Gift Planning

Giving News   Legislative Update

Plan Your Gift to Williams

Williams College offers a full range of charitable gift planning services to alumni and friends. We can help you explore a host of gift options that will allow you and your family to make a great difference to present and future Eph generations.

This site offers ideas and information to help you consider and complete a planned gift. To explore giving options click here or visit the navigation bar on the left. You can utilize our gift calculator, learn about The Ephraim Williams Society, find sample bequest language, or simply read fellow Ephs personal giving stories.

Contact Us:

We stand ready to answer your questions and continue the conversation by phone at (877) 374-7526 or (413) 597-3538, by email at gift.planning@williams.edu and by fax at (413) 597-4039.

If you would like to transfer appreciated securities or other assets directly to Williams, please visit the Trust and Estate Administration Office website for instructions or contact the Office by phone at (413) 597-4118 or via email at securities@williams.edu for assistance.

Giving News

Charitable Gift Annuity Rates Change

The American Council on Gift Annuities changed recommended rates on January 1, 2012. Williams follows the ACGA recommendations and all newly established gift annuities will be at the new rates; existing gift annuities will not change. The current low interest rate environment means that for new gifts a higher proportion of the annuity payments will be tax-free.

IRA Charitable Distribution Has Expired

The opportunity to make a gift via the IRA Charitable Distribution ended on December 31, 2011. We’re hopeful Congress will act at some point to extend this giving option and will post news on this site when we have any updates. If you would like to be in the best position to take advantage of a renewal of the IRA Charitable Distribution, read about a strategy for your 2012 giving.

If you made a 2011 gift via the IRA Charitable Distribution, you will need to report your gift on your federal tax return. For information on how to do that, click here.

To learn more about the tax advantages of this gift vehicle and to find instructions on making a gift to Williams from your IRA, read the IRA Charitable Distribution Guidelines.

Legislative Update

The temporary provisions of the Tax Relief Act of 2010 have less than a year to go before sunsetting on December 31, 2012. At that point—in the absence of new legislation—many rates and exemptions are scheduled to revert to pre-2001 levels. Below are some things to keep in mind as you plan for the end of 2011 and 2012.

  2012 Federal Rates 2012 Federal Exemptions and Brackets On Tap for 2013
Income Tax Rates are 10%, 15% 25%, 28%, 33%, and 35% Tax brackets for 2012 will be indexed for inflation, likely to rise slightly Rates will rise to 15%, 28%, 31%, 36%, and 39.6%
Capital Gains Generally, 15% for taxpayers in the 25 – 35% tax brackets No tax for those in the 10% & 15% tax brackets 10% for taxpayers in the 15% bracket and 20% for those in higher brackets
Qualified Dividends Generally, 15% for taxpayers in the 25 – 35% tax brackets No tax for those in the 10% & 15% tax brackets Taxed as ordinary income rates from 15% - 39.6%
Estate Tax 18% - 35% for all assets over the exemption amount $5.12 million exemption* in 2012. Any unused exemption can be transferred to surviving spouse $1 million exemption* and tax rates from 41 - 60%, no transfer of unused exemption to surviving spouse
Gift Tax 18% - 35% for all gifts over the exemption amount Total lifetime exemption* of $5.12 million in 2012. Annual exclusion of $13,000/ recipient Total lifetime exemption* of $1 million with tax rates from 41 - 55%. Annual exclusion of $14,000/ recipient
Generation Skipping Transfer Tax 35% for all gifts over the exemption amount Total lifetime exemption of $5.12 million in 2012 Tax rate of 55% with a projected exemption of $1.36 million

*The estate tax exemption is reduced by any lifetime gifts utilizing the gift tax exemption.