Understanding the pros and cons of irrevocable life insurance trust is essential for anyone considering this tool in their estate planning strategy.
An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) is often used to protect wealth, reduce estate taxes, and ensure that life insurance proceeds are distributed according to your wishes.
However, it comes with trade-offs that involve control, access, and ongoing compliance.
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In this post, we’ll break down what an ILIT is, how it works, and help you decide whether it’s the right move for your financial legacy.
What Is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)?
An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) is a legal entity created to own and manage a life insurance policy outside of your taxable estate.
Once the trust is established and funded, you can no longer change its terms or reclaim the policy.
The trust becomes the policy owner and beneficiary, while a trustee manages the asset according to your instructions.
When you pass away, the death benefit is paid to the ILIT and distributed to beneficiaries based on the trust’s terms, potentially avoiding estate taxes and probate delays.
How does irrevocable life insurance trust work?
Many assume that because the trust holds life insurance, they can still treat it like a personal asset.
In reality, you cannot borrow against it, change its terms, or use it as collateral.
Doing so could risk including the policy’s value in your taxable estate, defeating one of the primary reasons for setting up the ILIT in the first place.
An ILIT is not a flexible personal fund. It’s a structured estate planning tool intended to preserve wealth, not provide liquidity for the grantor.
What Is the Difference Between Revocable and Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts?
The main difference lies in control and flexibility.
A revocable life insurance trust allows the grantor to amend or revoke the trust at any time.
In contrast, an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) becomes permanent once established—you can’t change its terms or take the policy back.
With a revocable trust, the life insurance proceeds are typically still included in your estate for tax purposes.
An ILIT, on the other hand, removes the policy from your estate, offering potential estate tax advantages.
Typical use cases:
- A revocable trust suits individuals who want flexibility and don’t face estate tax exposure.
- An ILIT is often used in estate planning for high-net-worth individuals to reduce estate taxes, protect assets, and ensure smooth wealth transfer.
What are the Pros and Cons of Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust?
What are the Benefits of An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust?
An irrevocable life insurance trust offers several strategic advantages when it comes to estate planning, taxation, and long-term wealth protection.
Below are the key benefits in more detail:
1. Estate Tax Exclusion
When an ILIT owns the life insurance policy, the death benefit is excluded from your taxable estate, helping reduce estate taxes and preserve more wealth for your heirs.
It can also provide liquidity to cover estate expenses.
2. Gift Tax Efficiency
By using Crummey letters, contributions to the ILIT qualify for the annual gift tax exclusion, helping you fund the trust without triggering gift tax or eating into your lifetime exemption.
3. Government Benefit Protection
ILITs can be structured to preserve eligibility for government programs by shielding assets from being counted as personal resources.
4. Asset Protection
Proceeds inside the ILIT are generally protected from creditors, offering an extra layer of security for both the grantor and beneficiaries.
5. Controlled Distributions
You set the rules. The trustee can distribute funds based on age, milestones, or needs—ideal for minor children, second marriages, or spendthrift heirs.
6. Multi-Generational Legacy
An ILIT can help avoid the 40% generation-skipping tax, allowing wealth to flow tax-efficiently to grandchildren and future generations.
7. Probate Avoidance and Privacy
Assets in an ILIT skip probate entirely, providing faster access to funds and maintaining privacy for your family.
8. Favorable Tax Treatment
The cash value grows tax-deferred, and the death benefit is income-tax-free. Properly structured, the trustee can even access the cash value if needed without triggering taxes.
What Are the Disadvantages of an ILIT?
While an irrevocable life insurance trust offers powerful tax and estate planning benefits, it also comes with several downsides that must be considered before setting one up.
1. Loss of Control and Access
Once an ILIT is established and funded, it becomes irrevocable. Meaning, you cannot modify, access, or dissolve the trust at will.
You give up ownership of the policy and can’t borrow against the cash value, make changes to beneficiaries, or terminate the policy unless the trust explicitly allows it.
2. Complexity and Setup Requirements
Setting up an ILIT requires precise legal drafting and coordination between attorneys, financial advisors, and insurance professionals.
You must ensure that gift tax rules are followed (e.g., through Crummey notices), and the trust complies with federal and state estate tax laws.
3. Ongoing Costs
Expect to incur legal fees for setup, as well as annual administrative costs to maintain the trust, notify beneficiaries, and file any required tax returns.
A trustee may also charge a fee for managing the trust, especially if it’s a corporate or professional trustee.
4. Inflexibility
Because it is irrevocable, the ILIT offers limited adaptability. You can’t easily change the terms if your financial situation or estate plan evolves.
This rigidity may become problematic over time, especially with changing tax laws or family circumstances.
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust Cost
Setting up and maintaining an irrevocable life insurance trust involves both one-time setup costs and ongoing fees.
These expenses can vary depending on the complexity of the trust, the assets involved, and the professionals you hire.
Setup Costs
The initial cost of creating an ILIT typically includes:
- Legal fees: An estate planning attorney will draft the trust document, ensuring it complies with tax laws and meets your goals. Legal fees for setting up an ILIT starts at around $5,000, depending on the complexity.
- Insurance premiums: If you fund the ILIT with a life insurance policy, you’ll also need to pay for the policy itself. The premiums depend on the type and amount of coverage.
- Trustee fees: If you choose to appoint a corporate trustee, there may be initial fees for the trustee’s setup.
Ongoing Trustee and Compliance Fees
Once the ILIT is established, there are ongoing costs to maintain it:
- Trustee fees: Trustees charge for managing the trust, making distributions, and ensuring the terms of the ILIT are followed. Fees typically start at $3,000 per year.
- Administrative and compliance costs: These include filing tax returns for the trust (which may be required annually) and ensuring compliance with IRS regulations.
- Insurance premiums: As the trust owns the life insurance policy, the ILIT is responsible for paying the premiums. Depending on the policy, this could be an ongoing cost.
Can You Take Money Out of an ILIT?
One of the most common questions about an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) is whether you can access the funds once the trust is in place.
The short answer: not directly; and that’s by design.
Limitations on Access
Because an ILIT is irrevocable, you, as the grantor, cannot take money out or reclaim control of the assets once they’re transferred into the trust.
The life insurance policy, along with any contributions to the trust, no longer legally belongs to you.
Role of the Trustee
Only the trustee, not the grantor, has authority over the trust’s assets.
The trustee may have discretionary powers to make distributions to beneficiaries under certain terms defined in the trust document.
These distributions usually occur after the insured’s death from the death benefit proceeds, but in some cases, they may access the policy’s cash value via loans or withdrawals, if allowed by the trust and policy.
Can an ILIT be Terminated?
Terminating an irrevocable life insurance trust is generally difficult due to its permanent nature.
However, termination may be legally possible in certain situations, such as when all beneficiaries consent and the trust’s terms allow for termination.
How to Terminate an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust
To undo an ILIT, the grantor may need to go through legal processes, including:
- Trustee and beneficiary consent
- Court approval (in some cases)
Alternatives to Termination
- Decanting: This allows the trustee to transfer the trust’s assets into a new trust with modified terms, providing flexibility.
- Court Modification: In rare cases, a court can modify the terms of the trust if circumstances change and there is a valid reason.
Given the complexities involved, it’s important to consult with legal and estate planning professionals before considering termination or modifications.
Is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust a Good Idea?
Whether an irrevocable life insurance trust is a smart choice depends on your specific financial, tax, and estate planning situation.
When is an ILIT appropriate?
An ILIT can be a powerful estate planning tool for individuals or families with large estates, particularly those approaching or exceeding estate tax exemption thresholds.
By removing the life insurance proceeds from your taxable estate, an ILIT helps preserve more wealth for your heirs.
It’s also a suitable strategy for those who want:
- Control over how and when beneficiaries receive funds
- Asset protection from creditors or spendthrift beneficiaries
- To maintain eligibility for government benefits for a dependent with special needs
Factors to Consider
Before setting up an ILIT, evaluate:
- Estate size: If your estate is well below the exemption limit, the tax savings may not outweigh the complexity and cost.
- Tax exposure: ILITs are most beneficial in minimizing estate taxes and avoiding gift tax issues with proper planning.
- Long-term goals: ILITs are ideal if you value long-term legacy planning over access and flexibility.
An ILIT is a good idea if you have a sizable estate and clear legacy goals, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Always consult with an estate planning attorney or financial advisor to ensure it aligns with your broader financial strategy.
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Adam is an internationally recognised author on financial matters with over 830million answer views on Quora, a widely sold book on Amazon, and a contributor on Forbes.
