorandum addressing whether modification of an irrevocable grantor trust to add a tax reimbursement clause not previously in the trust constituted a taxable gift. The IRS concluded that it does constitute a taxable gift by the trust beneficiaries because the addition of a […]
Each year statutory provisions require the IRS to adjust tax rates based on inflation. Although we’re a bit tardy posting the numbers, here are the ones that matter most for our purposes. Gift Tax Annual Exclusion: $18,000 per recipient or $36,000 per recipient for a married couple. This is not a limit on gifting, but […]
In a case to be argued on December 5, 2023, Moore v. United States, the question presented is whether the Sixteenth amendment authorizes Congress to tax unrealized sums without apportionment among the states. The case concerns Congressional taxation under the 2017 Tax and Jobs Act (TCJA) which imposed a mandatory repatriation tax on pre-2018 profits […]
In Notice 2023-54, the IRS granted relief to individuals and retirement plans from taking required minimum distributions in 2023. This applies to both individual accounts and inherited IRAs where distributions were mistakenly taken although no distribution was required. This relief appears to be the result of the IRS’s delay in issuing final regulations under the […]
Until recently, the IRS has said little (if anything) regarding whether assets the beneficiary of an irrevocable trust receives get a step up in basis following the Grantor’s death. With issuance of Revenue Ruling 2023-2, that has changed. The IRS has spoken. In RR 2023-2, the IRS posed the following hypothetical which I’ve edited slightly: […]
