I was corrected when I said the same thing Frebrowser did. There is a formula Medicaid uses when dealing with penalties.
In my state, mobile homes are registered like cars. There is a title not a deed. So Mom would be signing the title over. Also, like a car, trailers depreciates every year. What its worth this year, its not next year. In my State you pay no property taxes on mobile homes but in some states you do.
I was just trying to illustrate the concept so please confirm the exact numbers for your situation. I apologize for any confusion.
The title situation may vary by how old the home is and how permanently it is sited. We bought a trailer on its own residential lot and received a deed for the lot and a title for the trailer (an older single wide). Eventually we replaced it with a new double wide manufactured home with an attached oversized garage, which is all taxed on the lot’s parcel number and will transfer with the deed. This was not in Arizona, however.
A mobile home sounds like it might fall closer to the trailer end of the spectrum but it’s hard to be sure.
A bit of clarification. Such a transfer in a 5 year Medicaid look back would not disqualify a person for 5 years. Instead, the value of the transfer is compared to the amount to the daily cost of the nursing home care and the person is penalized for that many days that Medicaid won't pay.
This is a good thing to point out. So if care is $300 a day and we’re looking at a $30,000 mobile home, we’d predict a 100 day penalty; a $300,000 home would be 1,000 days; but a $600,000 home would be the maximum 5 years.
From your profile: "I am caring for my mother Paulette, who is 97 years old, living in independent living with age-related decline, arthritis, diabetes, hearing loss, incontinence, and urinary tract infection."
"Looking after my 96 year old mother, she is so mean and grouchy to me. I don’t know how much more I can take, I’m depressed and fed up. I have to take her to the grocery store and it takes 1 to 2 hours because she can barely walk and won’t let me buy groceries for her. She is very stubborn, I take her to doctors appointments too."
Why does your mother want to put her mobile home in your and your sister's names?
How much caregiving do you (and your sister?) do for her? How many hours a day? How many hours a week? Is your mother really capable of living independently? What happens when she's not? Do you have POA? HCPOA? Is she still considered mentally capable?
(BTW, I empathize re the hours in the grocery store with her. My mother was the same way.)
This kind of transfer can have a variety of unintended consequences.
As PeggySue2020 points out, the one we worry about here is the Medicaid lookback.
Since it's a mobile home, it might be on leased land in a park. If so you should find out what happens when there is a new owner. Does the rent go up? Must the new owner be approved?
Are there any changes in property tax when ownership changes?
Is the home worth more now than when she bought it? If so, find out about the "step up in basis" and why you'd pay more in taxes if you sell it after receiving it as a gift rather than an inheritance.
If it is worth than $32,000, remember that a gift tax return will be needed, although almost certainly, no tax will be due.
What will you do about homeowner's insurance if you don't live in it?
Do you or your sister owe anyone money? Is anyone likely to sue you? There isn't a messy divorce pending is there? You don't want anyone trying to get "your" house sold so you can pay them.
I'd suggest looking into a transfer on death title or maybe finding out whether the "small estate" process might work for you.
As always, if you want legal or tax advice you can rely on, consult an appropriate professional.
That could keep her from getting Medicaid snf benefits until 103.
Rather than this, can one or both of you be poa? If she needs to go into care ever, you have a better selection of places that may take Medicaid after a private pay period.
In my state, mobile homes are registered like cars. There is a title not a deed. So Mom would be signing the title over. Also, like a car, trailers depreciates every year. What its worth this year, its not next year. In my State you pay no property taxes on mobile homes but in some states you do.
The title situation may vary by how old the home is and how permanently it is sited. We bought a trailer on its own residential lot and received a deed for the lot and a title for the trailer (an older single wide). Eventually we replaced it with a new double wide manufactured home with an attached oversized garage, which is all taxed on the lot’s parcel number and will transfer with the deed. This was not in Arizona, however.
A mobile home sounds like it might fall closer to the trailer end of the spectrum but it’s hard to be sure.
"Looking after my 96 year old mother, she is so mean and grouchy to me. I don’t know how much more I can take, I’m depressed and fed up. I have to take her to the grocery store and it takes 1 to 2 hours because she can barely walk and won’t let me buy groceries for her. She is very stubborn, I take her to doctors appointments too."
Why does your mother want to put her mobile home in your and your sister's names?
How much caregiving do you (and your sister?) do for her? How many hours a day? How many hours a week? Is your mother really capable of living independently? What happens when she's not? Do you have POA? HCPOA? Is she still considered mentally capable?
(BTW, I empathize re the hours in the grocery store with her. My mother was the same way.)
As PeggySue2020 points out, the one we worry about here is the Medicaid lookback.
Since it's a mobile home, it might be on leased land in a park. If so you should find out what happens when there is a new owner. Does the rent go up? Must the new owner be approved?
Are there any changes in property tax when ownership changes?
Is the home worth more now than when she bought it? If so, find out about the "step up in basis" and why you'd pay more in taxes if you sell it after receiving it as a gift rather than an inheritance.
If it is worth than $32,000, remember that a gift tax return will be needed, although almost certainly, no tax will be due.
What will you do about homeowner's insurance if you don't live in it?
Do you or your sister owe anyone money? Is anyone likely to sue you? There isn't a messy divorce pending is there? You don't want anyone trying to get "your" house sold so you can pay them.
I'd suggest looking into a transfer on death title or maybe finding out whether the "small estate" process might work for you.
As always, if you want legal or tax advice you can rely on, consult an appropriate professional.
Rather than this, can one or both of you be poa? If she needs to go into care ever, you have a better selection of places that may take Medicaid after a private pay period.