Making a donation
Would you like to give your child, grandchild or partner a little financial boost by leaving them a sum of money that you do not particularly need yourself? In that case, you can make a manual donation. It is a kind gesture, but there is a downside: if you die within five years of making your manual donation, your loved ones will have to pay inheritance tax on it.
There are three options available to you in the case of a manual donation
It is possible (and even recommended) to take out death insurance to avoid this kind of unpleasant surprise.
- Do nothing and hope for the best
You make a donation and do not take out any cover. Everything may go well, but things could also go wrong. If you die within five years of making your donation, your loved ones will have to pay inheritance tax, the amount of which will depend on your relationship to the beneficiary and the region where you live. For partners, children and grandchildren, inheritance tax is 3% on small amounts but can rise to 30% on larger amounts. In the case of distant relatives, it can sometimes be as high as 80%. - Have the manual donation registered with a solicitor
You can also have the manual donation registered directly with a solicitor. If you die within five years, the beneficiaries of your donation will not have to pay any inheritance tax. However, they will have to pay gift tax immediately after registration. This amounts to 3% (3.3% in the Walloon Region) for partners, (grand)children and grandparents, and 7% (5.5% in the Walloon Region) for other relatives. - Take out death cover Donation
Under Donation insurance, your loved ones take out a temporary policy for the estimated amount of inheritance tax associated with your donation. You are the insured party. If you die within five years of making the gift, your loved ones, as beneficiaries, will receive the insured amount to pay the inheritance tax. The higher the amount of the gift, the higher the death benefit.
Feel free to browse Donations – Notaire.be to find out more!