Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

Retirement Assets

Your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other Qualified Retirement Plan can provide a tax-smart way to make an impact on Brandeis University either now or after the end of your lifetime. The Qualified Charitable Distribution or QCD (sometimes called an “IRA Charitable Rollover”) is a great way to make a tax-free gift now to Brandeis University and satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) too.

A gift of retirement plan assets could be right for you if:

You have an IRA or other Qualified Retirement Plan such as a 401(k) or 403(b).
You do not expect to need all of your retirement plan assets during your lifetime.
You have other assets, such as securities and real estate, that you want to pass to heirs.
You want to provide income or payments to loved ones after you are gone.
You would like to make a charitable bequest to Brandeis.

Option 1: Make a tax-free gift now with a Qualified Charitable Distribution (an “IRA Charitable Rollover”).

You can make a tax-free gift with a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA. (Other Qualified Retirement Plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s are not eligible). You must be at least 70½ years old to take advantage of this opportunity. Your QCD must go directly from your IRA administrator to Brandeis. The total of all your QCD gifts for 2024 cannot exceed $105,000 per person however, your spouse with a separate IRA can make a QCD of up to $105,000 in 2024 if they otherwise qualify.

The benefits of a QCD gift include:

If you don’t itemize your income tax deductions, a QCD provides the tax benefits of an itemized income tax charitable deduction.
If you are age 73 and must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), your QCD gift can satisfy your RMD without increasing your income taxes.
Your gift provides immediate support for the important work of Brandeis with a tax-free gift.

Option 2: Designate your remaining Qualified Retirement Plan assets as a contribution to Brandeis University.

Another attractive option is to designate Brandeis as the recipient of some or all of what’s left in your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other Qualified Retirement Plan at the end of your lifetime.

In addition to having the satisfaction of making a significant future gift to Brandeis, your benefits include:

Your estate is entitled to an unlimited estate tax charitable deduction for the value of your Qualified Retirement Plan donated to Brandeis.
Since Brandeis is tax-exempt, there will be no income taxes paid on the distribution to Brandeis.
A tax-smart estate planning strategy is to contribute taxable Qualified Retirement Plan assets to Brandeis and preserve non-retirement plan assets for your heirs.

Note: Directing your Qualified Retirement Plan to charitable and noncharitable beneficiaries can accelerate the income tax. Always consult with your advisors before naming the beneficiaries of your Qualified Retirement Plan.

Option 3: Designate your remaining Qualified Retirement Plan assets for a life income plan.

Alternatively, you can designate that at the end of your lifetime some or all of the assets remaining in your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other Qualified Retirement Plan be used to fund a charitable remainder trust or charitable gift annuity that will make payments to family members or other loved ones for the rest of their lives. When the life income gift arrangement ends, what is left will go to Brandeis.