by Mat Sorensen | Feb 10, 2020 | Retirement & IRAs, Uncategorized
Self-Directed IRA investors must be aware of their self-directed IRA tax reporting responsibilities. Some of these items are completed by your IRA custodian and others are the IRA owner’s sole responsibility. Here’s a quick summary of what should be reported to the IRS each year for your self-directed IRA. Make sure you know how these items are coordinated on your account as the ultimate authority and responsible tax person on the account is, you, the account owner.
IRA Custodian Files
Your IRA Custodian will file the following forms to the IRS annually. As a custodian of IRAs, Directed IRA & Directed Trust Company, we electronically file these with the IRS on every account. Different versions of these forms are completed for HSA and Coverdell/ESA accounts.
| IRS FORM |
PURPOSE |
WHAT DOES IT REPORT |
|
|
|
| Form 5498 |
Filed to the IRS by your custodian. No taxes are due or paid as a result of Form 5498. |
IRA contributions, Roth conversions, the account’s fair market value as of 12/31 of the current year, and required minimum distributions taken. |
| Form 1099-R |
Filed to the IRS by your custodian to report any distributions or Roth conversions. The amounts distributed or converted are generally subject to tax and are claimed on your personal tax return. |
IRA distributions for the year, Roth IRA conversions, and also rollovers that are not direct IRA trustee-to-IRA trustee. |
IRA Owner’s Responsibility
Depending on your self-directed IRA investments, you may be required to file the following tax return(s) with the IRS for your IRA’s investments/income:
| IRS FORM |
DOES MY IRA NEED TO FILE THIS? |
DUE DATE |
|
|
|
| 1065 Partnership Tax Return |
If your IRA is an owner in an LLC, LP, or other partnership, then the partnership should file a 1065 tax return for the company to the IRS, and should issue a K-1 to your IRA for its share of income or loss. Make sure the accountant preparing the company return knows to use your custodian’s tax ID for your IRA’s K-1s, and not your personal SSN (or your IRA’s tax ID if it has one for UBIT 990-T tax return purposes). If your IRA owns an LLC 100%, then it is disregarded for tax purposes (a single-member LLC), and the LLC does not need to file a tax return to the IRS. |
March 15th, 6-month extension available |
| 990-T IRA Tax Return (UBIT) |
If your IRA incurs Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT), then it is required to file a tax return. The IRA files a tax return and any taxes due are paid from the IRA. Most self-directed IRAs don’t need to file a 990-T for their IRA, but you may be required to file for your IRA if your IRA obtained a non-recourse loan to buy a property (UDFI tax), or if your IRA participates in non-passive real estate investments such as: Construction, development, or on-going short-term flips. You may also have UBIT if your IRA has received income from an active trade or business, such as being a partner in an LLC that sells goods and services (C-Corp dividends exempt). Rental real estate income (no debt leverage), interest income, capital gain income, and dividend income are exempt from UBIT tax. |
April 15th, 6 -month extension available |
Most Frequently Asked Questions
Below are my most frequently asked questions related to your IRA’s tax reporting responsibilities:
Q: My IRA is a member in an LLC with other investors. What should I tell the accountant preparing the tax return about reporting profit/loss for my IRA?
A: Let your accountant know that the IRA should receive the K-1 (e.g. ABC Trust Company FBO John Doe IRA) and that they should use the tax ID/EIN of your custodian and not your personal SSN. Contact your custodian to obtain their tax ID/EIN. Most custodians are familiar with this process, so it should be readily available. We are providing that number regularly to clients this time of year at Directed IRA & Directed Trust Company. If your IRA has a tax ID/EIN because you file a 990-T for Unrelated Business Income Tax then you can provide that tax ID/EIN.
Q: Why do I need to provide an annual valuation to my custodian for the LLC (or other company) my IRA owns?
A: Your IRA custodian must report your IRA’s fair market value as of the end of the year (12/31 of the current year) to the IRS on Form 5498, and in order to do this they must have an accurate record of the value of your IRA’s investments. If your IRA owns an LLC, they need to know the value of that LLC. For example, let’s say you have an IRA that owns an LLC 100% and that this LLC owns a rental property, and that it also has a bank account with some cash. If the value of the rental property at the end of the year was $150,000, and if the cash in the LLC bank account is $15,000, then the value of the LLC at the end of the year is $165,000.
Q: I have a property owned by my IRA and I obtained a non-recourse loan to purchase the property. Does my IRA need to file a 990-T tax return?
A: Most likely. A 990-T tax return is required if your IRA has income subject to UBIT tax. There is a tax called UDFI tax (Unrelated Debt Financed Income) that is triggered when your IRA uses debt to acquire an asset. Essentially, what the IRS does in this situation is they make you apportion the percent of your investment that is the IRA’s cash (tax favorable treatment) and the portion that is debt (subject to UDFI/UBIT tax) and your IRA ends up paying taxes on the profits that are generated from the debt as this is non-retirement plan money. If you have rental income for the year, then you can use expenses to offset this income. However, if you have $1,000 or more of gross income subject to UBIT, then you should file a 990-T tax return. In addition, if you have losses for the year, you may want to file 990-T to claim those losses as they can carry-forward to be used to offset future gains (e.g. sale of the property).
Q: How do I file a 990-T tax return for my IRA?
A: This is filed by your IRA and is not part of your personal tax return. If tax is due, you will need to send the completed tax form to your IRA Custodian along with an instruction to pay the tax due and your custodian will pay the taxes owed from the IRA to the IRS. Your IRA must obtain its own Tax ID to file Form 990-T. Your IRA custodian does not file this form or report UBIT tax to the IRS for your IRA. This is the IRA owner’s responsibility. Our law firm prepares and files 990-T tax returns for our self-directed IRA and 401(k) clients. Contact us at the law firm if you need assistance.
Sadly, not many professionals are familiar with the rules and tax procedures for self-directed IRAs, so it is important to seek out those attorneys, accountants, and CPAs who can help you understand your self-directed IRA tax reporting obligations. Our law firm routinely advises clients and their accountants on the rules and procedures that I have summarized in this article and we can also prepare and file your 990-T tax return.
Mat has been at the forefront of the self-directed IRA industry since 2006. He is the CEO of Directed IRA & Directed Trust Company where they handle all types of self-directed accounts (IRAs, Roth IRAs, HSAs, Coverdell ESA, Solo Ks, and Custodial Accounts) which are typically invested into real estate, private company/private equity, IRA/LLCs, notes, precious metals, and cryptocurrency. Mat is also a partner at KKOS Lawyers and serves clients nationwide from its Phoenix, AZ office.
He is published regularly on retirement, tax, and business topics, and is a VIP Contributor at Entrepreneur.com. Mat is the best-selling author of the most widely used book in the self-directed IRA industry, The Self-Directed IRA Handbook: An Authoritative Guide for Self-Directed Retirement Plan Investors and Their Advisors.
by Mat Sorensen | Nov 25, 2019 | Tax Planning, Uncategorized
As 2019 comes to an end, it is critical that Solo 401(k) owners understand when and how to make their 2019 contributions. There are three important deadlines you must know if you have a Solo 401(k) or if you plan to set one up still in 2019. A Solo 401(k) is a retirement plan for small business owners or self-employed persons who have no other full-time employees other than owners and spouses. It’s a great plan that can be self-directed into real estate, LLCs, or other alternative investments, and allows the owner/participants to contribute up to $56,000 per year (far more and faster than any IRA).
New Solo 401(k) Set-Up Deadline is 12/31/19
First, in order to make 2019 contributions, the Solo 401(k) must be adopted by your business by December 31st, 2019. If you haven’t already adopted a Solo 401(k) plan, you should start now so that documents can be completed and filed in time. If the 401(k) is established on January 1st, 2020 or later, you cannot make 2019 contributions.
2019 Contributions Can Be Made in 2020
Both employee and employer contributions can be made up until the company’s tax return deadline including extensions. If you have a sole proprietorship (e.g. single member LLC or schedule C income) or C-Corporation, then the company tax return deadline is April 15th, 2020. If you have an S-Corporation or partnership LLC, the deadline for 2019 contributions is March 15th, 2020. Both of these deadlines (March 15th and April 15th) to make 2019 contributions may be extended another six months by filing an extension. This a huge benefit for those that want to make 2019 contributions, but won’t have funds until later in the year to do so.
W-2’s Force You to Plan Now
While employee and employer contributions may be extended until the company tax return deadline, you will typically need to file a W-2 for your wages (e.g. an S-Corporation) by January 31st, 2020. The W-2 will include your wage income and any deduction for employee retirement plan contributions will be reduced on the W-2 in box 12. As a result, you should make your employee contributions (up to $19,000 for 2019) by January 31st, 2020 or you should at least determine the amount you plan to contribute so that you can file an accurate W-2 by January 31st, 2020. If you don’t have all or a portion of the funds you plan to contribute available by the time your W-2 is due, you can set the amount you plan to contribute to the 401(k) as an employee contribution, and will then need to make said contribution by the tax return deadline (including extensions).
Example
Now let’s bring this all together and look at an example outlining how this may work. Sally is 44 years old and has an S-Corporation for her online business. She is the only owner and only employee, and had a new Solo 401(k) established in 2019. She has $120,000 in net income for the year and will have taken $50,000 of that in wage income that will go on her W-2 for the year. That will leave $70,000 of profit that is taxable to her and that will come through to her personally via a K-1 from the business. Sally has not yet made any 2019 401(k) contributions, but plans to do so in order to reduce her taxable income for the year and to build a nest egg for retirement. If she decided to max-out her 2019 Solo 401(k) contributions, it would look like this:
- Employee Contributions – The 2019 maximum employee contribution is $19,000. This is dollar for dollar on wages so you can contribute $19,000 as long as you have made $19,000. Since Sally has $50,000 in wages from her S-Corp, she can easily make an $19,000 employee contribution. Let’s say that Sally doesn’t have the $19,000 to contribute, but will have it available by the tax return deadline (including extensions). What Sally will need to do is let her accountant or payroll company know what she plans to contribute as an employee contribution so that they can properly report the contributions on her payroll and W-2 reporting. By making an $19,000 employee contribution, Sally has reduced her taxable income on her W-2 from $50,000 to $31,000. At even a 20% tax bracket for federal taxes and a 5% tax bracket for state taxes that comes to a tax savings of $4,750.
- Employer Contributions – The 2019 maximum employer contribution is 25% of wage compensation not to exceed $56,000 total. Since Sally has taken a W-2 wage of $50,000, the company may make an employer contribution of $12,500 (25% of $50,000). This contribution is an expense to the company and is included as an employee benefit expense on the S-Corporation’s tax return (form 1120S). In the stated example, Sally would’ve had $70,000 in net profit/income from the company before making the Solo 401(k) contribution. After making the employer matching contribution of $12,500 in this example, Sally would then only receive a K-1 and net income/profit from the S-Corporation of $57,500. Again, if she were in a 20% federal and a 5% state tax bracket, that would create a tax savings of $3,125. This employer contribution would need to be made by March 15th, 2019 (the company return deadline) or by September 15th, 2019 if the company were to file an extension.
In the end, Sally would have contributed and saved $31,000 for retirement ($18,500 employee contribution, $12,500 employer contribution). And she would have saved approximately $7,750 in federal and state taxes. That’s a win-win.
Keep in mind, you need to start making plans now, and begin coordinating with your accountant or payroll company as your yearly wage information on your W-2 (self-employment income for sole props) is critical in determining what you can contribute to your Solo 401(k). Also, make certain you have the plan set-up in 2019 if you plan to make 2019 contributions. While IRAs can be established until April 15th, 2020 for 2019 contributions, a Solo K must be established by December 31st, 2019 if you want to make 2019 contributions. Don’t get the two confused, and make sure you’ve got a plan for your specific business.
Note: If you’ve got a single member LLC taxed as a sole proprietorship, or just an old-fashioned sole prop, or even or an LLC taxed as a partnership (where you don’t have a W-2), then please refer to our prior article here on how to calculate your Solo K contributions as they differ slightly from the s-corp example above.
We can help in establishing your solo(k) at KKOS Lawyers using our IRS pre-approved solo(k) plan documents where you can self-direct the solo(k) and have checkbook control right out of the plan. We also assist with the plan quarterly statements and IRS required plan document updates at Directed Trust Company.
Mat has been at the forefront of the self-directed IRA industry since 2006. He is the CEO of Directed IRA & Directed Trust Company where they handle all types of self-directed accounts (IRAs, Roth IRAs, HSAs, Coverdell ESA, Solo Ks, and Custodial Accounts) which are typically invested into real estate, private company/private equity, IRA/LLCs, notes, precious metals, and cryptocurrency. Mat is also a partner at KKOS Lawyers and serves clients nationwide from its Phoenix, AZ office.
He is published regularly on retirement, tax, and business topics, and is a VIP Contributor at Entrepreneur.com. Mat is the best-selling author of the most widely used book in the self-directed IRA industry, The Self-Directed IRA Handbook: An Authoritative Guide for Self-Directed Retirement Plan Investors and Their Advisors.
by Mat Sorensen | Jul 22, 2019 | Retirement & IRAs, Uncategorized
The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) issued their most recent report on self-directed IRAs and concluded that the IRS and DOL should do more to collaborate on prohibited transactions in IRAs. The report and the GAO’s work was an excellent analysis of some of the issues facing IRA owners.
There were two significant sections in the report for Self-Directed IRA accounts: Prohibited transaction exemption applications and IRAs with large balances likely being self-directed.
Prohibited Transaction Exemption Applications
An IRA owner may request an exemption for a prohibited transaction by making a formal written request to the DOL. While the IRS enforces the prohibited transaction rules, the DOL has interpretative authority and is the agency who can grant exemptions. An exemption must be obtained in advance of the transaction and takes on average one year to obtain.
A common prohibited transaction exemption request is one where the IRA owner owns real estate in an IRA which they would like to use personally. While the property could be distributed as an in-kind distribution there are tax consequences to such distribution. The DOL has granted this exemption request for IRA owners in the past and generally requires an appraisal to set the value and a broker/agent to effectuate the transaction.
The prohibited transaction exemption process is rarely utilized by IRA owners. The GAO noted that in the past 11 years only 48 prohibited transaction exemptions where granted for IRAs.
The biggest deterrent from my experience with clients is that it takes 6 months to 1 year to get approved and about $5,000 in legal fees to make the application and handle it to decision. Usually such long timelines are not something IRA owners are willing to wait on as circumstances change from one year to the next. The DOL does have some expedited prohibited transaction exemption procedures, known as EXPRO, that can be used when an account owner is seeking to rely on an exemption that has already been granted by the DOL to someone in a similar situation. Use of such procedures with IRA owners, which is already allowed but not readily known, could provide a better outcome as EXPRO applications are granted more quickly.
The GAO recommended that the IRS and DOL collaborate on prohibited transaction exemptions to better regulate and understand IRAs.
IRAs With Large Balances Likely Self-Directed
In their report, the GAO also noted some of their prior work on self-directed IRAs and stated the following:
“…IRA owners who have accumulated unusually large IRA balances likely have invested in unconventional assets like non-publicly traded shares of stock and partnership interests.”
While this is no news to self-directed IRA owners, it should be something of interest to policy makers and financial advisers who may view self-directed accounts with skepticism. If self-directed accounts have proven to get unusually high balances, wouldn’t we want more people to use them to do the same thing and to secure their retirement. The concept of self-directed IRAs is simple: Give more freedom and control, and let people invest in what they know. Let account owners decide and obtain the benefits (or burden) of their decisions with their money. Sure, there are risks but the best person to take risks is the person whose actual hard-earned money is on the line.
by Mat Sorensen | Jul 8, 2019 | Retirement & IRAs, Uncategorized
Many self-directed IRA investors use an IRA/LLC (aka “checkbook-controlled IRA”) to hold their self-directed IRA investments. For an overview, see my video here. When using the IRA/LLC structure, the name of the LLC is on title to the assets, and the LLC’s bank account receives the income. As a result of this structure, the self-directed IRA owner may be asked by a title company, property management company, or other third-party to complete an IRS Form W-9 form for the IRA/LLC. Form W-9 is the document these parties request in order to issue 1099’s for rental income or for sale proceeds for real estate, stock, or other assets sold by the LLC. Form W-9 can be tricky and needs to be handled differently when you have a single-member IRA/LLC (i.e. when the IRA owns the LLC 100%) than when the LLC has two or more owners (aka “partnership”). It is important that the W-9 is completed properly so that the IRS does not confuse whether the LLC is owned by the IRA or by the IRA owner personally.
Single-Member IRA/LLC
The W-9 can be tricky to complete in the single-member IRA/LLC situation. Many IRA owners will include the LLC EIN in Part I of the form or will provide the owner’s SSN. Both of those answers are incorrect. I have provided a sample W-9 form for “ABC Investments, LLC” below:
Let’s go through each line to explain the responses. I’ll start on line 1.
- Name: In the instance of a single-member IRA/LLC, the IRS considers the LLC to be disregarded, which means that the LLC is not a separate taxable entity and instead the tax reporting goes directly to the owner. In this instance, the owner of the LLC is the IRA. Consequently, the name on line 1 should be the name of your IRA. If you have a self-directed IRA with our company, that name would be something like, “Directed Trust Company FBO John Doe IRA.”
- Business Name: Line 2 is where you will list the name of the LLC. So, for example, if your IRA/LLC is called “ABC Investments, LLC,” then you would provide that name on line 2.
- Tax Classification Box: This is the section that causes confusion and often results in incorrect selections. In this section you would check the first box, “Individual/sole proprietor, single-member LLC.” When the IRA owns the LLC 100%, the LLC is considered a single-member LLC.
- Exemptions: IRA/LLCs and IRAs are an exempt payee, and as a result, you should include Code 1 on the first blank space on line 4. See line 4 instruction on Code 1 for more details.
- Address: On line 5 and 6 you will include the mailing address for the LLC. Do not include your IRA custodian’s address as any 1099s for the IRA will be sent to the IRA custodian’s address. While most 1099s and tax reporting forms generated from a W-9 do not result in a reporting or tax obligation for the IRA, it is best that the IRA owner, who is responsible for the account and decisions, receive the 1099s at their address.
- Address (Cont’d): See line 5 response information above.
- List Account Number (Optional): You may include the IRA account number with your IRA custodian on line 7, but this is optional and is not required. If you have multiple IRAs with the same custodian, it would be helpful to also provide your account number for the specific accounts involved. Otherwise, if needed, the IRA is identifiable by the name line 1.
Part I
The next section is called Part I, and is the section where a social security number or employer identification number is used. This section is often completed incorrectly. The correct response is the EIN of party on Line 1. In this instance, Line 1 is the IRA. Most IRAs should not have their own EIN, and you should not obtain an EIN for the purpose of a W-9. You may have an EIN for your IRA because you have Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) for your IRA (which is less common). However, most self-directed IRA custodians do not have an EIN for their IRA. Instead, what you should use is the reporting EIN of your IRA custodian. All IRA custodians have an EIN that is used for their customer accounts, and this EIN can be obtained by contacting your IRA custodian.
Most IRA/LLC owners have an EIN for their LLC and some will use that EIN in Part I. While that is the correct response in the multi-member IRA/LLC (“partnership”) context, it is not the correct response for the single member IRA/LLC. Another incorrect response on Part I is to use the social security number of the IRA owner. This is also incorrect as you do not personally own the LLC. An incorrect response on Part I doesn’t cause a prohibited transaction or disqualify the IRA, but it could create tax reporting confusions with the IRS.
Finally, the manager of the LLC would sign on Part II.
Multi-Member IRA/LLC
If your IRA/LLC has more than one owner, it is considered a multi-member IRA/LLC. Most multi-member IRA/LLCs are taxed as partnerships and as a result, the W-9 for a multi-member IRA/LLC is different from the single-member IRA/LLC.
The multi-member IRA/LLC is far more straightforward. I have provided a sample W-9 below. The important items for the W-9 in this instance are as follows:
- Line 1 is the name of the LLC: In a multi-member IRA/LLC, the entity files a tax return and is recognized at the LLC level by the IRS.
- Line 2 is blank as line 1 is the LLC name and they are the same.
- Check the box limited liability company and then indicate letter “P” for partnership.
- Skip the exemption code since the LLC itself has its own tax status (partnership usually). Even though it may be owned by IRAs the exemption doesn’t apply at the LLC level.
- Include the LLC mailing address.
- Continued mailing address.
- There is no need to list the account numbers of the IRAs here as the taxable entity itself is the LLC – not the IRAs – and there isn’t an account number for the LLC.
Part I
The LLC’s EIN should be used and provided in the box for employer identification number. Since a multi-member LLC is taxable itself as an entity (partnership return), it provides its own EIN for reporting uses on the W-9. The IRA custodian’s EIN is not used in this instance.
by Mat Sorensen | Jun 10, 2019 | Retirement & IRAs, Uncategorized
When you establish an IRA, 401(k), or other retirement account you are required to designate the beneficiary of that account so that the institution/custodian holding the account knows who will receive the account upon your death. You will die one day (sorry for the bad news), and without a properly completed beneficiary designation, your account will be stuck and won’t be able to be moved until a probate court orders otherwise. The form can be completed easily, so make sure you take care of this important step when establishing your retirement accounts and bank accounts.
What’s a beneficiary designation?
A beneficiary designation is simply a written and signed statement placed on record with your account custodian that specifies who receives your account upon your death. Beneficiary designations are used on IRA accounts, 401(k) accounts, HSA accounts, and life insurance policies. Beneficiary designations are used by IRA custodians, 401(k) account custodian/administrators, banks/credit unions, and life insurance companies to pass the deceased persons account on to the person(s) designated on the form without reference to the deceased person’s will, trust, and without the involvement of the probate courts. As a result, your beneficiary designation form is a powerful instrument.
You can list a primary beneficiary and secondary beneficiaries. A primary beneficiary is the first person whom you list, and this person or persons receive the account upon your passing. A secondary (aka “contingent”) beneficiary is someone you list who receives the account if the primary beneficiary is not living. For example, a common way to list your beneficiary designations is to list your spouse as your primary beneficiary and your children as your secondary beneficiary. If your spouse is not living when you die, then your account passes to your secondary beneficiary.
To have a valid beneficiary designation you must ensure the following:
- Designation: Use your institution’s/custodian’s form and designate the person(s) you desire as your beneficiary by listing their name, city/state, date of birth, and relationship to you. You can list one beneficiary or multiple beneficiaries in percentages. So, for example, if you had two children you wanted to receive the account, you would list them as 50% each on the designation form.
- Sign the designation: This may be eSigned using an eSign method accepted by your institution/custodian.
- Spousal waiver where applicable: If you have a spouse and you HAVE NOT listed your spouse as your primary beneficiary, then your spouse must sign a spousal waiver agreeing to someone else being listed as the primary beneficiary and your spouse’s signature on the waiver must be notarized. This is required as a matter of law. Failure to provide the waiver will result (at best) to your surviving spouse receiving at least half of your account upon your passing with the rest passing to your secondary beneficiaries.
- Coordinate with your estate plan: If you list your trust for estate planning as the beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or other retirement account, you must provide a copy of the trust to your institution/custodian. The trust must have readily identifiable beneficiaries who receive your account upon your passing and must be considered a see-through trust (most revocable living trusts are).
The beneficiary designation is the “trump card”
Your beneficiary designation is the “trump card” when it comes to estate planning documents. For example, your beneficiary designation on your retirement account or bank account will control over a will which states someone different is to receive all your assets. As a result, it is critical that you provide a beneficiary designation for every account you have, and that these designations are updated when certain major life events arise.
Action required in three common situations
If you already provided beneficiary designations on your retirement accounts, bank accounts or life insurance, it is critical that you review them and update them upon the following events:
- Divorce: There are plenty of cases when someone who failed to update their beneficiary designation passes away and their ex-spouse ends up receiving the account. This is usually contrary to the account owner’s wishes, but if you fail to update your beneficiary designations, your heirs could be in this predicament. (Talk about not leaving gracefully!) This situation is now going to be ugly for your ex, your new spouse (if you had one), and your children.
- New child: If you have a new child who was not previously identified as a beneficiary, you should update your designations to add this new child.
- New estate plan: If you establish an estate plan (will, or ideally, revocable living trust), you should ensure that your wishes in your beneficiary designations for your retirement accounts and bank accounts match-up with the terms of your trust.
When to list your trust versus your spouse/children directly
Even if you have a revocable living trust, you may want to list your spouse as your primary beneficiary. As a rule of thumb, most estate planning attorneys recommend that, for IRA or 401(k) accounts, you list your spouse as your primary beneficiary and your trust as your secondary beneficiary. The reason is that your spouse can receive your retirement account upon your passing and can do what is called a spousal rollover. This rule only applies to spouses. For example, under a spousal rollover, the retirement account of the deceased person can be transferred/rolled over into an IRA surviving spouse. This is an advantageous way for a spouse to receive a retirement account as the account is treated simply as an account of the surviving spouse, and is not subject to RMD or other quirky rules associated with inherited retirement accounts (aka “inherited IRAs” or “beneficiary IRAs”). Rather, the funds are just treated as a Traditional IRA or Roth IRA of the surviving spouse.
Your Trust can be listed second, and, in the case where your primary beneficiary is not living, certain provisions in your trust designated to protect the funds from creditors or misappropriation from inheriting children or other heirs would apply. Your children, or other heirs under your trust who are listed as secondary beneficiaries on your form would receive the funds from your retirement account in an inherited IRA (aka “beneficiary IRA”) and would have RMD requirements to remove funds from their account over their life expectancy. This is sometimes called a “stretch IRA” and is a great tax strategy as it allows them to extend the tax-free (Roth) or tax-deferred (Traditional) benefits of the account over their own lifetime.
Remember, the beneficiary designation is critical and must be completed properly. Take the extra time to get it done right, and check up on the designations on any of your existing accounts that you may be unsure of. It’s better to get these things squared away and in order now than to presume that you completed them right when you set-up the account long ago.
by Mat Sorensen | Mar 18, 2019 | Uncategorized
The IRS recently announced that the State Department will be denying passports, and may revoke yours if you have a “seriously delinquent tax debt.” A seriously delinquent tax debt is where you owe more than $52,000 (including interest and penalties). While this law has been on the books for some time, the IRS recently started sending certifications of seriously delinquent taxpayers to the State Department last year.
If you owe the IRS money and have plans to travel abroad, there are a couple of options you can use to maintain or obtain a passport even through you may be a “seriously delinquent taxpayer.” Here are the most common options:
1. Installment Agreement
Enter into an installment agreement with the IRS to repay the debt (i.e. A payment plan). So long as you are current on your installment agreement, you can obtain or maintain your passport. An installment agreement is essentially and agreement whereby you agree to the debt owed and set-up a payment plan to have it paid back over time. The IRS usually requires financial disclosures in order to determine the payment amount and schedule. You can learn more here.
2. Offer in Compromise
Have a pending offer in compromise with the IRS, or be paying timely on an agreed upon offer in compromise. An offer in compromise is a method of negotiating a compromise on the amount owed to the IRS. The IRS only accepts an offer in compromise if there is a debt as to the liability (i.e. There is a legitimate tax question over your position and that of the IRS), or there is a doubt as to collect-ability (i.e. “Can you really pay it back?”). You can learn more about an offer in compromise here. Keep in mind, so long as the offer in compromise request is pending, you can still obtain or maintain your passport. So, start here if you still have issues to work out with the IRS before you agree to the amount owed in an installment agreement. Though, if you don’t have a legitimate reason for an offer in compromise, you should consider the installment agreement.
If you’ve got plans to travel abroad AND you’ve got a serious tax debt, be proactive about paying it back with an installment agreement or start the process of making an offer in compromise. You don’t want to be surprised by a letter in the mail from the state department that your passport has been revoked. Or even worse, have non-refundable travel plans that have to be cancelled because your passport is revoked. And, last but not least, be abroad and have your passport revoked and your travel status in jeopardy. You may just end up spending your foreign trip at the local U.S. Embassy.
Self-Directed IRA investors must be aware of their self-directed IRA tax reporting responsibilities. Some of these items are completed by your IRA custodian and others are the IRA owner’s sole responsibility. Here’s a quick summary of what should be reported to the IRS each year for your self-directed IRA. Make sure you know how these items are coordinated on your account as the ultimate authority and responsible tax person on the account is, you, the account owner.
