Charitable Lead Trust: FAQs

Maybe. If the trust is structured a certain way, you’ll be eligible to claim an income tax deduction in the year you set up your trust. However, that means that all of the trust income in following years will be taxed to you as well (subject to deductions for payments made to Audubon). Most donors structure their CLTs in a way that does not yield a current income tax deduction so that they don’t have to worry about income tax issues in the future. In both cases, you are able to provide wonderful support to Audubon and to pass trust appreciation to your family free of gift and estate tax. We can provide you and your advisors with information that will help you decide which type of CLT will work better for you.

Yes, you may list your grandchildren as beneficiaries. Due to the generation-skipping transfer tax, there are more complications related to a lead trust with grandchildren as beneficiaries than one that passes assets directly to children. Most legal professionals would prefer the use of a charitable lead unitrust if grandchildren are named as beneficiaries.

There is no minimum or maximum term for your charitable lead trust. However, if you want to maximize the benefit to Audubon and minimize transfer taxes, we can help you determine the optimum term to accomplish your goals. Generally, the longer the term, the lower the taxable gift to your remainder beneficiaries and the higher the benefit to National Audubon Society.