More Information About Gift Annuities | People For the American Way Foundation

Charitable gift annuities are a very flexible way to make a gift to the charitable organization. They can be designed to provide a fixed income for life for you and/or others you choose. They are easy to create and can be funded with gifts of relatively modest amounts.

Example for One Person

Maureen Davis, 70, decides to give $10,000 for a gift annuity agreement on May 21, 2012. The payment rate based on age is 5.1%, or $510 for life. Because of the charitable gift portion of the annuity, there will be a tax deduction of $3,582 allowed for the year of the gift.

In addition, $404 of each annual payment will be received free of tax for the first 15.9 years that payments are received.

The amount of the gift annuity is also removed from a donor’s probate and taxable estates, in many cases resulting in additional savings.

To summarize, Maureen Davis has:

Transferred $10,000 in exchange for an income for life.
Arranged for payments that will total 5.1% of the gift amount annually, which is $510 per year.
Eliminated tax on $404 (about 79% of the payments) for the first 15.9 years they are received.
Made a gift that results in an immediate charitable income tax deduction of $3,582.
Assured the amount used to fund the gift annuity will not be subject to estate tax or probate expenses.

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The assumed date of transfer for this example is May 21, 2012. This example has used the IRC Section 7520 discount rate of 1.4% to optimize the charitable deduction.

NOTE: This calculation is provided for educational purposes only. The type of assets transferred, the actual date of the gift, and other factors may have a material effect on the amount or use of your deduction. You are advised to seek the advice of your tax advisors before implementing a gift of this type.

Example for Two People

Your rate for a one-life gift annuity at age 70 will be 5.1%

Enter age for a second person here (1/1/1940) and see the two-life rate for ages 70 and 72. Your rate for a two-life gift annuity will be 4.7% and your income tax deduction will be $2,656.