Definition of "Tax free exchange"

Transfer of real estate from one taxpayer to another that are exempt from federal income taxes. An example is an exchange of property in which ownership of transferred real estate is still kept. In the year of exchange, there is no recognized gain or loss. However, there is an adjustment to basis of the property received in the transfer, in effect deferring the gain upon future disposition.

1031 Tax Free Exchange

Also called a like-kind exchange. An exchange in which tax benefits are available to real estate owners planning to sell their investment, rental, business or vacation real estate, and reinvest the net proceeds in other real estate.

Real Estate held for these purposes are called like-kind/1031 properties. Property owners may sell like-kind properties and defer taxes on the sale's profits by meeting the requirements of Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 1031 exchange. The purpose of the 1031 exchange is to allow sellers of like-kind property to buy replacement property of like-kind within a specific time period and defer taxes. The deferred profit tax benefit applies despite a time lapse between the sale of the taxpayer's former property and his purchase of replacement property. This sell-now, buy-later situation is called a delayed exchange.

The 1031 exchange applies only to property other than the personal residence or dealer property. Specifically included for exchange are properties used or held for rental income, business purposes, investment, or as vacation homes. Taxwise, investment properties include vacant land held for profit, ground leases and management-free triple net lease. An owner of these qualifying like-kind properties can complete a 1031 exchange, but he must follow the to time constraints.

A 1031 exchange differs from the more informal 1034 tax deferred rollover, which applies to a personal residence and has more lenient deadlines. Unlike a 1034 rollover, a 1031 exchange has different deadlines and other criteria. The replacement property must be acquired before 45-day and 180-day deadlines have run. Note that often, brokers are unable to arrange a nearly simultaneous closing for both legs of an exchange.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Named after Sir Robert Torrens, a British administrator in Australia. The torrens system is a state-sponsored system of land title registration, not applicable in states, such as California. ...

Note having more than one maker, if one or more of the makers default on the note, all makers are sued jointly, rather than just one or all, to make restitution ...

(1) Bottom of something used as support. (2) Most essential element. (3) Type of interest rate used when computing compound interest equal to: (1 + I). (4) Justification of an argument or ...

The definition of a census-designated place or CDP is rather complex and difficult to understand. We are going to try to explain it as much as possible. Starting from the top and working ...

In everyday discourse, a merger defines the combination of two entities, be it real estate or two companies, into a single and legit one. We should make a difference between a merger and ...

The adjusted sales price is also known as price adjustment or adjustment in appraisals. A definition for the adjusted sales price is the appraisal determined through the market approach or ...

Is a stockholder-owned corporation known as Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac purchases investment-quality mortgage from lenders and packages from lenders and packages them as securities which are ...

Market analysis method where sales of similar properties in proximity neighborhoods are compared. The comparable sales methodology is extremely useful if the properties being compared are ...

Company formed for the purpose of owning securities of one or more real estate corporations and assuming control over their practices and management. The other corporations are generally ...

Popular Real Estate Questions