Gift Annuities: How They Work

Increased gift annuity rates will benefit you.

Spaulding Rehabilitation is happy to offer higher charitable gift annuity payout rates, which have increased for 2024! In addition to advancing Spaulding’s vital mission in recovery care and research, a charitable gift annuity provides fixed payments to you for life. Gift annuities are easy to set up and the payments you receive are backed by the general resources of Spaulding for as long as you live. A charitable gift annuity could be right for you if:

• You are at least 65 years of age and want to make a generous gift ($10,000 or more) to Spaulding Rehabilitation.
• You are interested in fixed, dependable payments for life and would like income that is partially tax-free.
• You want to increase your cash flow and save income taxes or capital gains taxes.

How it works

A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and Spaulding Rehabilitation. In exchange for your irrevocable gift of cash, securities, or other assets, Spaulding will pay you a fixed amount each year for life. The amount of the payment depends on the amount donated and the age of the payment recipient. There are no costs to establish the arrangement and no costs at all to maintain it. Whatever is left of your gift when the annuity ends will go to support Spaulding.

Your payments

You decide who will get the payments from your gift annuity. Usually, this recipient will be you, or you and your spouse. Alternatively, you can select one or two other people to receive the payments from your gift annuity. For example, you may wish to provide income for parents, a sibling, or a close friend.

• Payments last for your lifetime. You cannot outlive your payments.
• Payments are predictable. Your payments are not subject to stock market volatility. You will get the same amount each year.
• Part of each payment typically will be tax-free for many years. This tax-free portion makes the payments more valuable than an equal amount of fully taxable income.
• The amount of this tax-free portion will be greater if you give cash than if you give stock or other appreciated property.

The older you are when you make your gift, the greater the payment rate you will receive. If you choose other people to receive the payments from your gift annuity, their ages at the time of your gift will determine their payment rate.

Postponing your gift annuity payments

You may also consider deferring your payments to when you need more income, such as retirement. You’ll receive a substantial charitable income tax deduction in the year that the gift is made, but because your payments are in the future you can receive a high payout rate later. The longer you wait, the higher the payout rate. This deferral is a great way to support Spaulding today and reap the benefits of waiting until you need the income.