How Much Money Can I Give Without Worrying About Taxes?
How Much Money Can I Give Without Worrying About Taxes?
Eric Reed SmartAsset Sun, December 1, 2024
How Much Money Can I Give My Daughter and Her Husband Without Worrying About Taxes?
Perhaps your daughter recently got married and you want to help her and her husband start their new life. Or maybe they suddenly find themselves in need of financial assistance and turn to you for help.
Fortunately, the IRS allows you to give away a certain amount of assets – from real estate and stocks to cold hard cash – free of taxes every year. In 2024, you can give away up to $18,000 per individual and not have to pay taxes on the transfer. In fact, you’ll only trigger taxes in 2024 if you’ve given away more than $13.61 million throughout your life beyond that annual exclusion. In 2025, those limits are set to change.
Understanding the ins and outs of strategic gifting can be important, especially for the wealthy. Speak with a financial advisor today.
What Is The Gift Tax?
A gift is any unilateral transfer of money or property. This means that you give someone assets without receiving either fair value or any value in return. The term “fair value” applies to when you give someone an asset in exchange for payment significantly below its market price. It applies to any kind of transaction so, for example, giving someone real estate, a low-interest loan or access to an income stream would all apply. The classic gift is to simply give someone cash while receiving nothing in return.
There are several exceptions to what the IRS considers a taxable gift. For example, money given to a claimed dependent does not constitute a gift, nor does paying someone’s tuition. However, outside defined exceptions, any unilateral or below-market transfer is considered a gift.
When you make someone a large enough gift, it becomes taxable. The IRS taxes applicable gifts at between 18% and 40% depending on the size of the transfer. You, as the gift giver, pay this tax. Due to the gift tax’s exemptions, it also generally applies only to the very wealthy. But if you need additional help navigating and planning for the gift tax, consider working with a financial advisor.
Gift Tax Exemption
Broadly speaking, the purpose of the gift tax is to prevent people from avoiding estate taxes by simply giving away all their money before they die. As a result, the gift tax only applies to transfers that exceed two fairly high caps.
The first cap is called the annual exclusion. This is the amount of money that you can give away every year without triggering the tax. The annual exclusion is set on a per-recipient basis, meaning that it applies separately to each person to whom you give a gift, and there is no limit to the number of people you can give gifts to under this exemption. In 2024, the annual exclusion limit was $18,000 for individuals and $36,000 for married couples. In 2025, it increases to $19,000 and $38,000, respectively.
The second cap is called the lifetime exemption. This is the amount of money that you can give away throughout your lifetime – and after your death – without triggering either gift or estate taxes. The lifetime exemption is set on a per-donor basis, meaning that all of your gifts/estate collectively apply.
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