Buying Real Estate With Your IRA and a Non-Recourse Loan

by | Feb 13, 2015 | Investing

Comprehensive Webinar: Buying Real Estate with Your IRA and a Non-Recourse Loan Mat Sorensen from Mathew Sorensen on Vimeo.

Your IRA can buy real estate using its own cash and a loan/mortgage to acquire the property. Whenever you leverage your IRA with debt, however, you must be aware of two things. First, the loan your IRA obtains must be a non-recourse loan. And second, your IRA may be subject to a tax known as unrelated debt-financed income tax (UDFI/UBIT). This comprehensive webinar explains the non-recourse loan requirements, as well as the non-recourse loan options, and goes into detail on how UDFI tax may be applied and how it is calculated. Below are the slides from the presentation as well as the recorded video presentation of the webinar. Note that page 27 in the pdf slides below was up-dated from the webinar as I made a calculation mistake on the debt owed. The final tax numbers were still correct though. Thanks to Roger St.Pierre, Sr. VP at First Western Federal Savings Bank for co-presenting the topic with me.

buying-real-estate-with-ira-and-non-recourse-loan

 

2014 Tax Reporting for Your Self-Directed IRA

by | Jan 27, 2015 | UBIT & UDFI Tax

Self-Directed IRA investors should be aware of the following IRA tax reporting responsibilities.  Some of these items are completed by your custodian and some of them are the IRA owner’s sole responsibility. Here’s a quick summary of what should be reported to the IRS each year for your IRA.

IRA Custodian Files

Your IRA Custodian will file the following forms to the IRS annually:

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 accounts fair market value as of 12/31/14, 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 account preparing the company return knows to use your custodian’s tax ID for your IRA’s K-1’s and not your personal SSN. If your IRA owns an LLC 100%, then it is disregarded (single member LLC) and the LLC does not need to file a tax return to the IRS. April 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 (c-corp dividends exempt). Rental income (no debt leverage), interest income, capital gain income, and dividend income are exempt from UBIT tax. April 15th, 3 month extension available

 

Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve answered the most frequently asked questions below as they relate to your IRA’s tax reporting responsibilities.

Q: My IRA is a member of 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 of your custodian and not your personal SSN. Contact your custodian to obtain their Tax ID. Most custodians are familiar with this process so it should be readily available.

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 (as of 12/31/14) 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: Probably. 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 IRAs cash (tax favorable treatment) and the portion that is debt (subject to UDFI/UBIT tax) and your IRA end 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. Our law firm is preparing and filing 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.

IRAs and Annuities: What You Need to Know

by | Jan 20, 2015 | Investing

IRAs are the most commonly held retirement account and annuities are one of the most popular investments for retirees. Despite the popularity of each, the two concepts shouldn’t ordinarily be combined together. On the topic of IRAs and annuities, I am routinely asked the following questions.

  1. Can I buy an annuity with my IRA?
  2. Should I buy an annuity with my IRA?
  3. How do I get out of an annuity I bought with my IRA?
  4. Can I roll-over my annuity IRA to a self-directed IRA?

In this article I’ll answer each question, but before I do, let me first explain how an annuity works as it is essential to understanding the questions and your options. IRS Publication 939 is helpful in explaining the annuity tax rules and can be found here.

Annuity Basics

An annuity is an insurance product you can purchase whereby you invest funds with the annuity insurance company and they agree to make payments to you for the rest of your life or for a set period of years. The typical candidates of annuities are retirees seeking a guaranteed steady stream of income. The retiree gives up their cash now in exchange for payments back from the insurance company over time. There are many different types of annuities but the two most common are fixed annuities and variable annuities. In a fixed annuity, the insurance company agrees to pay you back based on a fixed payment schedule. Under a variable annuity, the insurance company agrees to pay you back based on the performance of the annuity investment (you have some limited choices in how those funds are invested in a variable annuity).

An annuity can begin paying you back immediately or it can be invested over a period of time and grow tax deferred and then later pay you out at retirement age. The income from an annuity is taxed as it is received by the annuity owner. Typically, when you receive payments from an annuity you personally own (outside a retirement account),  a portion of the payment is taxable (the income/growth part) and the portion that is a return of your investment or premium is not taxable. The portion of the annuity payment that is taxable is subject to ordinary income tax rates.

Tax Deferral

One of the benefits of an annuity is that the funds grow in the annuity tax deferred with the funds compounding and without having to pay tax on any income the IRS. When you start receiving payments from the annuity, the funds you invested into the annuity are not taxed but the earnings are taxed.

No Contribution Limits

When you purchase an annuity outside of a retirement account such as an IRA, you can invest as much money as you want and you are not limited to annual contribution limits like you are with IRAs or 401(k)s. So, for example, if you want to buy a $250,000 annuity with $250,000 of cash, then you can make that investment all in one-year. You are not subject to $5,500 annual contribution limits.

Early Penalty

If you take funds from an annuity before you’re 59 ½, you’re subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty on any taxable earnings. Any investment gains (above your initial investment) are also subject to tax and must be included as regular income on your personal tax return.

Surrender Charge

When you own an annuity you will typically have an account value for that annuity and if you decide to “cash-out” the annuity, instead of receiving the scheduled payments, you will likely be subject to a surrender charge. The surrender charge differs amongst annuity products and companies but the most common penalty is a 7% surrender charge during your first couple of years and then it goes down 1% each year until it is removed. So, if you have only had an annuity for a few years it is likely that you will have to pay the insurance company a surrender charge in order to “cash-out” the annuity. If you have had an annuity for ten years or longer, you are likely able to “cash-out” the annuity without penalty.

IRAs and Annuities

Now that we have the basics of annuities out of the way, let’s get to the questions about annuities and IRAs.

1. Can I buy an annuity with my IRA?

Yes, you can purchase an annuity with your IRA. However, just because you can doesn’t mean that you should. In my opinion, annuities can be part of a well structured financial plan but should be purchased with non- retirement plan (e.g. IRA) funds.

2. Should I buy an annuity with my IRA?

Probably not. One of the benefits of an annuity is that it gives you tax-deferral on the income that is being generated and as a result, using an IRA where you already obtain tax-deferral just doesn’t seem to make sense. If you like the annuity concept of fixed and guaranteed payments, albeit with modest gains from your principal, then you should consider an annuity with your non-retirement plan funds as those dollars aren;t getting any special treatment under the tax code when they are invested. If you already have a large nest-egg of retirement plan funds, why use that set of tax favorable funds to buy an investment product that you could buy with non-retirement plan funds and receive the same tax-treatment. Some say that buying an annuity with an IRA is like wearing a belt and suspenders since your money is already tax-deferred in a traditional IRA. Secondly, annuities are subject to surrender charges and as a result you are locked into that investment and face surrender penalties at the investment level (let alone the account level) if you want to get money out of the annuity to invest in something else or for personal use.

3. How do I get out of an annuity bought with my IRA?

You can usually “cash-out” your annuity owned by your IRA, however, cashing out the annuity to the account value will typically cause a surrender charge. Most annuities have a surrender charge during the first 7 years or so, whereby the penalty is 7% for the first year or two and then decreases 1 percent each year until it is removed. Check with you annuity company or financial advisor in your specific situation though as the products and surrender charges do vary. If you “cash-out” an annuity owned with IRA funds and if those funds are returned to an IRA, then there is no taxable distribution or tax penalty. The only “penalty” would be the surrender penalty by the annuity insurance company. If you take the cash personally though, instead of sending it to your IRA, then those funds are subject to the regular IRA distribution rules and as a result you could be subject to taxes and early withdrawal penalties on the amounts received.

 4. Can I roll-over my annuity IRA to a self-directed IRA?

Yes. You can roll-over your annuity IRA to a self-directed IRA. You’ll need to “cash-out” the IRA, pay any applicable surrender charges, and then instruct the annuity company to process a direct roll-over of the funds to your self-directed IRA custodian as a direct rollover. This rollover will NOT be subject to taxes or penalties. Keep in mind though, there may be a surrender penalty though with the annuity company. If there is a surrender penalty, you’ll want to determine whether the benefit and payments owed under the annuity are worth hanging on to the annuity investment or if you are better off simply paying the penalty and moving on to other investment options.

Unfortunately, the annuity and IRA rules can be a little tricky, but once understood you can make informed decisions about how to best use and invest your retirement dollars.

2014 Retirement Plan Contribution Deadlines: Start Planning Now & Don’t Get Left Behind

by | Nov 25, 2014 | News

Retirement account/plan contributions are one of the most powerful tax strategies you can implement but you’ve got to make them by the deadline so that they can reduce this years tax liability. With the end of the year fast approaching, now is the time to make certain you are maximizing this important tax strategy for your 2014 tax planning. Please find below a table outlining the deadlines for 2014 retirement plan contributions according to your type of retirement account.  If you are self-employed, you’ll notice the deadline also may depend on the type of company you own (e.g. s-corp or LLC)  but also whether you are making contributions as an employee of your company and/or as the employer. First, let’s summarize the IRA contribution deadlines.

IRA Contribution Deadlines

Type of IRA Contribution Type Deadline Details
Traditional IRA Traditional, Deductible April 15, 2015, 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 15, 2015, Due Date for Individual Tax Return Filing (not including extensions). IRC § 408A(c)(7).
SEP IRA Employee N/A; employee contributions cannot be made to a SEP IRA plan.
Employer Contribution March 15/April 15th, Due Date for Company Tax Return Filing (including extensions).  IRC § 404(h)(1)(B).
Simple IRA  Employee Elective Deferral January 30, 2015.  IRC § 408(p)(5)(A)(i).
Employer Contribution March 15/April 15, Due Date for Company Tax Return Filing (including extensions).  IRC § 408(p)(5)(A)(ii).

 

In summary, for traditional and roth IRA contributions you have until the individual tax return deadline of April 15, 2015 to make 2014 contributions. SEP and SIMPLE IRA contribution deadlines are based on the company tax return deadline which could be March 15th if the company is a corporation and April 15th if it is a sole proprietorship or partnership. Keep in mind that this deadline does NOT include extensions so even if you extend your personal tax return filing to September 15, 2015, you still have a April 15, 2015, contribution deadline for Roth and Traditional IRAs.

401(k) Contribution Deadlines

Solo 401(k) Business Structure Type of Cont. Deadline Details
401(k), including self-directed Solo 401(k) (plan must be adopted by 12/31/14) Sole Proprietorship Employee Elective DeferralContribution April 15, 2015, contribution deadline is Due Date for Employer Tax Return (including extensions) but compensation must have been earned by December 31, 2014 and election should be made by December 31, 2014; IRS Publication 560.  Rev. Rul. 76-28; 90-105.
Employer Profit Sharing Contribution April 15, 2015, Due Date for Company Tax Return Filing, including extensions, however employee compensation must have been earned by December 31, 2014.  IRC § 404(a)(6).  Rev. Rul. 76-28; 90-105.
S-CorporationOr C-Corporation Employee Elective Deferral contribution March 15, 2015 (corporation filing deadline), contribution deadline is Due Date for Employer Tax Return (including extensions) but compensation must have been earned by December 31, 2014 and election should be made by December 31, 2014;  IRS Publication 560.  Rev. Rul. 76-28; 90-105.
Employer Profit Sharing Contribution March 15, 2015, Due Date for Company Tax Return Filing, including extensions, however employee compensation must have been earned by December 31, 2014.  IRC § 404(a)(6).  Rev. Rul. 76-28; 90-105
Partnership (e.g. partnership LLC) Employee Elective Deferral Contribution April 15, 2015 (partnership return filing deadline), contribution deadline is Due Date for Employer Tax Return (including extensions) but compensation must have been earned by December 31, 2014 and Election should be made by December 31, 2014;  IRS Publication 560.  Rev. Rul. 76-28; 90-105.
Employer Profit Sharing Contribution April 15, 2015, Due Date for Company Tax Return Filing, including extensions, however employee compensation must have been earned by December 31, 2014.  IRC § 404(a)(6).  Rev. Rul. 76-28; 90-105.

 

There are a few important things to keep in mind regarding 401(k) contributions.

401(k) Contribution Deadlines Can Be Extended

First, the contribution deadline for employer and employee contributions is the company tax return deadline INCUDLING extensions. So, if you have a solo 401(k) you can extend your company tax return and your contribution deadline is also automatically extended. For example, if you have a solo 401(k) plan adopted by your s-corporation, then your s-corporation tax return deadline is March 15, 2015, but that can be extended 6 months until September 15, 2015, upon filing an extension to extend the company tax return with the IRS. If you do this, you’d have until September 15, 2015, to make the 2014 employee and employer contributions. That being said, the employee contributions are taken from your salary/wages and if you make traditional 401(k) employee contributions those amounts are reported on your personal W-2 and reduce your taxable wages. The W-2 is effectively where your tax deduction for traditional employee contribution arises is it reduces your taxable wages on your W-2.  As a result, you’ll need to make or at least know the amount you intend to make for employee contributions by January 31, 2015 as that is the W-2 filing deadline for 2014.

New 401(k)s Must Be Adopted by December 31st

Second, if you are establishing a new Roth or Traditional IRA, you can create that new account at the time of the IRA contribution deadline. However, if you are establishing a new solo 401(k) plan, you must have the plan established by December 31, 2014. Because there are a number of documents and procedures required to create a new 401(k) plan, this is not something that can be left to the last minute and you should start immediately if you intend to open a 401(k) this year.

Make 2014 Contributions in 2014

And lastly, while the deadlines for most 2014 retirement plan contributions for IRAs and 401(k)s runs into 2015, to keep things simple and stress-free we recommend making 2014 contributions by December 31, 2014, when possible.

As you can see, the contribution deadlines vary depending on the type of account/plan but also on the type of contribution.  With respect to contributions to a self-directed solo 401(k), the contribution deadline also varies depending on the type of company you own that has adopted the plan.  Therefore, it is important that you understand these deadlines and don’t miss out on an opportunity to maximize your tax deductions.  For guidance on the contribution limits in 2014, please click here.

As previously stated, it is not too late to setup a retirement account/plan if you have not done so already.  The deadline to set up a 401(k) and to make contributions for 2014 is typically the last day of the year, although I wouldn’t wait until the last day or even the last week of the year to do so.  If you are interested in setting up a self-directed solo 401(k), please contact us immediately as we are helping clients establish these and so that we can get it set up before the end of the year.