Grantor-retained Income Trust (grit)

Definition of "Grantor-retained income trust (grit)"

Irrevocable trust into which the grantor places assets and retains the income from or the use of these assets for a stipulated period of time. At the termination of this time period, the principal (assets) of the trust is transferred to the grantor's non charitable beneficiary. The non charitable beneficiary may include individual (s) such as a grandchild, niece, nephew, son, or daughter. Should the grantor survive the stipulated period of time, he or she will incur substantial savings in estate and gift taxes. In order for these savings in taxes to occur, the following requirements must be met by the grantor:

  1. income to the grantor must be the sole result of the income generated by assets held in the trust.
  2. any income generated by the assets held in the trust can be paid only to the grantor of the trust.
  3. neither the grantor nor the spouse of the grantor can act as a trustee of the trust.
  4. any income retained by the grantor must be for a period of time not to exceed 10 years.
Should the grantor die before the stipulated period of time the trust expires, the value of the assets of the trust are included in the grantor's estate for FEDERAL ESTATE TAX purposes, even though the assets are not physically transferred to the estate of the grantor.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Automobile insurance plan, debated for a number of years, that is financed through a surcharge of a given number of cents per gallon (estimates run from 30 to 40 cents) to be paid by the ...

Individual receiving medical treatment who is not required to be hospitalized overnight. ...

Accounting method used to reduce income taxes on distributions from qualified pension or retirement plans. Ten-year averaging was repealed by the tax reform act of 1986 but is still ...

Means of projecting the costs of pension plans on a level basis over a specified future period of time. The actuarial value of each employee's future benefits to be paid at retirement is ...

Rule that provides four requirements for monitoring the independent agent distribution system: The insurance company must be involved in the training of the independent agent. The ...

Work-related accident. Occupational accidents that injure employees are the responsibility of the employer and are covered by workers compensation insurance. In recent years, the term ...

Percentage of income required by a retiree to maintain a desired standard of living during the retirement years. ...

Same as term Associate in Risk Management: professional designation earned after the successful completion of three national examinations given by the insurance institute of America (IIA). ...

Effort by an individual to continue to receive disability income benefits by taking a continuing sickness or injury. ...

Popular Insurance Questions