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Examples of Trusts Commissions

Elder Law attorneys hear this question constantly. Typically, once people reach a certain age there is pressure to transfer assets to their children for unspecified “asset protection” reasons.

Certain Biden-Harris proposals may, if enacted, have a significant effect on your estate plan. 2020 was a monumental year with many changes and 2021 may bring changes that affect your estate plan. There was a political shift in Washington, changes to the New York State Medicaid program, a world-wide pandemic, and amendments to state and local laws.

Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts, sometimes called Irrevocable “Income Only” Trusts or Medicaid Trusts, are used to protect assets and allow people to qualify for Medicaid long-term care. In order to protect the assets, the trust must be created 2.5 years before home care Medicaid is needed or 5 years before nursing home care is needed.

Question: I have 5 grandchildren and want to start gifting them money every year to help support their growing families. What are some gift tax consequences I need to consider? Do my grandchildren have to pay a tax on the gift? I have a relatively large estate, how will gifting affect this?

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) doubled the estate tax exemption, which in 2021 is $11.7 million dollars. This exemption is set sunset in 2026, but due to the economy, it may substantially decrease as early as 2021 or 2022 to pre-2017 levels, adjusted for inflation.

We are finally are putting 2020 behind us and entering a new year with a clean slate! Given how tumultuous the year has been with the pandemic, as well as the change in administration, there are certain estate planning matters that should be a top priority.

In order for an Irrevocable Medicaid Trust to be considered “exempt” for Medicaid purposes, it must provide that no principal distributions can be made to the grantor. This requirement ensures that the recipient did need Medicaid to cover the cost of her long term care, whether at home or in a nursing home facility. If the terms permitted distributions to the grantor or the trust was revocable, Medicaid would consider all assets in the trust as “available.” So using any money in the Trust for an assisted living facility is forbidden.

A common misconception in the arena of Estate Planning is that trusts are only for people with large amounts of money, trying to avoid taxes. It is first important to understand that there are many different types of trusts, each serving a different purpose.

Question: My parents set up UTMA and 529 College Savings accounts for my children. I am not sure exactly what effect these accounts have on their financial aid in the future or whose assets they are if my parents need nursing home care.