72-34-441. Payments characterized as interest or dividend -- allocation to income -- allocation of other payments -- excess allocation to income in order to obtain estate tax marital deduction. - Montana Statutes

     72-34-441. Payments characterized as interest or dividend -- allocation to income -- allocation of other payments -- excess allocation to income in order to obtain estate tax marital deduction. (1) In this section, "payment" means a payment that a trustee may receive over a fixed number of years or during the life of one or more individuals because of services rendered or property transferred to the payer in exchange for future payments. The term includes a payment made in money or property from the payer's general assets or from a separate fund created by the payer, including a private or commercial annuity, an individual retirement account, and a pension, profit-sharing, stock-bonus, or stock-ownership plan.
     (2) To the extent that a payment is characterized as interest or a dividend or a payment made in lieu of interest or a dividend, a trustee shall allocate it to income. The trustee shall allocate to principal the balance of the payment and any other payment received in the same accounting period that is not characterized as interest, a dividend, or an equivalent payment.
     (3) If no part of a payment is characterized as interest, a dividend, or an equivalent payment and all or part of the payment is required to be made, a trustee shall allocate to income 10% of the part that is required to be made during the accounting period and the balance to principal. If no part of a payment is required to be made or the payment received is the entire amount to which the trustee is entitled, the trustee shall allocate the entire payment to principal. For purposes of this subsection, a payment is not "required to be made" to the extent that it is made because the trustee exercises a right of withdrawal.
     (4) If, to obtain an estate tax marital deduction for a trust, a trustee allocates more of a payment to income than provided by this section, the trustee shall allocate to income the additional amount necessary to obtain the marital deduction.
     (5) This section does not apply to payments to which 72-34-442 applies.

     History: En. Sec. 21, Ch. 506, L. 2003.