Personal-residence Trust

Definition of "Personal-residence trust"

Trust in which a home is transferred directly to the children while the parent (s) remain in the home for a fixed period of time, resulting in a substantially reduced estate tax cost. These trusts have a great flexibility in that the home in trust may be sold during the term of the trust, provided the proceeds from the sale is reinvested in another home within two years of the sale of the home. The primary drawbacks of this trust are that if the parent (s) die before the term of the trust expires, the home is included in the estate of the parent (s), and if the parent (s) outlive the term of the trust and has a desire to remain in the home, the parent (s) must rent that home from the children at its fair market value.
During the term of the trust, the parent (s) has the right to the income from the trust's property as well as the use of that property. As such, income and expenses associated with that property are reported on the income tax return of the parent (s). If the parent (s) is still alive at the time the term of the trust expires, the interest in the home that is transferred to the children is valued as a remainder interest. The tax advantage results from this remainder interest as the remainder interest in the home is valued at a substantially lower value for federal tax purposes than the full market value of the home.

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

Physical damage to one's person. The purpose of liability (casualty) insurance is to cover bodily injury to a third party resulting from the negligent or intentional acts and omissions of ...

Interest earned on dividends from a participating life insurance policy left on deposit with the insurance company and subject to taxation. ...

Error, misstatement, or breach of duty by an officer or director of a company that results in a lawsuit against the company. directors and officers liability insurance covers claims arising ...

Policies that have been sold to and paid for by an insured, but not yet delivered to the insured. ...

Option in a participating policy under which dividends are used to purchase fully paid-up units of whole life insurance. This option deserves careful consideration by young families since ...

Acts or omissions that result in suits against an individual and/or residents of the individual's household for actual or imagined bodily injury and/or property damage to a third party. ...

Intense combustion resulting in a flame or glow. In order for the fire peril to be covered under property insurance, the fire must be a hostile fire, not a friendly fire. ...

Yearly renewable term (YRT) life insurance under which an insured can usually re-apply for term insurance every fifth year at a lower premium than the guaranteed renewal rate. If the ...

Provisions added to an original insurance policy that alter or modify benefits and coverages of the contract. For example, a homeowners insurance policy can be endorsed to cover a ...

Popular Insurance Questions