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Stepped-Up Basis

On December 22, 2017, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. The information in this article predates the tax reform legislation and may not apply to tax returns starting in the 2018 tax year. You may wish to speak to your tax advisor about the latest tax law. This publication is provided for your convenience and does not constitute legal advice. This publication is protected by copyright.

Stepped-Up Basis
When property is inherited, the basis for the beneficiaries is the value assigned to that property in the estate. Generally, that basis is the value of the property on the date of death of the decedent or on an alternate date selected by the executor of the estate. Thus, any appreciation up to the date of death is forgiven for regular tax purposes and the beneficiary starts with a stepped-up basis. This also applies to property inherited from a spouse. Caution – though infrequent, there is a potential for a step-down in basis as well.

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