You’ve worked hard throughout your life to increase the value of your assets, and you want to use them to secure the well-being of your family and to help the charities you support. Leaving a gift in your will to a charity will extend a lifetime of support and ensure your values and compassion continue to be felt for years. A gift to TRAS will provide future generations of children with the means to build a better life.
GIFTS TO CHARITY
You may use a variety of methods to make your gift, such as designating a percentage, a specific amount or the residue of your estate to a charity. The residual value of the estate is the amount remaining after payment of all outstanding debts, expenses, income taxes and any specific bequests.
Giving options include:
- Cash gifts
- Life insurance
- Publicly traded stocks, mutual funds and bonds
- RRSPs /RRIFs/ TFSAs
Cash Gifts
Gifts of cash can be handled in any of the methods listed above
Life Insurance
If you have life insurance policies that you no longer need to protect your family or an asset, you could use them to make a charitable gift. If they’re whole life or universal life policies, they may have a substantial cash surrender value.
When you name TRAS as a beneficiary of an insurance policy, the policy isn’t considered a part of your estate and so isn’t subject to probate. As a result, the proceeds will be forwarded to TRAS more quickly than if the money were to go through the estate, another advantage of choosing this option. Whether a charitable gift or not, a life insurance benefit isn’t subject to tax.
Publicly traded stocks, mutual funds and bonds
You can make a gift of publicly traded shares, stocks, mutual fund units and bonds through your estate. This can provide the estate with significant tax saving, if these investments are worth more at the time of your death that when you purchased them. Make sure your will gives your executor the option to make these donations in-kind. In this instance declaring your shares, stocks etc. as a gift-in-kind will eliminate capital gains tax.
RRSPs, RRIFs and TFSAs
You can name TRAS as a beneficiary of your RRSPs, RRIFs and TFSAs. For an RRSP or RRIF, although your estate must still declare the registered retirement funds as income, the tax credit generated by the charitable receipt can offset any taxes that are due on the income. As is the case with life insurance policies, making TRAS the beneficiary of a retirement fund means that the money will usually be received and put to use more quickly than if it flows through an estate and isn’t subject to probate.
TAX CONSIDERATION FOR GIFTS TO A CHARITY
There are considerable tax benefits to leaving a gift to a registered charity. Your estate can use the receipts issued to reduce or eliminate taxes owed. During your lifetime, you can use charitable receipts for up to 75% of your net income in a year to offset taxes owing. However, your estate can use charitable receipts for up to 100% of your net income in the year of your death. Your executor may re-file your tax return for the year prior to your death if there are more charitable receipts than required to eliminate taxes in the year you passed away.
Tax laws also allow you to minimize or eliminate taxes to your estate through in-kind donations of mutual funds, bonds or publicly traded stocks, as well as direct designation of life insurance policies, RRSPs, RRIFs or TFSAs.
Tax credits gained through charitable donations provide a valuable and responsible tax-planning tool during your lifetime and for your estate.
Thank you for considering a gift to TRAS in your will!
The information contained is general in nature and is not a substitute for independent legal advice. We recommend you seek independent counsel before making a planned gift.