Annual Gift Tax Exclusion To Increase in 2013

Beginning January 1, 2013, the annual gift tax exclusion will be adjusted for inflation, rising to $14,000, from its current level of $13,000.  The annual gift tax exclusion is the amount you can give tax-free to any one individual in any one year, without impacting your lifetime exemption and without having to file a federal gift tax return.

You may give up to $14,000 to as many individuals as you wish in any one year. Married couples can double that amount - for example, a married couple could give $28,000 to each of their three children in 2014, for a total of of $84,000. Most people choose to make cash gifts, or assets that are likely to appreciate in the future.  Many of my clients gift into a grandchild's 529 college savings plan.

Many people mistakenly believe that such gifts are taxable to the recipient. That is not the case, because gifts do not qualify as income under Internal Revenue Code.

Bear in mind that you are not limited to the $14,000 cap if you pay for an individual's educational or health care expenses. However, you must pay the educational institution or medical provider directly.

The annual gift tax exclusion is different from the lifetime estate tax exemption. The lifetime estate tax exemption is currently $5.12 million but is scheduled to decrease to $1 million next year if Congress does not act.

More information:

Estate and gift taxes.

Update on the status of federal estate and gift tax legislation.

Estate planning strategies that may help you reduce estate taxes.