637.201 Determination and distribution of net income.
After a decedent dies, in the case of an estate, or after an income interest in a trust ends, the following rules apply:
1. A fiduciary of an estate or a terminating income interest shall determine the amount of net income and net principal receipts received from property specifically given to a beneficiary under the rules in subchapters III through V that apply to trustees, and under the rules in subsection 5. The fiduciary shall distribute the net income and net principal receipts to the beneficiary who is to receive the specific property.
2. A fiduciary shall determine the remaining net income of a decedent’s estate or a terminating income interest under the rules in subchapters III through V that apply to trustees, and by doing the following:
a. Including in net income all income from property used to discharge liabilities.
b. Paying from income or principal, in the fiduciary’s discretion, fees of attorneys, accountants, and fiduciaries; court costs and other expenses of administration; and interest on death taxes, but the fiduciary may pay those expenses from income of property passing to a trust for which the fiduciary claims an estate tax marital or charitable deduction only to the extent that the payment of those expenses from income will not cause the loss of the deduction.
c. Paying from principal all other disbursements made or incurred in connection with the settlement of a decedent’s estate or the winding up of a terminating income interest, including debts, funeral expenses, disposition of remains, family allowances, and death taxes and related penalties that are apportioned to the estate or terminating income interest by the will, the terms of the trust, or applicable law.
3. A fiduciary shall distribute to a beneficiary who receives a pecuniary amount outright the amount, if any, provided by the will, the terms of the trust, or applicable law, from net income determined under subsection 2 or from principal to the extent the net income is insufficient. If a beneficiary is to receive a pecuniary amount outright from a trust after an income interest ends and no amount is provided for by the terms of the trust or applicable law, the fiduciary shall distribute the amount to which the beneficiary would be entitled under applicable law if the pecuniary amount were required to be paid under a will.
4. A fiduciary shall distribute the net income remaining after distributions required by subsection 3 in the manner described in section 637.202 to all other beneficiaries, including a beneficiary who receives a pecuniary amount in trust, even if the beneficiary holds an unqualified power to withdraw assets from the trust or other presently exercisable general power of appointment over the trust.
5. A fiduciary shall not reduce principal or income receipts from property described in subsection 1 because of a payment described in section 637.501 or 637.502 to the extent that the will, the terms of the trust, or applicable law requires the fiduciary to make the payment from assets other than the property or to the extent that the fiduciary recovers or expects to recover the payment from a third party. The property’s net income and principal receipts are determined by including all of the amounts the fiduciary receives or pays with respect to the property, whether those amounts accrued or became due before, on, or after the date of a decedent’s death or an income interest’s terminating event, and by making a reasonable provision for amounts that the fiduciary believes the estate or terminating income interest may become obligated to pay after the property is distributed.
99 Acts, ch 124, §4; 2021 Acts, ch 76, §150
Referred to in §637.202, 637.302, 637.501
Code editor directive applied
Structure Iowa Code
Title XV - JUDICIAL BRANCH AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURES
Chapter 637 - UNIFORM PRINCIPAL AND INCOME ACT
Section 637.101 - Short title.
Section 637.102 - Definitions.
Section 637.103 - Fiduciary duties — general principles.
Section 637.201 - Determination and distribution of net income.
Section 637.202 - Distribution to residuary and remainder beneficiaries.
Section 637.301 - When right to income begins and ends.
Section 637.303 - Apportionment when income interest ends.
Section 637.401 - Character of receipts.
Section 637.402 - Distribution from trust or estate.
Section 637.403 - Business and other activities conducted by trustee.
Section 637.410 - Principal receipts.
Section 637.411 - Rental property.
Section 637.412 - Obligation to pay money.
Section 637.413 - Insurance policies and similar contracts.
Section 637.420 - Insubstantial allocations not required.
Section 637.421 - Deferred compensation, annuities, and similar payments.
Section 637.422 - Liquidating asset.
Section 637.423 - Minerals, water, and other natural resources.
Section 637.425 - Property not productive of income.
Section 637.426 - Derivatives and options.
Section 637.427 - Asset-backed securities.
Section 637.501 - Disbursements from income.
Section 637.502 - Disbursements from principal.
Section 637.503 - Transfers from income to principal for depreciation.
Section 637.504 - Transfers from income to reimburse principal.
Section 637.505 - Income taxes.
Section 637.506 - Adjustments between principal and income because of taxes.
Section 637.601 - Definitions.
Section 637.602 - Trustee’s authority to convert.
Section 637.603 - Trustee requirements to convert or change computation method.
Section 637.604 - Interested trustee’s authority to convert.
Section 637.605 - Interested trustee requirements to convert or change computation method.
Section 637.606 - Petition to court to convert trust.
Section 637.607 - Valuation of trust.
Section 637.608 - Payout percentage.
Section 637.609 - Unitrust amount.
Section 637.610 - Procedure upon conversion of income trust to total return unitrust.
Section 637.611 - Total return unitrust administration.
Section 637.612 - Principal distributions subject to governing instrument.
Section 637.613 - Construction and applicability.
Section 637.614 - Good faith actions.
Section 637.615 - Effective date.
Section 637.701 - Application of chapter to existing trusts and estates — chapter prevails.