Sale and Unitrust

A sale and unitrust is a way for you to sell your appreciated assets, and receive cash and possible tax benefits by making a gift to support the causes you care about.

Are your appreciated assets, such as stock, bonds or real estate, producing little or no income? If you sell your appreciated assets, you will pay a large capital gains tax. A sale and charitable remainder unitrust may be the solution to avoid capital gains tax.

Sale and Unitrust Overview

Benefits of a sale and unitrust

Receive cash from the sale. You can use this cash to purchase another residence, to save for retirement, to travel, to meet your daily needs or to meet some other financial goal
Receive income from the unitrust for the rest of your life and future retirement
Obtain an income tax deduction that may reduce your tax bill this year
Further the work of the nonprofit named in the agreement with your gift

How a sale and unitrust works

You establish a charitable remainder unitrust and transfer a portion of your assets to the trust.
The assets are then sold by the trustee. You receive cash from the sale and the rest of the sale's proceeds are paid to the charitable unitrust.
The trust will provide you with income for the rest of your life.
You receive a charitable deduction this year to offset your tax on the cash proceeds that you receive from the sale.

Related Resources

Booklet

Download Booklet

Calculate Benefits

The sale and unitrust calculator generates a printable presentation that shows how you can receive cash plus increased income from trust. Charitable tax deduction reduces tax on gain.

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Number of Beneficiaries

One Two

Click the appropriate button for a presentation of one or two beneficiaries. Selecting one beneficiary will cause the second beneficiary and the associated name and birthdate fields to be hidden from view.

First Beneficiary

Enter the name of the person. You may use such titles as "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Dr.", "Rev.", "Jr.", "Sr.", etc. For the remainder unitrust the first person is the first income recipient or beneficiary of the agreement.

First beneficiary is required

Birthdate

Month:

Day:

Year:

Please enter a valid birthdate for the first beneficiary

Birth month of the first beneficiary is required

Birth day of the first beneficiary is required

Birth year of the first beneficiary is required

Second Beneficiary

Second beneficiary is required

Birthdate

Month:

Day:

Year:

Please enter a valid birthdate for the second beneficiary

Birth month of the second beneficiary is required

Birth day of the second beneficiary is required

Birth year of the second beneficiary is required

Income Tax Rate

Select the current federal income tax rate of the donor. This will be used to project possible income tax savings. If you are uncertain about the correct rate, you may choose one of the middle rates. For many people, this will be close to their actual income tax rate.

Property Value $

Please enter a valid property value

Property value is required

Enter the amount of cash or the fair market value (FMV) of the asset(s) used to fund the CGA. For assets such as real estate, closely-held stock and other hard to value assets, the FMV is the appraised value of the property on the date of the gift.

Cost Basis $

Please enter a valid cost basis

Cost basis is required

Enter the cost basis of the asset being used to fund the trust or annuity. If the asset is cash, the cost basis is equal to the gift amount. If it is appreciated property, the cost basis will most likely be the amount you originally paid for the property. The cost basis is used to determine the capital gains tax which will be bypassed as a result of selling the asset. If the cost basis is not known or cannot be proven, the IRS assumes the cost basis to be $0. If cash funds the gift annuity, enter the same value as "Value of Property."

Current Return

Current return percentage is required

Enter the current return or yield of the asset(s) which will be used to fund the gift agreement. For example, if the trust will be funded with public-traded stock which is currently paying a dividend of 3%, the current return yield is, in turn, 3%. If the gift is funded with vacant land or a personal residence (assuming the property is not leased), the current return would be 0%.

Trust Payout

Payout must be between 5% and 50%

Payout percentage is required

Enter the percent income payout to the donor. You must select a trust percent payout of 5% or more.

Cash $

Please enter a valid cash amount

Cash amount is required

Enter the amount of cash you wish to receive from the sale of the asset(s) that will be used to fund the trust. This amount of cash will not go into the trust.

Payment Frequency

Select either monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual income payments to the beneficiary(ies) of the income. The choice of payment frequency does affect the amount of the charitable deduction as the more frequent the payment (i.e. monthly as opposed to annually), the smaller the donor's tax deduction.

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Contact Us

If you have any questions about a sale and unitrust, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have.

Maximize Your Giving Impact

Sale and Unitrust

Are your appreciated assets, such as stock, bonds or real estate, producing little or no income? If you sell your appreciated assets, you will pay a large capital gains tax. A sale and charitable remainder unitrust may be the solution to avoid capital gains tax.