Tax Consequence

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Five years ago my dad and sibling purchased a home together and my dad unexpectedly passed away a couple of months after the purchased and I've been helping my sibling with the mortgage ever since. We now want to do a refi but my sibling won't qualify unless I become a co-borrower. It is my understanding that I would have to be added to the title/deed of the house in order to refi and my question is will the IRS hit me with a gift tax on the equity that has been built since the purchased?

jerry · Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 3:48 am Post subject:

Hi Looking2Refi,

As far as I know, when you will be refinancing the loan, the property taxes can be re-assessed and it may even change. But I don't think you will have to pay gift tax on the equity of the property. However, to be on the safer side, consult a tax assessor.

Thanks,

Jerry

gmakerley · Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:13 am Post subject:

jerry, i don't know what question you were answering above; our poster has asked about federal taxes, i believe.

poster...i don't think you're liable for a gift tax, but you can certainly ask a tax advisor (or go directly to the irs, for that matter).

jerry · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:27 am Post subject:

Hi George,

I wanted to say that gift taxes are not levied on the equity of the property. But for better guidance, the poster should contact a tax advisor.

Additional to this, I also said that, if the property is refinanced, the property taxes can get reassessed and can also get increased.

Thanks,

Jerry

gmakerley · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:24 am Post subject:

jerry, i have never heard of reassessment of propery taxes subsequent to a refinance of a property. maybe that's just because connecticut doesn't do it, but i have a hard time imagining that tax assessors around the country would be monitoring every refinance so that the tax rolls could increase/decrease with each transaction.

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George & Jerry,

Thank you both for your time! I've contacted a CPA, a bookkeeper, and the IRS and they all said that since refinancing(me becoming a co-borrower) is not an economic activity, thus it's not a taxable event.

As for reassessment of property taxes subsequent to a refi, California doesn't do it either. If they did, it might be to my advantage since home prices have fallen so much.

jerry · Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:31 am Post subject:

Hi George,

I think I have placed the information in a wrong way. What I actually meant to say was as there will be a change in ownership of the property, there are chances that property taxes will be re-assessed and they may increase. I have wrongly mentioned the term "refinance" in my post.

Thank you very much George for clearing the whole issue to the original poster.

Thanks,

Jerry

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