As the year winds down, you may want to combine estate planning with tax savings by taking advantage of the gift tax annual exclusion. It allows you to give cash or property up to a specified amount to an unlimited number of family members and friends each year without gift tax implications.
That specified amount is subject to annual inflation adjustments. For 2024, the amount per recipient is $18,000. Notably, in 2025, this amount will increase to $19,000 per recipient.
Why is this significant? The amount was stagnant at $15,000 for several years (2018 to 2021). Beginning in 2022, the amount has increased by $1,000 annually due to inflation. Each year, you need to use your annual exclusion by December 31.
The exclusion doesn’t carry over from year to year. For example, if you don’t make an annual exclusion gift to your granddaughter this year, you can’t add the $18,000 unused 2024 exclusion to next year’s $19,000 exclusion to make a $37,000 tax-free gift to her next year.