Determining Basis of Gifted Assets: Passive Loss Carryovers, Spousal Transfers, Gifts of Loss Property

Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
Intermediate
- work Practice Area
Tax Preparer
- event Date
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
110 minutes
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BARBRI is a NASBA CPE sponsor and this 110-minute webinar is accredited for 2.0 CPE credits.
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BARBRI is an IRS-approved continuing education provider offering certified courses for Enrolled Agents (EA) and Tax Return Preparers (RTRP).
This webinar will review the rules for basis determinations for gifted assets. Our panel of transfer tax experts will provide examples of calculating gains and losses on gifted property dispositions in unique but common scenarios and point out missteps to avoid when making lifetime gifts.
Faculty

Mr. Foreman co-chairs FRB’s Taxation Practice Group and advises businesses on the tax effects of a variety of corporate transactions, including taxable and tax-free reorganizations, mergers, sales, and acquisitions. He designs and implements tax-efficient structures for U.S.-based businesses to expand abroad and invest in foreign joint ventures. Mr. Foreman drafts tax memoranda and opinions on a variety of subjects, including tax-free reorganizations, tax-efficient return of capital to owners, Qualified Small Business stock, and various state pass-through entity taxes. He defends clients from audits from the IRS and various state tax agencies, including appealing audit determinations. Mr. Foreman advises clients on a variety of tax issues related to cryptocurrencies, including initial coin offerings (ICOs), taxability of staking and air drops, and the imposition of Sales and Use taxes on the issuance of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). He drafts tax portions of Operating and Shareholder Agreements for businesses in different industries. Mr. Foreman has extensive experience in a variety of SALT issues, especially New York State residency audits and state Sales and Use tax nexus issues post-Wayfair.

Mr. Jannol is a sole practitioner in Los Angeles at the Law Offices of Neal B. Jannol. He has been an attorney for more than 20 years and concentrates his practice on sophisticated estate and tax planning for individual clients, the representation of individual and corporate fiduciaries, and the administration of estates and trusts. His experience includes drafting revocable and irrevocable trusts, business succession planning, premarital planning, charitable gift planning, and all aspects of estate administration and probate procedures. He is a member of the State Bar of California and is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law. Mr. Jannol earned his B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from the University of California at Los Angeles and his J.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law.

Mr. Rappaport chairs FRB’s Taxation and Private Client Groups. He concentrates his practice in Taxation as it relates to Real Estate, Closely Held Businesses, Private Equity Funds, Family Offices and Trusts & Estates. He advises clients regarding tax planning, structuring, and compliance for commercial real estate projects, all stages of the business life cycle, generational wealth transfer, family business succession, and executive compensation. Mr. Rappaport also collaborates with other attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, bankers, and insurance professionals when they encounter matters requiring a threshold level of tax law expertise. He is known for his work on complex deals involving advanced tax considerations, such as Section 1031 Exchanges, the Qualified Opportunity Zone Program, Freeze Partnerships, Private Equity Mergers & Acquisitions, and Qualified Small Business Stock. Mr. Rappaport has served as a trusted advisor for prominent real estate funds, executives of multinational corporations, venture capitalists, successful startup businesses, ultra-high net worth families, and clients seeking creative solutions to seemingly intractable problems requiring tax-focused analysis.
Description
A donee generally receives a carryover basis--the donor's basis in the property--in property acquired as a gift. There are exceptions to this rule. For example, you cannot gift a tax loss. If the property gifted has a lower fair market value than its basis when gifted, the donee's basis will be its fair market value, and the tax deduction could be lost. As is usually the case, there are exceptions to consider. Transfers to spouses could retain a carryover basis. And, should the value of the property increase and create a taxable gain, the donee could use the carryover basis.
IRC Section 469(j)(6)(A) contains a special rule for gifts of activities with suspended passive losses: "Special rule for gifts. In the case of a disposition of any interest in a passive activity by gift— (A) the basis of such interest immediately before the transfer shall be increased by the amount of any passive activity losses... ." This increase in basis, particularly when coupled with the limitations on gifting loss property, could result in a loss of these carryforward losses. Tax practitioners working with trusts and estates need to thoroughly understand the nuances of lifetime gift transfers.
Listen as our panel of seasoned trust and estate advisers discusses the guidelines for determining the basis of gifted assets and minimizing the relative tax on these transfers.
Outline
- Basis rules for gifts: introduction
- Appreciated property
- Passive activity losses
- Loss property
- Transfers between spouses
- Part sales, part gift transfers
- Other gifts
- Planning strategies
- Potential legislation
Benefits
The panel will review these and other critical issues:
- The basis rules for loss property that is gifted
- Planning strategies to minimize tax on gifted assets
- How the rules for transfer by gift vary for spouses
- The impact of potential legislation on gifts and gift strategies
NASBA Details
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Identify planning strategies to minimize taxes on gifted property
- Determine basis in property gifted with a built-in loss
- Decide how passive loss carryforwards are treated when attached to assets and gifted
- Ascertain differences between gifts made to a spouse and other transferees

Strafford Publications, Inc. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of Accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE Credits. Complaints regarding registered sponsons may be submitted to NASBA through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Strafford is an IRS-approved continuing education provider offering certified courses for Enrolled Agents (EA) and Tax Return Preparers (RTRP).
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