UPDATE: Since this blog posted on March 22, the IRS has extended the deadline to file Form 8971 to June 30, 2016.
As part of the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 (the Act) passed last year, Code Sections 1014(f) and 6035 were enacted to ensure that basis, or the value, of a property acquired from a decedent remains consistent with the basis used for estate tax purposes. Accordingly, the executor of an estate filing a return must furnish to the IRS and to the person acquiring the property a statement, via Form 8971, indicating the value of that property.
On March 2, 2016, the IRS published proposed and temporary regulations under Code Sections 1014 and 6035. The proposed regulations confirm and clarify some important points. They:
What to Report — And What Not To
If you are trying to figure out what assets ARE REQUIRED to be reported on Form 8971, they include:
On the other hand, assets that are NOT REQUIRED to be reported on Form 8971 include:
What If the Value Changes?
The final value is defined under Proposed Reg. §1-1014-10 (c)(1) as the value reported on the federal estate tax return once all time has passed for adjusting or contesting the value. The regs also clarify what happens if Form 8971 is filed and it is determined that the final value of the property reported has changed. In that case, a supplemental filing of Form 8971 could be required, as explained in Reg. §1.6035-1(e). Supplemental filings are needed to correct an error or to add an asset that was omitted from the original filing. In cases where the original recipient transfers the asset to a related party, e.g., a child received property from a parent and subsequently gifts the property to a grandchild 10 years later, a supplemental filing also may be needed. A supplemental filing is not required if the original filing listed several potential assets that a beneficiary may receive and then that beneficiary only received some of those assets.
Waiting for the Final Say
A hot topic that will hopefully be addressed when the final regulations are issued relates to zero basis reporting. If an asset was omitted from the estate return and the statute for filing has passed, or an estate return that was required to be filed but was not filed by the statutory due date, the basis of the asset received by the beneficiary is considered to be zero, until such time as the executor files the return. (This is directly counter to Sec. 1014(a), which tells us the basis is equal to fair market value on the date of death).
A best practice while we wait for the final regulations is to discuss your situation with your advisors.
We want to hear from you! We encourage you to comment below on this blog post, share it on social media or contact Nicole Rocociat nrococi@cohencpa.com or a member of your service team for further discussion.
Cohen & Company is not rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. Any action taken based on information in this blog should be taken only after a detailed review of the specific facts and circumstances.