26Title 26The US tax code, read & explained

26 U.S.C. § 2040

§ 2040. Joint interests

400 words · amended 5 times · cited by 1 other sections

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No plain-English explainer yet. Below is the official text. Explainers are being added section by section.

History

Part of the code since 1954. Last changed August 13, 1981 by the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981.

Every change, newest first (6)
  1. August 13, 1981Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981
  2. April 1, 1980Public Law 96-222
  3. November 6, 1978Revenue Act of 1978
  4. October 4, 1976Tax Reform Act of 1976
  5. October 16, 1962Public Law 87-834
  6. August 16, 1954Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (original text)

The law as written

Current through Public Law 119-102. Amendment notes omitted.

(a) General rule

The value of the gross estate shall include the value of all property to the extent of the interest therein held as joint tenants with right of survivorship by the decedent and any other person, or as tenants by the entirety by the decedent and spouse, or deposited, with any person carrying on the banking business, in their joint names and payable to either or the survivor, except such part thereof as may be shown to have originally belonged to such other person and never to have been received or acquired by the latter from the decedent for less than an adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth: Provided, That where such property or any part thereof, or part of the consideration with which such property was acquired, is shown to have been at any time acquired by such other person from the decedent for less than an adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth, there shall be excepted only such part of the value of such property as is proportionate to the consideration furnished by such other person: Provided further, That where any property has been acquired by gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance, as a tenancy by the entirety by the decedent and spouse, then to the extent of one-half of the value thereof, or, where so acquired by the decedent and any other person as joint tenants with right of survivorship and their interests are not otherwise specified or fixed by law, then to the extent of the value of a fractional part to be determined by dividing the value of the property by the number of joint tenants with right of survivorship.

(b) Certain joint interests of husband and wife
(1) Interests of spouse excluded from gross estate

Notwithstanding subsection (a), in the case of any qualified joint interest, the value included in the gross estate with respect to such interest by reason of this section is one-half of the value of such qualified joint interest.

(2) Qualified joint interest defined

For purposes of paragraph (1), the term “qualified joint interest” means any interest in property held by the decedent and the decedent’s spouse as—

(A)

tenants by the entirety, or

(B)

joint tenants with right of survivorship, but only if the decedent and the spouse of the decedent are the only joint tenants.