Subchapter B - Transfers

26 USC 2511 - Transfers in general

(a) Scope 
Subject to the limitations contained in this chapter, the tax imposed by section 2501 shall apply whether the transfer is in trust or otherwise, whether the gift is direct or indirect, and whether the property is real or personal, tangible or intangible; but in the case of a nonresident not a citizen of the United States, shall apply to a transfer only if the property is situated within the United States.
(b) Intangible property 
For purposes of this chapter, in the case of a nonresident not a citizen of the United States who is excepted from the application of section 2501 (a)(2)
(1) shares of stock issued by a domestic corporation, and
(2) debt obligations of
(A) a United States person, or
(B) the United States, a State or any political subdivision thereof, or the District of Columbia,

which are owned and held by such nonresident shall be deemed to be property situated within the United States.

26 USC 2512 - Valuation of gifts

(a) If the gift is made in property, the value thereof at the date of the gift shall be considered the amount of the gift.
(b) Where property is transferred for less than an adequate and full consideration in money or moneys worth, then the amount by which the value of the property exceeded the value of the consideration shall be deemed a gift, and shall be included in computing the amount of gifts made during the calendar year.
(c) Cross reference 
For individuals right to be furnished on request a statement regarding any valuation made by the Secretary of a gift by that individual, see section 7517.

26 USC 2513 - Gift by husband or wife to third party

(a) Considered as made one-half by each 

(1) In general 
A gift made by one spouse to any person other than his spouse shall, for the purposes of this chapter, be considered as made one-half by him and one-half by his spouse, but only if at the time of the gift each spouse is a citizen or resident of the United States. This paragraph shall not apply with respect to a gift by a spouse of an interest in property if he creates in his spouse a general power of appointment, as defined in section 2514 (c), over such interest. For purposes of this section, an individual shall be considered as the spouse of another individual only if he is married to such individual at the time of the gift and does not remarry during the remainder of the calendar year.
(2) Consent of both spouses 
Paragraph (1) shall apply only if both spouses have signified (under the regulations provided for in subsection (b)) their consent to the application of paragraph (1) in the case of all such gifts made during the calendar year by either while married to the other.
(b) Manner and time of signifying consent 

(1) Manner 
A consent under this section shall be signified in such manner as is provided under regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(2) Time 
Such consent may be so signified at any time after the close of the calendar year in which the gift was made, subject to the following limitations
(A) The consent may not be signified after the 15th day of April following the close of such year, unless before such 15th day no return has been filed for such year by either spouse, in which case the consent may not be signified after a return for such year is filed by either spouse.
(B) The consent may not be signified after a notice of deficiency with respect to the tax for such year has been sent to either spouse in accordance with section 6212 (a).
(c) Revocation of consent 
Revocation of a consent previously signified shall be made in such manner as in provided under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, but the right to revoke a consent previously signified with respect to a calendar year
(1) shall not exist after the 15th day of April following the close of such year if the consent was signified on or before such 15th day; and
(2) shall not exist if the consent was not signified until after such 15th day.
(d) Joint and several liability for tax 
If the consent required by subsection (a)(2) is signified with respect to a gift made in any calendar year, the liability with respect to the entire tax imposed by this chapter of each spouse for such year shall be joint and several.

26 USC 2514 - Powers of appointment

(a) Powers created on or before October 21, 1942 
An exercise of a general power of appointment created on or before October 21, 1942, shall be deemed a transfer of property by the individual possessing such power; but the failure to exercise such a power or the complete release of such a power shall not be deemed an exercise thereof. If a general power of appointment created on or before October 21, 1942, has been partially released so that it is no longer a general power of appointment, the subsequent exercise of such power shall not be deemed to be the exercise of a general power of appointment if
(1) such partial release occurred before November 1, 1951, or
(2) the donee of such power was under a legal disability to release such power on October 21, 1942, and such partial release occurred not later than six months after the termination of such legal disability.
(b) Powers created after October 21, 1942 
The exercise or release of a general power of appointment created after October 21, 1942, shall be deemed a transfer of property by the individual possessing such power.
(c) Definition of general power of appointment 
For purposes of this section, the term general power of appointment means a power which is exercisable in favor of the individual possessing the power (hereafter in this subsection referred to as the possessor), his estate, his creditors, or the creditors of his estate; except that
(1) A power to consume, invade, or appropriate property for the benefit of the possessor which is limited by an ascertainable standard relating to the health, education, support, or maintenance of the possessor shall not be deemed a general power of appointment.
(2) A power of appointment created on or before October 21, 1942, which is exercisable by the possessor only in conjunction with another person shall not be deemed a general power of appointment.
(3) In the case of a power of appointment created after October 21, 1942, which is exercisable by the possessor only in conjunction with another person
(A) if the power is not exercisable by the possessor except in conjunction with the creator of the powersuch power shall not be deemed a general power of appointment;
(B) if the power is not exercisable by the possessor except in conjunction with a person having a substantial interest, in the property subject to the power, which is adverse to exercise of the power in favor of the possessorsuch power shall not be deemed a general power of appointment. For the purposes of this subparagraph a person who, after the death of the possessor, may be possessed of a power of appointment (with respect to the property subject to the possessors power) which he may exercise in his own favor shall be deemed as having an interest in the property and such interest shall be deemed adverse to such exercise of the possessors power;
(C) if (after the application of subparagraphs (A) and (B)) the power is a general power of appointment and is exercisable in favor of such other personsuch power shall be deemed a general power of appointment only in respect of a fractional part of the property subject to such power, such part to be determined by dividing the value of such property by the number of such persons (including the possessor) in favor of whom such power is exercisable.

For purposes of subparagraphs (B) and (C), a power shall be deemed to be exercisable in favor of a person if it is exercisable in favor of such person, his estate, his creditors, or the creditors of his estate.

(d) Creation of another power in certain cases 
If a power of appointment created after October 21, 1942, is exercised by creating another power of appointment which, under the applicable local law, can be validly exercised so as to postpone the vesting of any estate or interest in the property which was subject to the first power, or suspend the absolute ownership or power of alienation of such property, for a period ascertainable without regard to the date of the creation of the first power, such exercise of the first power shall, to the extent of the property subject to the second power, be deemed a transfer of property by the individual possessing such power.
(e) Lapse of power 
The lapse of a power of appointment created after October 21, 1942, during the life of the individual possessing the power shall be considered a release of such power. The rule of the preceding sentence shall apply with respect to the lapse of powers during any calendar year only to the extent that the property which could have been appointed by exercise of such lapsed powers exceeds in value the greater of the following amounts:
(1) $5,000, or
(2) 5 percent of the aggregate value of the assets out of which, or the proceeds of which, the exercise of the lapsed powers could be satisfied.
(f) Date of creation of power 
For purposes of this section a power of appointment created by a will executed on or before October 21, 1942, shall be considered a power created on or before such date if the person executing such will dies before July 1, 1949, without having republished such will, by codicil or otherwise, after October 21, 1942.

26 USC 2515 - Treatment of generation-skipping transfer tax

In the case of any taxable gift which is a direct skip (within the meaning of chapter 13), the amount of such gift shall be increased by the amount of any tax imposed on the transferor under chapter 13 with respect to such gift.

26 USC 2515A - Repealed. Pub. L. 9734, title IV, 403(c)(3)(B), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 302]

Section, added Pub. L. 95–600, title VII, § 702(k)(1)(A), Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2932, related to tenancies by the entirety in personal property.

26 USC 2516 - Certain property settlements

Where a husband and wife enter into a written agreement relative to their marital and property rights and divorce occurs within the 3-year period beginning on the date 1 year before such agreement is entered into (whether or not such agreement is approved by the divorce decree), any transfers of property or interests in property made pursuant to such agreement
(1) to either spouse in settlement of his or her marital or property rights, or
(2) to provide a reasonable allowance for the support of issue of the marriage during minority,

shall be deemed to be transfers made for a full and adequate consideration in money or moneys worth.

26 USC 2517 - Repealed. Pub. L. 99514, title XVIII, 1852(e)(2)(A), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2868]

Section, added and amended Pub. L. 85–866, title I, §§ 23(f), 68 (a), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1623, 1659; Pub. L. 87–792, § 7(j), Oct. 10, 1962, 76 Stat. 830; Mar. 8, 1966, Pub. L. 89–365, § 2(b), 80 Stat. 33; Dec. 30, 1969, Pub. L. 91–172, title I, § 101(j)(24), 83 Stat. 528; Pub. L. 94–455, title XX, § 2009(c) (4), (5), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1895, 1896; Pub. L. 97–34, title III, § 311(d)(2), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 280; Pub. L. 98–369, div. A, title IV, 491(d)(35), July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 851, related to the transfers of certain annuities under qualified plans.

26 USC 2518 - Disclaimers

(a) General rule 
For purposes of this subtitle, if a person makes a qualified disclaimer with respect to any interest in property, this subtitle shall apply with respect to such interest as if the interest had never been transferred to such person.
(b) Qualified disclaimer defined 
For purposes of subsection (a), the term qualified disclaimer means an irrevocable and unqualified refusal by a person to accept an interest in property but only if
(1) such refusal is in writing,
(2) such writing is received by the transferor of the interest, his legal representative, or the holder of the legal title to the property to which the interest relates not later than the date which is 9 months after the later of
(A) the day on which the transfer creating the interest in such person is made, or
(B) the day on which such person attains age 21,
(3) such person has not accepted the interest or any of its benefits, and
(4) as a result of such refusal, the interest passes without any direction on the part of the person making the disclaimer and passes either
(A) to the spouse of the decedent, or
(B) to a person other than the person making the disclaimer.
(c) Other rules 
For purposes of subsection (a)
(1) Disclaimer of undivided portion of interest 
A disclaimer with respect to an undivided portion of an interest which meets the requirements of the preceding sentence shall be treated as a qualified disclaimer of such portion of the interest.
(2) Powers 
A power with respect to property shall be treated as an interest in such property.
(3) Certain transfers treated as disclaimers 
A written transfer of the transferors entire interest in the property
(A) which meets requirements similar to the requirements of paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (b), and
(B) which is to a person or persons who would have received the property had the transferor made a qualified disclaimer (within the meaning of subsection (b)),

shall be treated as a qualified disclaimer.

26 USC 2519 - Dispositions of certain life estates

(a) General rule 
For purposes of this chapter and chapter 11, any disposition of all or part of a qualifying income interest for life in any property to which this section applies shall be treated as a transfer of all interests in such property other than the qualifying income interest.
(b) Property to which this subsection applies 
This section applies to any property if a deduction was allowed with respect to the transfer of such property to the donor
(1) under section 2056 by reason of subsection (b)(7) thereof, or
(2) under section 2523 by reason of subsection (f) thereof.
(c) Cross reference 
For right of recovery for gift tax in the case of property treated as transferred under this section, see section 2207A (b).