by Mat Sorensen | Jul 3, 2017 | Uncategorized
Every year, there is at least one case when the IRS attempts to distribute a self-directed IRA for failing to meet a single technical requirement. This common situation arises when an IRA owner uses their standard, non-self-directed IRA to purchase assets that only self-directed IRA custodians allow. This was the case of McGaugh v. Commissioner, as Mr. McGaugh owned a Merrill Lynch IRA, and requested Merrill Lynch acquire FPFC shares for his IRA. Merrill Lynch sent the funds for the purchase to FPFC, but unfortunately considered the purchase a distribution from Mr. McGaugh’s IRA, and sent him a 1099-R.
TIP: When buying non-publicly traded assets, such as private stock or LLC units, make sure that you use a self-directed IRA custodian who allows such assets to be held by an IRA.
Mr. McGaugh intended for the shares to be owned by his IRA, and in fact had them titled as “Raymond McGaugh FBO Raymond McGaugh IRA.” The shares were sent to Merrill Lynch, who refused them and attempted to send the shares to Mr. McGaugh. In the end, Merrill Lynch did not recognize the shares as assets of Mr. McGaugh’s IRA, and Mr. McGaugh was forced to dispute the 1099-R with the IRS in Tax Court. The IRS alleged that the assets were distributed from Mr. McGaugh’s IRA since Merrill Lynch, his custodian, refused the shares and sent them to Mr. McGaugh. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the IRS, and in favor of Mr. McGaugh. The Court ruled that Mr. McGaugh never took personal possession of the FPFC private stock, and stated that the shares were not in his personal name. Consequently, he never had constructive possession of his IRA assets and they were not considered distributed. It is important to note that had the shares been titled to his personal name (not FBO his IRA), the case likely would’ve gone the other way. Also, it is important to note that shares should never be titled in the IRA owner’s name FBO their IRA. This was presumably done by FPFC or requested by Mr. McGaugh, since Merrill Lynch refused the shares.
TIP: Make sure that self-directed assets (e.g. real estate, private stock, LLC units) are owned in the name of your IRA. The typical titling of a self-directed IRA is as follows, “ABC Trust Co. FBO Mat Sorensen IRA.”
by Mat Sorensen | Apr 11, 2017 | Uncategorized
If you have a self-directed IRA with non-publicly traded assets like real estate, private stock, or an LLC interest, you’ve definitely been asked for an annual fair market valuation for the assets in your account. Why does your IRA custodian ask for this every year? Because they have to.
An IRA must report its fair market value to the IRS annually. Fair market value is reported to the IRS by your IRA custodian via IRS Form 5498. For standard IRAs holding stocks or mutual funds, those account values are automatically determined as they simply take the stock or fund price as of the close of the market on December 31st each year, and they use these amounts to set the year-end account fair market value. For self-directed accounts, such fair market values are not readily available and it becomes the IRA account owner’s responsibility to obtain their self-directed investment values so that their custodian can properly report the account’s fair market value. The value of an account is important for a few reasons. First, the IRS requires it to be updated annually. Second, it is used to set required minimum distributions (“RMDs”) for those account holders over the age of 70 ½ with traditional IRAs. Lastly, the account value is used when converting an entire account, or a particular investment or portion of the account, from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.
WHAT IS FAIR MARKET VALUE
Fair market value of an investment has been broadly defined by the Court as:
“The price at which property would change hands between a hypothetical willing buyer and a hypothetical willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or to sell, and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts.” U.S. v. Cartwright, 411 US 546 (1973).
Now here’s the hard part: Even though the IRS requires IRAs to update their fair market value on an annual basis, the Government Accountability Office noted in their recent report that:
“Current IRS guidance includes NO [emphasis added] guidance or advice to custodians or IRA owners regarding how to determine the FMV [fair market value]”. United States Government Accountability Office, GAO-17-02, Retirement Security Improved Guidance Could Help Account Owners Understand the Risks of Investing in Unconventional Assets. (Dec. 2016).
The absence of guidance, however, has not relieved IRA owners or their custodians from obtaining and reporting this information. While there is no specific fair market valuation guidance for IRAs, there are commonly accepted methods of reporting value used by professionals and companies within the self-directed IRA industry. Most of these methods have been adopted from law and regulations governing employer retirement plans or estates.
METHODS TO BE USED BY ASSET TYPE
The table below outlines preferred valuation methods that are commonly used in the industry for the most common self-directed IRA assets. As you will note, when the valuation is needed for a taxable event, such as a distribution or Roth conversion, greater detail and supporting information will be required as the valuation will result in tax being due.*
| Asset |
Non-Taxable (Annual FMV) |
Taxable (RMD, distribution or conversion) |
|
|
|
| Real Estate |
Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) from a real estate professional is preferred. Some IRA custodians accept property tax assessor values or Zillow reports in non-taxable situations. |
Real estate appraisal is preferred. Some IRA custodians accept a broker’s price opinion. |
| Promissory Note |
Value of a note can be reported by calculating the principal due plus any accrued and unpaid interest. This is the valuation method used for calculating the value of a note for estate tax purposes. |
Same as non-taxable, principal amount due plus accrued and un-paid interest. For notes in default, a third-party opinion as to value is typically required in order for the note to be written-down below face value. |
| Precious Metals |
For bullion, use the spot value of the metal in question times the ounces owned. Spot value is widely reported on a daily basis on financial sites.
For acceptable coins, use market data for the coin in question via the Grey Sheets available at www.bullionvalues.com. |
Same as non-taxable. |
| LLC, LP, or Private Company Interest |
Obtain a third party-opinion of value of the LLC interest. The opinion should rely on IRS Revenue Ruling 59-60. For asset holding companies, the valuation should focus on the value of the assets. For operating companies, the valuation should focus on earnings. |
Similar requirement, but the detail of the opinion should be more significant. For example, for an asset holding company where the IRAs interest is determined by the assets of the LLC. A CMA would be acceptable for calculating that assets value in the company in an annual valuation. However, an appraisal of the real estate to calculate in that asset would be required in a taxable situation. |
Since the valuation reporting policies of custodians vary, IRA owners should make sure that they understand their IRA custodian’s policies for valuations for the assets in question.
Our firm routinely assists clients with obtaining third-party opinions of value and can assist IRA owners who need to produce a report or third party opinion as to an LLC or other investment interest held by an IRA.
* Please note that there are clearly differences of opinions on these matters, and since there is no specific legal guidance for IRA valuations, please keep in mind that the table above is based on my own industry experience and opinions. Seek a licensed professional in all instances for your specific situation.
by Mat Sorensen | Mar 28, 2017 | Uncategorized
You have until April 18th, 2017 to make 2016 IRA contributions for Roth and Traditional IRAs. If you’re self-employed and are using a SEP, your deadline is determined by your company’s tax filing deadline (e.g. s-corp, partnership, or sole prop). So, if you were an s-corp or partnership in 2016, then your filing deadline was March 15th, 2017. II you are a sole prop, then the deadline is April 18th, 2017. If you extended your company return, that extension will also apply to your SEP IRA contributions. The table below breaks down the deadlines and extension options for Traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs.
| Type of IRA |
Contribution Type |
Deadline Details |
| Traditional IRA |
Traditional, Deductible |
April 18th, 2017: Due Date for Individual Tax Return Filing (not including extensions). IRC § 219(f)(3); You can file your return claiming a contribution before the contribution is actually made. Rev. Rul. 84-18. |
| Roth IRA |
Roth, Not Deductible |
April 18th, 2017: Due Date for Individual Tax Return Filing (not including extensions). IRC § 408A(c)(7). |
| SEP IRA |
Employee, Deductible |
N/A: Employee contributions cannot be made to a SEP IRA plan. |
| Employer Contribution, Deductible |
March 15/April 15th: Due Date for Company Tax Return Filing (including extensions). IRC § 404(h)(1)(B). |
|
|
|
As outlined above, you have until the 2016 individual tax return deadline of April 18th, 2017 to make 2016 Traditional and Roth IRA contributions. The deadline for Traditional and Roth IRAs, however, does not include extensions. So, even if you extend your 2016 tax return, your 2016 Traditional and Roth IRA contributions are still due on April 18th, 2017.
SEP IRA contribution deadlines are based on the company tax return deadline, which could be March 15th if the company is taxed as a corporation (“c” or “s”) or partnership, and April 15th if it is a sole proprietorship. Keep in mind that this deadline includes extensions, so if you extend your company tax return filing, you will extend the time period to make 2016 SEP IRA contributions.
by Mat Sorensen | Mar 7, 2017 | Uncategorized
When it comes to transferring property, such as rental properties into LLCs or your personal residence into a Trust, it can be confusing understanding whether you should use a quitclaim deed or a warranty deed. Here is a brief description of each type of deed and when they should be used.
Warranty Deed – A warranty deed transfers ownership and explicitly promises the buyer that the transferor has clear title to the property, meaning it is free of liens or claims of ownership. The terms of a warranty deed should state that the transferor “warrants” and conveys the property. The warranty deed may make other promises as well, to address particular problems with the transaction. But generally, the use of the word “warrant” means that seller/transferor guarantees the new owner as to clear title. Because the seller “warrants” clear title under a warranty deed, it is a preferred method of title transfer and should be used by real estate investors and property owners as the default method of transferring title. When transferring title from your own name to your LLC or Trust, the use of a warranty deed typically allows the title insurance you bought when you acquired the property to remain in effect.
Quitclaim Deed – A quitclaim deed transfers whatever ownership interest a person has in a property. It makes no guarantees about the extent of the person’s interest. If you are buying a property from a third-party, you would never want to use a quitclaim deed because they aren’t making any guarantee as to whether they own it or not, or if they have clear title. It would be like paying someone on the street for a set of keys to a car. Who knows whether they own the car or not? You gave them money for it, and if they do own it, you just bought it. But, if they don’t own it, then you’re out of luck and you’ll have to resolve the ownership issue with the person who legally owns it. There are limited situations where a quitclaim deed is used. In some instances, a quitclaim deed is used when the buyer and seller are aware of legal issues or defects to title, so the seller transfers their interest and the new buyer has to resolve the title issues. Another situation, perhaps more common, arises in states that have a transfer tax. For example, some states will exempt transfer taxes on the transfer of title from the owner to their own LLC, but only if it is by quitclaim deed (e.g. Tennessee). When transferring title to your own LLC, we generally aren’t worried about title issues, so the savings on transfer taxes make the quitclaim deed a better option.
Most states don’t have a transfer tax, but to make matters more complicated, some states use the term “grant deed”, California being one of the most prominent. The reality is that a grant deed can be used as a quitclaim deed OR a warranty deed. It essentially depends on the verbiage used inside the terms of the deed itself. If you see words like “warrant” and “convey,” then you probably have a warranty deed. Bottom line: Make sure that you look at the language used in the deed itself. Don’t think that because you have a grant deed you have all of the benefits of a warranty deed.
Our Recommendation – Always double check the local state and county laws regarding the type of deed to use when transferring property, and what the different types of deeds actually provide. HOWEVER, as a general rule of thumb, we recommend the warranty deed when transferring property to yourself, your trust, or your own company because we want to make sure that the Title Policy and all of its benefits transfer to the Grantee of your deed.
by Mat Sorensen | Feb 21, 2017 | Uncategorized
The IRS recently released updated the extension rules for 990-T tax returns that are required for certain self-directed IRAs. Form 990-T is a tax return that must be filed by an IRA when it receives what is known as unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). For a description on UBTI and 990-T returns in general, see my prior article here.
The new rules allow an IRA to receive a automatic 6 month extension of time to file by filing IRS Form 8868. Previously, IRAs required to file a 990-T, were only allowed an automatic 3 month extension. The new extension procedures were released in January 2017 and apply to 2016 990-T returns. To claim the extension, the IRA must take the following steps.
- Obtain a Tax ID/EIN for the IRA. Generally, IRAs do not have their own Tax ID/EIN and they should not obtain one, except when a 990-T return needs to be filed. The Tax ID/EIN can be obtained at IRS.gov.
- Complete and File the Extension Request Using IRS Form 8868. The automatic 6-month extension for the filing of a 990-T is obtained by filing IRS Form 8868.
- File the Extension by April 15th. The regular filing deadline for form 990-T is the 15th day of the fourth month following the tax year (e.g. April 15th each year). Make sure the extension is filed by April 15th and keep a copy as you’ll need to send a copy with the extended return. Keep in mind, the extension to file is not an extension to pay so if you end up owing UBIT and if your IRA hasn’t made any tax deposits you may have a small amount of penalty and interest due when you later file and pay.
If your self-directed IRA investments are running into UBIT, make sure you’re reporting and paying any applicable UBIT via form 990-T to the IRS. Failure to do so can result in penalties, interest, and potentially loss of the IRA’s tax preferred status. If you’re not ready to file by April 15th, make sure you file the automatic extension request to give yourself 6 more months to file.
by Mat Sorensen | Jan 16, 2017 | Uncategorized
The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) concluded over a year of research and investigation on self-directed IRA’s and 401(k)’s with a report to Congress called Retirement Security: Improved Guidance Could Help Account Owners Understand the Risks of Investing in Unconventional Assets.
Self-directed IRA’s and 401(k)’s are accounts that may be invested into “unconventional” assets. The most common “self-directed” assets are real estate, LLC’s, start-ups, venture capital, private funds, and precious metals. The self-directed IRA industry has tripled over the past ten years and the demand and interest from retirement account holders continues to grow.
The GAO was tasked to research self-directed IRA’s by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.
The GAO identified 27 custodians who handle self-directed IRA’s holding “unconventional” assets such as real estate, LLC’s, private company stock, and precious metals. Seventeen of these companies participated and responded to surveys and requests for information. These 17 companies reported holding 500,000 retirement accounts and $50 Billion in assets in unconventional investments.
I was interviewed by the GAO for this report and they also used my book, The Self-Directed IRA Handbook, while conducting research on the laws and taxes affecting self-directed IRA and 401(k) investors.
The GAO’s report concluded that IRS guidance is lacking in three specific areas:
- Prohibited Transactions: The GAO concluded that self-directed account holders who invest in unconventional assets are at greater risk of engaging in prohibited transactions and that the IRS should engage in additional outreach and education with regards to unconventional assets to ensure compliance. The prohibited transactions rules are found in IRC § 4975 and essentially restrict the account owner, and certain family members, from transacting personally with their own IRA. For example, it would be a prohibited transaction for an IRA owner to sell private stock they personally own to their own IRA. It is also a prohibited transaction to have use or benefit of your IRA’s assets. For example, if your IRA owned real estate, it would be a prohibited transaction to have personal use or occupancy of the property.
- UBTI (Unrelated Business Taxable Income): The GAO’s research and investigation concluded that many self-directed IRA and 401(k) investors are unaware of the unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) that can apply to some “unconventional” investments owned by an IRA. UBTI tax applies to IRA’s when they receive “business” income as opposed to “investment” income. IRA’s are designed to receive investment income such as rental income, interest income, dividend income, or capital gain income. However, if an IRA receives “business” income or “ordinary” income, that causes UBTI and the IRA ends up being responsible for tax on its income. In this instance, the IRA files a 990-T tax return and is responsible for tax on the income earned. Most self-directed IRA investments do not cause UBTI, but many self-directed investors unwittingly run into this tax. The GAO found in its report that there isn’t any guidance regarding UBTI in the IRS publications on IRA’s, Publications 590-A and 590-B. The GAO warned that without caution or specific guidance in these publications or through other efforts by the IRS, that self-directed account owners may unwittingly invest their account into assets that cause UBTI tax.
- Fair Market Valuations: The GAO’s report found that there is zero advice to custodians of IRA’s or to IRA owners regarding how to determine the fair market value (“FMV”) for unconventional assets held in a retirement account. Each year, the custodian of a self-directed IRA must report the FMV of the account to the IRS via form 5498. For publicly traded assets such as stocks or mutual funds, valuation is relatively simple as the valuations is the price of the stock or fund as of close of the market price on December 31 each year. For assets such as real estate or private company stock, such value is not as readily available and account holders and companies use varying methods for reporting FMV annually to the IRS. The GAO recommended that the IRS develop guidance or regulations on how unconventional assets should be valued and reported to the IRS. In their response to the report, the IRS stated that they will recommend that Treasury address fair market valuations in their upcoming retirement plan regulations for 2016-2017
The GAO report was an excellent analysis and summary of the common issues facing self-directed IRA and 401(k) owners investing in unconventional assets. As an attorney representing self-directed account holders for over ten years, I wholeheartedly agree with the three issues the GAO cited in their report and believe that further guidance from the IRS would increase awareness for not only account holders but also for their professional tax, legal, and financial advisers.
