Charitable Gift Annuity - Saving Tax

A Charitable Gift Annuity is a contract where an individual (called a donor) gives an irrevocable gift of value (cash or other asset) to a qualified charity and in return receives a charitable tax deduction. For this gift, the charity agrees to make a payment of a fixed amount of money to the donor(s) for the remainder of their lifetime. These annuity payments are not considered "income" and a portion of each payment is considered to be a partial tax-free return of the donor's gift, which is spread over the donor's lifetime. The gift becomes a part of the charity's assets and the payments are a general obligation of the charity. The annuity is not just backed by the value of the contribution, but is backed by the charity's entire asset base. When the donation is in the form of securities, the value is determined by the fair market value on the date of the gift.
Charitable gift annuities are regulated by most states. They require a published gift annuity rate chart of the maximum annuity rate the charity offers each annuitant which must show the age to the nearest birthday (actuarial age) on the date of the gift. Charities are allowed to spend a portion of the gift immediately, but they must maintain sufficient reserves, which are determined by state regulations, and satisfy all other state regulatory requirements.
Charitable Gift Annuity Agreements There are several types of charitable gift annuities, and not all states permit the use of each type. Generally the charity must submit a sample of each different type of agreement it wishes to offer to the residents of that state before it issues that agreement. The types of gift annuities are:
Immediate Gift Annuities Periodic annuity payments can be made monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually, as defined in the agreement. With the first payment to start at the end of the period (month, quarter, etc.), immediately following the contribution.
Deferred Gift Annuities Deferred gift annuities provide for payments to begin at a date in the future, which is chosen by the donor, but must be more than one year after the date of the contribution.
Tuition Gift Annuities The annuity payments start upon the annuitant(s) attaining a specified age. Generally these types of gift annuities are created by a parent or grandparent for a young child, with the donor deferring the payments until the child is expected to enter university. The annuitant(s) then has the option of accepting the annuity payments for his or her lifetime, or elect to receive much larger payments for a term of four or five years, as defined in the annuity contract.
Flexible Gift Annuities This annuity has an annuity payment starting that is chosen by the annuitant(s). The donor chooses an initial "target date" for the payments to begin. The charity then offers a range of payouts with different fixed payment amounts and a variety of starting dates. Because the charitable deduction remains fixed, the annuity rate for each starting date changes. If the starting date is earlier, the payments would be lower and if the starting date is later, the payments would higher. The annuitant must decide on an annual basis whether or not they wanted the annuity payments to begin that year.
Agreement Versions There are three versions of each type of agreement. They are:
"single life" agreement - annuity payments for the annuitant's lifetime,
"two lives in succession" agreement - annuity payments for the lifetime of the annuitant and then pay a second person if he or she survives the annuitant, and "joint and survivor" agreement - annuity payments to a husband and wife simultaneously, each getting half of the payment, and upon the death of one of the annuitants, pay the survivor the full annuity.