donations
In terms of calculating estate duty, there is an abatement on the first R3.5 million of the value of the estate which is not subject to tax. If the deceased is the first-dying spouse, they may roll over any unused
Any assets held in trust – whether inter vivos or mortis causa – do not fall into the estate of the deceased and do not attract estate duty. As such, trusts can make excellent estate planning tools, especially to house
For a donation mortis causa to be effective, the donation must be in writing and must be signed by the donor, donee and two witnesses before the donor’s death. Being contingent on a future event, the donor is free to
As legislation currently stands, you can invest a maximum of R36 000 per year towards tax-free savings with a lifetime contribution maximum of R500 000 which, while not sufficient as a retirement funding vehicle, can be used to supplement one’s
Once you’ve maximised your retirement fund contributions, consider enhancing your long-term savings by investing through a tax-free savings account (TFSA). Or, if you already have a TFSA in place, consider maximising your annual allowable contributions.
As the name denotes, donations mortis causa is where, with death being seemingly imminent, the donor promises to gift the donee something – with the donation being contingent on the donor’s death.
If you intend to gift a larger amount of money to your child, it may be more effective to structure the inheritance as a loan whereby the loan account appears as an asset in your estate, thereby avoiding donations tax.
If you’ve received a donation or a gift from someone, note that there are no tax consequences for you as the donee. However, as SARS requires you to declare all taxable and non-taxable income, you will need to declare it
Even once their adult children have their own homes and families, many retirees choose to hold on to the family home for sentimental reasons rather than downscaling to a more manageable-sized property. If the longer-term plan is to ultimately downscale
