Kế toán, kiểm toán - Chapter nineteen: Accounting for estates and trusts

Chapter NineteenAccounting for Estates and Trusts Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/IrwinAccounting for an “Estate”“Estate” literally means property owned by an individualTypically refers to a separate legal entity holding title to the assets of a deceased person“Estate accounting” focuses on “the recording and reporting of financial events from the time of a person’s death until the ultimate distribution of all property held by the estate”LO 119-*Laws governing wills and estates are called “probate laws”.Each state establishes its own laws of descent and laws of distribution.Almost half of the states have adopted the Uniform Probate Code.Estate AccountingProbate Laws -- Three general purposes:Gather and preserve all of the property.Carry out orderly and fair settlement debts.Discover and implement the decedent’s intentions for remaining property. 19-*Estate Property Includes:CashInvestments in stocks and bondsInterest accrued to the date of deathDividends declared prior to deathInvestments in businessesUnpaid wagesAccrued rents and royaltiesValuables such as jewelry, paintings and antiques19-*Gifts of personal property are called “legacies” or “bequests”Specific legacy (Gift of personal property from a directly identified source),Demonstrative legacy , (Cash gift from particular source),General legacy (Cash gift from an unspecified source), and Residual Legacy (Gift from remaining estate property).Legacies and DevisesLO 219-* If funds are insufficient to satisfy all of the legacies, the reduction of these gifts is called “the process of abatement”.Estate DistributionsPriority:Specific legaciesDemonstrative legaciesGeneral legaciesResidual legaciesA gift of real propertyis called a “devise”.19-*Estate and Inheritance TaxesFederal estate tax rates used to be as high as 50%.The estate tax limits vary widely from 2009-2011 because of expiring tax laws.Some states also impose an estate tax.The federal gov’t has repealed the related credit for state taxes and changed it to a deduction going forward.LO 319-*The recipient of estate income is called the “income beneficiary”.The recipient of the estate principal (also called “corpus”) is called the “remainderman”.How income is to be determined should be defined by the decedent in the will to avoid confusion.The Distinction Between Income and PrincipalLO 419-*Principal of the estate includes the assets that existed at the date of death, which became assets of the decedent’s estate. Adjustments to principal include:Life insurance proceeds where the estate was named beneficiary.Debts.Funeral expenses.Gains and Losses from sale of assets.Homestead and family allowances.The Distinction Between Income and Principal19-*The Distinction Between Income and PrincipalIncome of the estate includes all revenues and expenses incurred after the date of death.Reductions to income include:Recurring taxes (such as real and personal property taxes),Ordinary repair expenses,Water and other utility expenses,Insurance expenses, andOther ordinary expenses required for the “management and preservation of the estate”.19-*Recording the Transactions of an EstateEstate assets are recorded at FMV. Debts, taxes & other obligations are recorded when paid.Distribution of legacies are not recorded until actually conveyed. Separately identify income and principal transactions. Often, two cash accounts are maintained.19-*Periodic reports disclose progress in settling the estate.Separate statements are required for income and principal.Each statement reports:Assets under the control of the executor.Disbursements made to date.Any property still remaining.Charge and Discharge StatementLO 519-*TrustsA TRUST is created by the conveyance of assets to a fiduciary (or trustee) who manages the assets according to the stipulated instructions. Trusts are often established to reduce the size of a person’s taxable estate and the estate taxes that must be paid. A trustee may be an Individual or an organization.LO 619-*Revocable Living TrustCredit Shelter TrustQualified Terminable Interest Property TrustCharitable Remainder TrustCharitable Lead TrustGrantor Retained Annuity Trust Minor’s Section 2503(c) TrustSpendthrift TrustIrrevocable Life Insurance TrustQualified Personal Resident TrustDifferent Types of Trusts19-*