From the PG Calc Blog: Biden Administration Releases Details on Proposed Taxation of Split-Interest Trusts

On May 28, the Biden Administration released a general explanation of its revenue proposals for Fiscal Year 2022. The so-called “Green Book” provides more detail on these proposals than had been available previously. Of special interest to gift planners, the document describes the Administration’s proposed changes to the taxation of capital gain when assets are transferred during life and at death, including to split-interest trusts. Until now, there was no detail on how transfers to charitable remainder trusts and other split-interest gifts would be treated.

Also From the Blog: Which CRUT Shall It Be?

The charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) comes in five flavors, each of which can be useful in certain donor situations. The donor’s goals should dictate which of the five will work best for them.

No Change Yet in NY Maximum Rate Methodology

As reported previously, the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA) has been working with regulators and legislators in New York State to revise a New York insurance statute so that the maximum annuity rates allowed in New York are no longer lower than the ACGA’s suggested maximum annuity rates at some ages. Unfortunately, the proposed change was not considered by the New York State legislature before its session ended on June 10. This means the current statute likely will remain in place until at least January 2022, the start of the next New York legislative session, although the proposed change could become law sooner in the event of a special session. While New York resets its maximum annuity rates quarterly, we expect those rates to continue to be lower than the ACGA’s suggested maximum annuity rates at many annuitant ages while the current statute remains in force.

See our Knowledge Base article for more information on this issue and what we know and don’t know about complying with New York’s maximum rates.

Compliance Reporting: Now Is the Time

For many charitable organizations, June 30 is the end of the fiscal year, which means pulling together a lot of financial information and preparing extensive annual reports. Charities that have life income gift programs need to recalculate the estimated liability for all gift annuities, pooled income funds, and charitable remainder trusts. In addition, specifically for the charitable gift annuity program, many organizations will need to calculate required reserve amounts and submit detailed reports to one or more states.

Organizations that use GiftWrap, PG Calc’s planned gift administration software, can run FASB liability and state reserve reports in just a few simple steps. In other cases, financial institutions providing administration services can produce the necessary reports. In fact, many for-profit vendors use PG Calc’s GiftWrap in conjunction with their gift administration services.

For organizations that do not have GiftWrap and are not able to obtain the reports through a third-party administrator, PG Calc offers a robust Compliance Reporting Service. For a modest fee, PG Calc can gather the necessary information and run the liability and reserve reports for the charity. We do the heavy lifting for you!

State reserve reports are governed by explicit state requirements, which are programmed into GiftWrap. With FASB liabilities, however, the reports generally should be based on how the reports were run for the previous year, but the choice of mortality table and the assumed annual interest rate may be up for review. PG Calc’s client advisors can work with your charity to determine the mortality table and interest rate assumption most appropriate for its particular set of circumstances.

If you are interested in learning more about our Compliance Reporting Service, please call us at 888-474-2252, or send an email to support@pgcalc.com.

Sign Up for our Free Gift Administration Ask the Expert Q&A

If you’re a fundraiser, you know that gift administration is a time-consuming and sometimes confusing process. You need to stay on top of tasks, such as reporting, sending tax information, tracking gift values, and more. On top of that, there are circumstances that bring on a trickier set of tasks, such as when a donor passes away. All the details can become overwhelming, and you might be looking for someone to help with the latest question you’ve run into.

Fortunately, we know just the person to help – Julia Boerth, PG Calc’s Director of Gift Administration. She’ll be hosting a free Gift Administration: Ask the Expert Q&A session on June 17 at 1:00 pm (ET), bringing her years of experience in the gift administration world to the Zoom room to answer your questions. Come with your latest headscratcher and learn from other organizations seeking expert advice. Sign up today!

CGP National Conference: Virtual and In-Person This Fall

As you may have seen, this year's CGP National Conference is offering a Virtual Experience online September 20-24, as well as an In-Person Experience in Orlando October 4-6. We've missed seeing you all so much that PG Calc is planning on going to both. See you this fall!

The Trust for Public Land Trusts PGM Anywhere

“PGM Anywhere has been an outstanding partner to our organization. We count on it for accurate trust and CGA calculations and proposals. The PG Calc staff is always accessible and tremendously knowledgeable so that we feel confident our donors are receiving the most up-to-date and accurate information. PGM Anywhere does a great job of customization and is a delight to work with.”

Deborah Roberts
Senior Planned Giving Manager
The Trust For Public Land

Learn more about the The Trust for Public Land.

Learn more about PGM Anywhere and our amazing Client Services Team.