IRS has virtual currency transactions on their radar
IRS updated frequently asked questions on virtual currency transactions and provides guidance on capital gains when selling or gifting virtual currency.
Tax Insights
Category: Estate, Gift + Trust
Estate and Gift exemptions increase to $11.58 million in 2020
The IRS announced in Revenue Procedure 2019-44 that the 2020 gift tax annual exclusion will remain at $15,000 and the unified estate tax and lifetime gift exclusion amount will rise to $11,580,000 per person or $23,160,000 per couple in 2020. In 2020 any person can gift up to $15,000 to another person using the annual …
Splitting passive losses during divorce
Many couples acquire partnership interests during marriage that generate large passive losses. If they don’t have enough passive income to offset these losses, the losses are suspended under the passive activity rules. For couples residing in a community property state, the losses are deemed to be owned 50% by husband and 50% by wife. Don’t miss: …
Donating appreciated stock to charity
If you are planning to make a substantial contribution to a charity, it’s better to donate appreciated stock from your investment portfolio instead of cash. Why? You get a deduction for the donation AND avoid tax on the appreciation in value of the donated property. This planning tool is derived from the general rule that the …
Estate planning: don’t forget your IRA
The IRA is often overlooked when clients meet with their attorney for estate planning. This may be because the IRA owners complete the beneficiary designation form themselves and are unaware of potential pitfalls. Often, the value of the IRA alone far exceeds the value of the planned for estate. Failing to have your attorney review …
Annual exclusion gifts and your tax picture
In 2018, the IRS increased the annual gift tax exclusion to $15,000. The exclusion will remain at $15,000 for 2019 too. What does this mean for gifts you make? Each year, you can gift up to $15,000 per person before the gift is considered taxable and without being required to file a gift tax return …
Lizzie Borden: simultaneous death and slayer statutes
Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. Andrew Jackson Borden and Abby Durfee Gray were murdered on August 4, 1892. Abby died first at approximately 9:30 a.m., after being struck 18-19 times with a hatchet or sharp instrument. Approximately …
Paul Allen’s death and the estate settlement process
Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, passed away on October 15, 2018. He led an amazing life full of accomplishments that would span several blogs. Some noteworthy items include being the sole investor of SpaceShipOne suborbital commercial spacecraft, redeveloping the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, owning the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers and donating …
What happens if my estate and gift tax exclusion reverts?
If you have been following all the changes in the estate and gift tax exclusion amount over the past several years, you probably know that you can now give away – during your life, or on your death – $10,000,000 (adjusted for inflation) estate and gift tax free. The actual amount in 2019 is $11,400,000, …
Estate and gift exemption increases to $11.4 million in 2019
The IRS announced in Revenue Procedure 2018-57 that the 2019 gift tax annual exclusion will remain at $15,000 and the estate and gift exemption amount will rise to $11,400,000 per person, or $22,800,000 per couple, in 2019. In 2019, you can gift up to $15,000 to another person using the annual gift exclusion and without …