Document Com Legal

Distributing assets from an irrevocable trust requires that the assets first be part of the trust's corpus. Tax laws allow trusts to recover the after-tax money locked up in the corpus as tax-free return of principal. Trusts pass this benefit along to their beneficiaries in the form of tax-free distributions.

Two documents are needed to transfer California real property from a trust to beneficiaries of the trust; a deed and an 'affidavit of death of trustee. ' An 'affidavit death of trustee' is a declaration, under oath, by the successor trustee.

When you're ready to transfer trust real estate to the beneficiary who is named in the trust document to receive it, you'll need to prepare, sign, and record a deed. That's the document that transfers title to the property from you, the trustee, to the new owner.

In the context of a California mortgage transaction, a trust deed also transfer ownership. Only this time, the title is being placed in the hands of a third-party trustee, who holds the property on behalf of the lender and the homeowner-borrower until the mortgage is paid.

Distribute trust assets outright The grantor can opt to have the beneficiaries receive trust property directly without any restrictions. The trustee can write the beneficiary a check, give them cash, and transfer real estate by drawing up a new deed or selling the house and giving them the proceeds.

California Property TaxesTransferring real property to yourself as trustee of your own revocable living trust -- or back to yourself -- does not trigger a reassessment for property tax purposes. (Cal. Rev. & Tax Code § 62(d).)

A quitclaim deed can be used to transfer property from a trust, but a Special Warranty Deed seems to be a more common way to do this.