While I have not had a chance to review it thoroughly to confirm its accuracy, I note that the accounting firm, Ernst & Young, has posted a detailed analysis of the estate and inheritance tax laws of almost every country in this brochure.
For those of you who have assets in multiple jurisdictions or are citizens living abroad, you should familiarize yourselves with these laws and hire competent counsel to asset you in minimizing your taxes.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Calculating Trustee Commissions in NJ
From time to time, people ask me how executor's commissions and
trustee's commissions should be calculated. I have already written a post on calculating executor and administrator commissions, so this post will focus on Trustee commissions.
New Jersey statutes on trustee commissions are very difficult to interpret because they use the term fiduciary to apply to executors, administrators, trustees, guardians and conservators. This would not be a problem if the fees were calculated the same, but they are not. Additionally, there are different rules for testamentary trusts (trusts created under a Will) and intervivos trusts (a trust created while the Grantor was alive). Going forward, if a particular rule applies to everyone, I will call that person a fiduciary.
To start, the Grantor of a Trust can specifically provide for a trustee commission. However, for testamentary trusts, if the commission is higher than the amount allowed under the New Jersey statutes, the Will must specifically state that the testator is aware of the commissions allowed under the New Jersey statutes and expressly authorize payment in excess thereof. N.J.S.A. 3B: 18-31.
Failure to expressly authorize a commission in excess of the NJ statutory limit or failure to state whether or not a trustee is even entitled to commission will result in the trustee being able to take a fee as provided in New Jersey Statutes 3B:18-23 through 3B:18-29. These statutes also apply to Guardians and Conservators.
So how is the trustee's fee actually calculated?
Unlike an executor who typically takes a one time fee, Trustees are more likely to take annual commissions, especially if the trust goes on for a long time.
The fee is comprised of both an income commission and a corpus commission. A trustee is entitled to annual income commissions of 6% without prior court approval. N.J.S.A. 3B: 18-24.
The corpus commission is a bit more complicated to calculate:. Normally an executor will take a one time commission as follows:
A trustee is entitled to a minimum fee of at least $100 per year and corporate trustees may set their own rates.
Upon the termination of a trust, the trustee is entitled to a termination fee in addition to the annual fees he or she may have taken. 3B:18-28. The termination commission is as follows:
Let's presume the following facts: Trust owns a house worth $500,000, a $1,400,000 in stocks and bonds, and $100,000 worth of cash. This is the value at the end of the previous year.
Let's also presume that there is only one trustee and in the year in question the stocks and bonds gave off $56,000 of income.
Accordingly, the calculation would be as follows:
0.5% on the first $400,000 would be $2,000
0.3% on the next $1,600,000 would be $4,800
6% on the $56,000 of income would be $3,360
So the trustee would be entitled to a total commission of $10,160 for the previous year.
Final thoughts about trustee's commissions
Any commission that a trustee takes will be subject to an income tax. As a result, if the trustee is also a beneficiary, he or she may not want to take a commission. Additionally, many times relatives do not appreciate the amount of work involved and will become upset at a trustee if he or she takes a commission. You should think about the dynamics of your family before taking one.
A trustee that does extraordinary work can apply to the court for a commission in excess of the statutory fee. A trustee needs to prepare an annual accounting, and one that fails to adequately communicate with the beneficiary or otherwise behaves badly can be removed by the court. If a trustee is removed from office, he or she may be required by a judge to forfeit his commissions. This is not automatic though.
Finally, as discussed in back in May of 2013, an attorney who is serving as a trustee may be entitled to a fee for legal services AND a commission.
New Jersey statutes on trustee commissions are very difficult to interpret because they use the term fiduciary to apply to executors, administrators, trustees, guardians and conservators. This would not be a problem if the fees were calculated the same, but they are not. Additionally, there are different rules for testamentary trusts (trusts created under a Will) and intervivos trusts (a trust created while the Grantor was alive). Going forward, if a particular rule applies to everyone, I will call that person a fiduciary.
To start, the Grantor of a Trust can specifically provide for a trustee commission. However, for testamentary trusts, if the commission is higher than the amount allowed under the New Jersey statutes, the Will must specifically state that the testator is aware of the commissions allowed under the New Jersey statutes and expressly authorize payment in excess thereof. N.J.S.A. 3B: 18-31.
Failure to expressly authorize a commission in excess of the NJ statutory limit or failure to state whether or not a trustee is even entitled to commission will result in the trustee being able to take a fee as provided in New Jersey Statutes 3B:18-23 through 3B:18-29. These statutes also apply to Guardians and Conservators.
So how is the trustee's fee actually calculated?
Unlike an executor who typically takes a one time fee, Trustees are more likely to take annual commissions, especially if the trust goes on for a long time.
The fee is comprised of both an income commission and a corpus commission. A trustee is entitled to annual income commissions of 6% without prior court approval. N.J.S.A. 3B: 18-24.
The corpus commission is a bit more complicated to calculate:. Normally an executor will take a one time commission as follows:
- 0.5% on the first $400,000 of all corpus received by the executor; plus
- 0.3% on the excess over $400,000. (N.J.S.A. 3B: 18-25)
A trustee is entitled to a minimum fee of at least $100 per year and corporate trustees may set their own rates.
Upon the termination of a trust, the trustee is entitled to a termination fee in addition to the annual fees he or she may have taken. 3B:18-28. The termination commission is as follows:
- If the distribution of corpus occurs within 5 years of the date when the corpus is received by the fiduciary, an amount equal to the annual commissions on corpus authorized pursuant to N.J.S. 3B:18-25, but not actually taken by the fiduciary, plus an amount equal to 2% of the value of the corpus distributed
- If distribution of the corpus occurs between 5 and 10 years of the date when the corpus is received by the fiduciary, an amount equal to the annual commissions on corpus authorized pursuant to N.J.S. 3B:18-25, but not actually received by the fiduciary, plus an amount equal to 1 1/2 % of the value of the corpus distributed;
- If the distribution of corpus occurs more than 10 years after the date the corpus is received by the fiduciary, an amount equal to the annual commissions on corpus authorized pursuant to N.J.S. 3B:18-25, but not actually received by the fiduciary, plus an amount equal to 1% of the value of the corpus distributed; and
- If there are two or more fiduciaries, their corpus commissions shall be the same as for a single fiduciary plus an additional amount of one-fifth of the commissions for each additional fiduciary.
Let's presume the following facts: Trust owns a house worth $500,000, a $1,400,000 in stocks and bonds, and $100,000 worth of cash. This is the value at the end of the previous year.
Let's also presume that there is only one trustee and in the year in question the stocks and bonds gave off $56,000 of income.
Accordingly, the calculation would be as follows:
0.5% on the first $400,000 would be $2,000
0.3% on the next $1,600,000 would be $4,800
6% on the $56,000 of income would be $3,360
So the trustee would be entitled to a total commission of $10,160 for the previous year.
Final thoughts about trustee's commissions
Any commission that a trustee takes will be subject to an income tax. As a result, if the trustee is also a beneficiary, he or she may not want to take a commission. Additionally, many times relatives do not appreciate the amount of work involved and will become upset at a trustee if he or she takes a commission. You should think about the dynamics of your family before taking one.
A trustee that does extraordinary work can apply to the court for a commission in excess of the statutory fee. A trustee needs to prepare an annual accounting, and one that fails to adequately communicate with the beneficiary or otherwise behaves badly can be removed by the court. If a trustee is removed from office, he or she may be required by a judge to forfeit his commissions. This is not automatic though.
Finally, as discussed in back in May of 2013, an attorney who is serving as a trustee may be entitled to a fee for legal services AND a commission.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Calculating NJ Executor Commissions
From time to time, people ask me about executor's commissions and trustee's commissions in New Jersey. Because it is a bit complex, I have broken it down into two posts and I will focus on commissions for executors and administrators today.
To start, a Will can specifically provide for an executor's commission. In that absence of expressly authorizing a commission an executor will be entitled to take an executor's fee as provided in New Jersey Statutes 3B:18-12 through 3B:18-17. These same statutes also provide that if a person dies intestate (dies without a Will), the administrator of the estate may also take a fee. Since the fees for an executor and administrator are the same, I will use the term interchangeably for purposes of this post.
New Jersey statutes are very difficult to interpret because they use the term fiduciary to apply to executors, administrators, trustees, guardians and conservators. This would not be a problem if the fees were calculated the same, but they are not.
So how is the executor's fee actually calculated?
First, an executor is entitled to annual income commissions of 6% without prior court approval. (N.J.S.A. 3B:18-13)
Second is the calculation of the corpus (or principal) commission. This is a bit more of a complicated formula. Normally an executor will take a one time commission as follows:
What assets are part of the corpus when determining the executor's commission?
The corpus of an estate is generally defined to mean any asset that has come into the hands of the executor.
Examples of assets that come into the hands of the executor are: Bank accounts, automobiles, tax refunds, business interests, an interest in a lawsuit or litigation, life insurance payable to the estate, retirement accounts with no beneficiary and real estate that were owned by the decedent.
Examples of assets that do not come into the hands of the executor and are not subject to the commission include: Life insurance (if there is a beneficiary other than the estate), retirement accounts where a beneficiary other than the estate is named, property that is held as joint tenancy by the entirety or joint tenants with rights of survivorship.
What about mortgaged property - do I use the net value or the gross value?
While it may be unfair if the estate is heavily leveraged, the commission is taken on the gross estate, not the net. If the result is too onerous, a beneficiary may wish to seek judicial relief.
An illustration of how to calculate the executor commission
Let's presume the following facts: Decedent owned a vacation house worth $500,000 and a mortgage of $100,000, a primary residence owned with his wife as tenancy by the entirety worth $1,000,000 and a mortgage of $300,000, a $400,000 IRA payable to his wife, $200,000 in stocks and bonds, a $200,000 life insurance policy payable to his children, and $100,000 worth of insurance with no beneficiary.
Let's also presume that there is only one executor and during the administration, the $200,000 of stocks and bonds gave off $5000 of income.
Included for purposes of calculating the commission are: the $500,000 house, the $200,000 in stocks and bonds and the $100,000 life insurance policy with no beneficiary (for a total of $800,000). There is no deduction for the the $100,000 mortgage. The primary residence, the IRA and the $200,000 life insurance policy are excluded.
5% on the first $200,000 would be $10,000
3.5% on the next $600,000 would be $21,000
6% on the $5000 of income would be $300
So the executor would be entitled to a total commission of $31,300.
Final thoughts about executors commissions
Any commission that an executor takes will be subject to an income tax. As a result, if the executor is also a beneficiary, he or she may not want to take a commission. Additionally, many times relatives do not appreciate the amount of work involved and will become upset at an executor if he or she takes a commission. You should think about the dynamics of your family before taking one.
An executor that does extraordinary work can apply to the court for a commission in excess of the statutory fee. An executor that behaves badly can be removed by the court. If an executor or administrator is removed from office, he or she may be required by a judge to forfeit his commissions. This is not automatic though.
Finally, as discussed in back in May of 2013, an attorney who is serving as an executor may be entitled to a fee for legal services AND a commission.
To start, a Will can specifically provide for an executor's commission. In that absence of expressly authorizing a commission an executor will be entitled to take an executor's fee as provided in New Jersey Statutes 3B:18-12 through 3B:18-17. These same statutes also provide that if a person dies intestate (dies without a Will), the administrator of the estate may also take a fee. Since the fees for an executor and administrator are the same, I will use the term interchangeably for purposes of this post.
New Jersey statutes are very difficult to interpret because they use the term fiduciary to apply to executors, administrators, trustees, guardians and conservators. This would not be a problem if the fees were calculated the same, but they are not.
So how is the executor's fee actually calculated?
First, an executor is entitled to annual income commissions of 6% without prior court approval. (N.J.S.A. 3B:18-13)
Second is the calculation of the corpus (or principal) commission. This is a bit more of a complicated formula. Normally an executor will take a one time commission as follows:
- 5% on the first $200,000 of all corpus received by the executor;
- 3.5% on the excess over $200,000 up to $1,000,000;
- 2% on the excess over $1,000,000;
- and 1% of all corpus for each additional executor provided that no one executor shall be entitled to any greater commission than that which would be allowed if there were but one executor involved. (N.J.S.A. 3B:18-14)
What assets are part of the corpus when determining the executor's commission?
The corpus of an estate is generally defined to mean any asset that has come into the hands of the executor.
Examples of assets that come into the hands of the executor are: Bank accounts, automobiles, tax refunds, business interests, an interest in a lawsuit or litigation, life insurance payable to the estate, retirement accounts with no beneficiary and real estate that were owned by the decedent.
Examples of assets that do not come into the hands of the executor and are not subject to the commission include: Life insurance (if there is a beneficiary other than the estate), retirement accounts where a beneficiary other than the estate is named, property that is held as joint tenancy by the entirety or joint tenants with rights of survivorship.
What about mortgaged property - do I use the net value or the gross value?
While it may be unfair if the estate is heavily leveraged, the commission is taken on the gross estate, not the net. If the result is too onerous, a beneficiary may wish to seek judicial relief.
An illustration of how to calculate the executor commission
Let's presume the following facts: Decedent owned a vacation house worth $500,000 and a mortgage of $100,000, a primary residence owned with his wife as tenancy by the entirety worth $1,000,000 and a mortgage of $300,000, a $400,000 IRA payable to his wife, $200,000 in stocks and bonds, a $200,000 life insurance policy payable to his children, and $100,000 worth of insurance with no beneficiary.
Let's also presume that there is only one executor and during the administration, the $200,000 of stocks and bonds gave off $5000 of income.
Included for purposes of calculating the commission are: the $500,000 house, the $200,000 in stocks and bonds and the $100,000 life insurance policy with no beneficiary (for a total of $800,000). There is no deduction for the the $100,000 mortgage. The primary residence, the IRA and the $200,000 life insurance policy are excluded.
5% on the first $200,000 would be $10,000
3.5% on the next $600,000 would be $21,000
6% on the $5000 of income would be $300
So the executor would be entitled to a total commission of $31,300.
Final thoughts about executors commissions
Any commission that an executor takes will be subject to an income tax. As a result, if the executor is also a beneficiary, he or she may not want to take a commission. Additionally, many times relatives do not appreciate the amount of work involved and will become upset at an executor if he or she takes a commission. You should think about the dynamics of your family before taking one.
An executor that does extraordinary work can apply to the court for a commission in excess of the statutory fee. An executor that behaves badly can be removed by the court. If an executor or administrator is removed from office, he or she may be required by a judge to forfeit his commissions. This is not automatic though.
Finally, as discussed in back in May of 2013, an attorney who is serving as an executor may be entitled to a fee for legal services AND a commission.
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