Dear Liz: My in-laws passed away earlier this year within months of each other. Their primary asset, part of their living trust, is their home, worth close to $1 million. There is a reverse mortgage of about $332,000 that will be paid off once the house sells. Will capital gains tax apply to the four beneficiaries? Or do we get to take advantage of the step up in cost basis? The house is in escrow right now. I don’t think the house has gone up in value since the last death.
Answer: The home will get the favorable step up in tax basis. That means the beneficiaries won’t have to pay capital gains tax on all the appreciation that happened during the parents’ lifetime.