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

Presence of other contract (s) covering the same conditions. When more than one policy covers the exposure, each policy will pay an equal share of the loss. ...

Process of forming a large group of homogeneous lives that in order to allow the law of large numbers to operate, thereby projecting a probable rate of mortality or morbidity whose ...

Feature in a life insurance policy allowing a policyowner to freely assign (give, sell) a policy to another or institution. For example, in order to secure a loan, a bank asks to be ...

Employee's full entitlement, with no waiting period, to benefits under a pension or retirement plan. In the case of a contributory plan, there is immediate vesting of the employee's own ...

Assurance by the agent that the recommended insurance plan for the client is suitable for that client's specific needs. This assurance is derived from a careful analysis by the agent of the ...

Average earned monthly income (AEMI) for the tax year in which the insured wage earner has income interrupted or terminated because of illness, sickness, or accident. This AEMI is important ...

Type of term life insurance policy that has a face amount that increases to a predetermined sum and then decreases to zero at the termination point of the policy, while at the same time ...

Insurance coverage for pitfalls associated with travel. The coverage can be classified as follows: Trip Cancellation the travelers) must cancel the trip because of unforeseen circumstances ...

Employee of the insurance company who has the authority to appoint brokers on behalf of the insurance company. This supervisor has the objective and responsibility to sell the insurance ...

Popular Insurance Questions