“I’m thinking about adding my daughter to the deed. That way, she’ll own the house with me, and everything will be easier when I’m gone.”
It sounds reasonable. It may even sound like good planning. After all, if your child is already going to inherit your home, why not simply put their name on it now?
The problem is that adding an adult child to the deed isn’t just an estate planning decision. It is a change in ownership that can have consequences during your lifetime, at your death, and for your child.
At Duncan Legal, PC, we help families understand the potential consequences of property ownership decisions before changes are made.
When you add your child as a joint owner of your home, you aren’t simply giving them permission to help manage the property. Depending on how the deed is structured and state law, you may be giving your child a present ownership interest in the property.
That means your child may acquire rights that they didn’t have before. You may no longer have complete control over the property, and selling, refinancing, or otherwise dealing with the home could require your child’s involvement.
There is also an important distinction between giving someone authority to act for you and giving someone ownership. If what you really want is for your child to help you manage your affairs, a Power of Attorney may accomplish that goal without changing ownership of your home.
And when Medicaid is in the picture, this is where the decision can become particularly important for older adults. Medicaid planning is highly dependent on the circumstances and the laws of the state involved, but transferring an ownership interest in a home can potentially be treated as a transfer of assets.
That doesn’t mean adding a child to your deed automatically makes you ineligible for Medicaid. It does mean that the transaction should not be treated as a harmless paperwork change, particularly if long-term care may become an issue. Timing, the type of ownership interest transferred, the reason for the transfer, the value involved, and applicable exceptions can all matter.
There’s another issue parents don’t always consider: Once your child has an ownership interest, your child’s circumstances may matter. What happens if your child gets divorced? What if your child is sued? What if your child files bankruptcy?
An interest in real property can potentially become part of those financial and legal problems. The home that was intended to be protected for your family could suddenly be connected to liabilities you never anticipated.
If the reasons above aren’t enough, there are also potential tax consequences for your child. The concept of cost basis plays a factor here. Cost basis is the amount you paid for your home. When you sell the home, any increase in value may be subject to capital gains tax (putting aside some exceptions). However, if you put your child on a deed prior to your death, this could mean they inherit your cost basis. That means when your child later sells the home, they could be incurring a rather large capital gains tax bill.
Avoiding this is simple; you can leave the asset to your child after your death, and they will get a step-up in cost basis, meaning their cost basis will instead be the value of the home at your date of death. When they later sell the property, now there would be minimal capital gains, if any.
If your goal is to make things easier for your family, there are often other options worth considering. Depending on your circumstances, those might include a properly drafted Power of Attorney, a revocable trust, a transfer-on-death mechanism where available, or carefully structured inheritance planning.
Each option has different legal and tax consequences. There is no single solution that works for every family. The important point is to decide what you are trying to accomplish before changing the deed.
Putting your child’s name on the deed may take only a few minutes. Undoing the consequences can be much more complicated. Before changing ownership of your home, talk with an estate planning attorney about what the change actually means, not just what you hope it will accomplish.
Protect Your Home and Your Family’s Future
Before adding an adult child to your deed, make sure you understand how that decision could affect your property rights, taxes, and long-term estate planning goals. At Duncan Legal, PC, we help families explore estate planning strategies that reflect their circumstances and protect what matters most.
Make an informed decision before changing ownership of your home. Call Duncan Legal, PC at (303) 394-2358 or visit www.duncanlegal.com to schedule a consultation. Our office is located at 6436 S Racine Circle, Suite 227, Centennial, CO 80111.
