Life Insurance Tax Traps for the Unwary
Life Insurance Tax Traps for the Unwary
Life insurance has been recognized as a useful way to provide for your heirs and loved ones when you die. Lawmakers have long recognized the social significance of life insurance as a source of funds for widowed spouses and children, and have offered liberal tax benefits as an incentive to those who put their hard-earned dollars into life insurance policies. However, there are a number of situations that can easily lead to unintended and adverse tax consequences. Here are some of the life insurance tax traps you may want to avoid.
Policy loans
One area fraught with unintended tax ramifications involves life insurance policy loans. A number of different scenarios involving policy loans can result in unplanned taxes, but one of the most common situations arises when a policy is surrendered (cancelled) or lapses with an outstanding policy loan.
Generally, if a policy is surrendered or lapses while a loan is still outstanding, the loan balance becomes taxable to the policy owner as ordinary income to the extent the cash value exceeds the owner”s basis (net premiums paid less any tax-free distributions received) in the policy–it”s as if cash from the policy is distributed to pay off the loan.
Example: You own a life insurance policy into which you paid premiums of $100,000 (your basis); the policy cash value is $200,000; and there is an outstanding policy loan of $150,000. You surrender the policy for $50,000 cash (the difference between your cash value and loan balance). However, much to your surprise, you”ll have to include $100,000 as ordinary income for the tax year in which you surrender the policy ($150,000 loan balance $50,000 cash – $100,000 premiums).
Modified endowment contract (MEC)
Since 1988, if the total premiums paid during the first seven years of the policy exceed a maximum amount based on the death benefit, then the policy becomes a MEC. The tax-free online casino treatment of the death benefit and the tax-deferred cash accumulation are generally the same for MEC and non-MEC life insurance, although the tax consequences for pre-death withdrawals are different.
For non-MEC policies, partial and full surrenders are taxed on a first-in, first-out basis, meaning cash value withdrawals are considered first coming from your investment in the policy (i.e., your premiums) then from any gain in the cash value (i.e., interest/earnings). Generally, policy loans from non-MECs are not subject to income tax.
But any withdrawals (including loans and partial or full surrenders) taken from the cash value of a MEC are treated as coming from earnings first and are taxed as ordinary income to the extent the policy”s cash value exceeds your basis. In addition, if the policy owner is under age 59½, a 10% tax penalty may be assessed on the amount withdrawn from a MEC that”s includible as income unless an exception applies.
Example: You purchased a cash value life insurance policy with a single premium of $100,000, making the policy a MEC. The policy cash value has grown to $150,000. If you take out a loan of $75,000 against the cash value, you will have to include $50,000 of the loan amount as ordinary income ($50,000 of the total amount borrowed represents gain in the policy).
Estate planning
Generally, the life insurance death benefit is includible in the estate of the policy owner and may be subject to federal and/or state estate tax. Often, attempts to remove the policy from the owner”s estate create problems. A quick solution has the owner transferring ownership of the policy to another person or an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT), in an attempt to remove the policy from the estate. However, if an insured owns a policy on his or her own life and gives the policy to another person, trust, or entity and then dies within three years of the transfer, the death benefit will be included in the estate of the insured/transferor, subject to possible estate tax.
Issues may arise when the policy owner, insured, and beneficiary are three different parties. If the insured is the first to die, the policy proceeds are considered a gift from the owner to the beneficiary, subject to potential gift tax. Generally, the owner and insured should be the same, or the owner and beneficiary should be the same party.
Unintended ownership issues may result if the insurance policy owner and insured are different parties, and the owner is the first to die. If the policy owner did not name a successor owner, then the policy will be subject to probate, including possible creditors” claims and unnecessary costs. To avoid this scenario, the owner should name a successor owner.
If you take a loan against your cash value, the death benefit available to your survivors will be reduced by the amount of the loan. In addition, policy loans may reduce available cash value and can cause your policy to lapse. Finally, you could face tax consequences if you surrender the policy with an outstanding loan against it.