Get FS Publication 0049. Questions And Answers About Trusts

A trust agreement is a document that spells out the rules that you want followed for property held in trust for your beneficiaries. Common objectives for trusts are to reduce the estate tax liability, to protect property in your estate, and to avoid probate.

Any income/losses and capital gains/ losses earned in the in-trust account will be taxed in the trust unless the income or capital gains are paid or made payable to the beneficiaries. Income taxed in the trust is taxable at the highest marginal tax rate.

When the maker of a revocable trust, also known as the grantor or settlor, dies, the assets become property of the trust. If the grantor acted as trustee while he was alive, the named co-trustee or successor trustee will take over upon the grantor's death.

A see-through trust is a vehicle through which individuals may pass retirement assets from their individual retirement accounts (IRAs), via a trust, to their chosen beneficiaries. See-through trusts let IRA owners choose who will be the beneficiaries of the account after the owner is deceased.

Generally, assets you want in your trust include real estate, bank/saving accounts, investments, business interests and notes payable to you. You will also want to change most beneficiary designations to your trust so those assets will flow into your trust and be part of your overall plan.

Trusts are established to provide legal protection for the trustor's assets, to make sure those assets are distributed according to the wishes of the trustor, and to save time, reduce paperwork and, in some cases, avoid or reduce inheritance or estate taxes.

The Revocable Trust creates a legal relationship where there is a written trust agreement. A Trust of this type is often referred to as a Trust under agreement , Grantor Trust , or Living Trust. As its name implies, it is revocable.

U/T/D stands for Under Trust Dated. It is one of the two identifying features for your trust. Your trust has a name so it'd be the Greg revocable trust and then it has a U/T/D date. An under trust date, that's the date the document was signed.

Income taxation of trusts Income retained by the trust--Generally, trusts are "pass-through entities." This means that trust income retained by the trust is taxed to the trust (but not if it is a charitable remainder trust), while distributed income is taxed to the beneficiary who receives it.

The term under agreement dated (UAD) is typically used in connection with a living trust.