The 5% payout
Distribute at least 5% of investment assets every year — with carryforward math almost nobody gets right — or owe a 30% excise tax on the shortfall.
IRC §4942
For family foundations without staff
Your foundation has the same IRS rulebook as the Gates Foundation. Fieldstone watches it all year.
Payout math computed continuously. Deadlines that never surprise you. Self-dealing screened before the check is written. Board documents that survive an examination — so filing season becomes a formality.
The regime
Between April and April, nobody is watching. That’s the product.
Self-dealing
An innocent expense reimbursement or a grant that satisfies a family pledge can trigger a 10% tax that grows to 200% if left uncorrected.
IRC §4941
The excise estimates
Expect $500+ of tax on investment income and the IRS wants quarterly estimated payments — most families learn this from the penalty notice.
IRC §4940
Automatic revocation
Three consecutive missed filings and exempt status disappears automatically. No hearing, no warning letter you didn't already ignore.
IRC §6033(j)
The copilot
Compliance failures are calendar failures and arithmetic failures.
Calendars and arithmetic are what software is for.
Payout Autopilot01
The one number every foundation family actually wants — “distribute $X more by December 31” — computed continuously with carryforward and short-year logic, every line cited to the Form 990-PF instructions.
Deadline Engine02
A rules-driven calendar built from your foundation’s profile — filing dates, quarterly excise installments, state reports — each with a plain-English explanation and its citation, with reminders before it’s urgent.
Self-Dealing Screener03
A registry of your disqualified persons and a stoplight check on any proposed transaction — before the money moves, with the statute cited and a professional escalation path when the facts get interesting.
Form software helps you file. Service firms replace you. Fieldstone watches your foundation all year — so the excise taxes never happen.
Start with the free calculator
No account required. Education, not legal or tax advice.