Proposition 19, enacted in California in 2020, considerably altered the foundations governing property tax assessments on inherited properties. Prior regulation allowed transfers of property between dad and mom and youngsters (and grandparents to grandchildren, if the dad and mom have been deceased) to retain the unique property tax base. Now, with restricted exceptions, the property’s assessed worth is reassessed at market worth when transferred, even inside households. This alteration has substantial implications for inherited properties held inside trusts. If a property in a belief is transferred from dad or mum to baby (or grandparent to grandchild with deceased dad and mom) and the kid doesn’t transfer into the property as their main residence inside one 12 months, the property will probably be reassessed at market worth, resulting in doubtlessly greater property taxes.
Understanding these adjustments is important for property planning and wealth preservation. The flexibility to switch property inside households with out triggering a reassessment was a key software for generational wealth switch. Proposition 19 considerably curtails this capacity, making it important for households to fastidiously contemplate the tax implications of holding and transferring property, particularly by means of trusts. This alteration has reshaped the panorama of inheritance in California and requires people and households to re-evaluate their property plans to attenuate potential tax burdens.