PROPOSITION 58 – CALIFORNIA REVENUE AND TAXATION CODE SECTION 63.1: PARENT-CHILD TRANSFERS

California Proposition 58 Parent to Child Transfer

California Proposition 58 Parent to Child Transfer

California Proposition 58 – Transferring Real Estate & Property Tax Base From A Parent To A Child & The Need For A Loan To Equalize A Transfer. 

On November 4, 1986, the voters of California adopted Proposition 58, which added
subdivision (h) to section 2 of article XIII A of the California Constitution. Subdivision H provides that “purchase” and “change in ownership” do not include the purchase or transfer of a principal residences between parents and children, and that the first one million dollars of the full cash value of all other real property (other than principal residences) between parents and children. Section 63.1 was added to the Revenue and Taxation Code 1 to implement the parent-child exclusion provisions of California Proposition 58 and applies to any purchases or transfers between parents and children that occur on or after November 6, 1986.

The California Board of Equalization who administers Proposition 58 offered guidance to clarify some of the ambiguity of the law. They generated a Questions and Answers document for the California Assessors offices to help them properly handle Prop 58 requests for Parent to Child Transfers and requests to avoid property tax reassessment. California Proposition 58 allows a child to inherit a property from a parent, transferring the home and avoiding tax reassessment. This allows the child to keep the parents low Proposition 13 property tax base. One of the requirements of Prop 58 that the Board of Equalization addressed was the need for an equal distribution to be made when multiple beneficiaries are involved. This information can be found on Page 11 – Question 36 of the board of equalization question and answer document. The document can be located here.

California Proposition 58 Questions and Answers

Or at the California Board of Equalization Website – Located Here

Question 36 from the Board or Equalization addresses the following issue:

“A trust allows for non-pro rata distribution. However, the estate is composed primarily of a house and a small savings account. One child wants the real property and one 15 See Simms v. Pope (1990) 218 Cal.App.3d 472, 477; Domenghini v. County of San Luis Obispo (1974) 40 Cal.App.3d 689, 695. 16 Letter To Assessors 91/08. 17 Estate of Russell (1968) 69 Cal 2d 200. Page 11 REVENUE AND TAXATION CODE SECTION 63.1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS child wants cash. To equalize distribution, can the trust encumber the real property with a loan and will the transfer of real property still qualify for the parent-child exclusion?

Answer: Yes. When a trustee has the power to distribute trust assets on a pro rata or non-pro rata basis, the distribution of real property to one child qualifies for the parent-child exclusion if the value of the property does not exceed that child’s interest in the total trust estate. A trustee who elects to make a non-pro rata distribution may equalize the value of the other beneficiaries’ interests in the trust assets by encumbering the real property with a loan and distributing the loan proceeds to the other beneficiaries.18 However, a loan cannot be made by any of the beneficiaries of the real property to the trust in order to equalize the trust interests. Such loan would be considered payment for the other beneficiaries’ interests in the real property resulting in a transfer between beneficiaries rather than a transfer from parent to child, which would disqualify the transfer from the parent-child exclusion.

This is where Commercial Loan Corporation can assist you. A conventional loan can not be used in this situation, since conventional lenders will not lend directly to a trust or estate, and the BOE requires that the loan not be made to the beneficiary but instead to the trust or estate. We are one of the only California lenders that will lend directly to a trust or estate, as opposed to a beneficiary. Our loan enables the beneficiary who is inheriting the property from a trust or estate to avoid a transfer between beneficiaries.  This helps them qualify for the Proposition 58 Parent to Child Transfer, enabling them to keep a parents low Proposition 13 tax base. Our average client saves over $6,000 a year in property taxes by taking advantage of their Prop 58 property tax benefit. We will even lend to an irrevocable trust.

If you, a family member or a client may be interested in a loan to help assist with Proposition 58, please call us at 877-464-1066 and we can assist you.

 

California Proposition 58 Parent to Child Transfer of Property Tax Rate

California Proposition 58 Parent to Child Property Tax Transfer

California Proposition 58 Parent to Child Property Tax Transfer

California Proposition 58 and Property Taxes

When inheriting real estate from a parent, one of the primary considerations in determining if you will keep or sell the property is often the expenses associated with the home. Typically one of the greatest expenses is the homes property taxes. In California, Proposition 58 grants qualifying children the ability to retain a parents low Proposition 13 protected property tax rate. Doing so could mean a savings of thousands of dollars each year. Commercial Loan Corporation helps beneficiaries and heirs qualify for their Prop 58 property tax benefits by providing bridge loans to trusts and probate estates so that an even distribution can be made.

Information About Proposition 58

In 1986, California’s Proposition 58 became effective and with certain limitations, it allows for the exclusion from reassessment of property taxes on real estate transfers between a parent and child. In the State of California, real estate is reassessed at market value if it the home is either sold or transferred. The property value reassessment may cause property taxes to increase dramatically in some cases. Preventing a property tax reassessment may save a beneficiary or heir thousands of dollars annually depending on the difference between the existing assessed value and the current reassessed property value. If the transfer of property is between a parent and child, under certain circumstances the property will not be reassessed if all required conditions are met. If applicable, an equal distribution must be made to all beneficiaries and a beneficiary is not permitted to contribute personal funds to equalize the distribution to qualify for an exclusion from property tax reassessment. An application must also be properly filed in a appropriate amount of time to be eligible for a Proposition 58 exclusion from property tax reassessment. When done properly, the new owner’s taxes are calculated on the parents established Proposition 13 factored base year value, instead of the current market value.

California Proposition 58 Limitations

There are some limitations to Proposition 58. For instance, on non primary residences transfers of the first $1 million of real property. The $1 million exclusion applies separately to each eligible transferor. These transfers may be result of a sale, gift, or inheritance. A transfer via a trust also qualifies for this exclusion. Additionally, when applicable an equal distribution must be made to all beneficiaries and a beneficiary is not permitted to contribute personal funds to equalize a trust distribution. In the situation where fund are needed to make an equal distribution, a third party loan is required.  That is where Commercial Loan Corporation can assist you by providing a bridge loan to the trust or estate. The Commercial Loan Corporation third party bridge loan provides enough cash to the trust or estate so that all parties can receive an equal portion of the trust or estate assets and enables one or more of the beneficiaries to receive the home as their portion of the distribution.

Additionally, Prop 58 defines a child as child born of the parent(s), a stepchild while the relationship of stepparent and stepchild exists, a son-in-law or daughter-in-law of the parent(s), and any adopted child who was adopted before the age of 18. Spouses of eligible children are also eligible until divorce or, if terminated by death, until the remarriage of the surviving spouse, stepparent, or parent-in-law. Information found at https://trustandestate.loans

California Proposition 193

California Proposition 193 grants the same rights to a grandchild as Proposition 58 grants to a child. An eligible “grandchild” for purposes of Proposition 193 is any child of parent(s) who qualify as child(ren) of the grandparents as of the date of transfer.

There are some additional requirements and exclusions for Proposition 58 and Proposition 193. Please call us at 877-464-1066 so that we can assist you.