2009 Annual Gift Tax Exclusion Rises

17 years ago

There may be a few folks left standing who could use this information, LOL....some helpful hints about using the Gift Tax Exclusion to assist in estate planning.

From WSJournal column by Tom Herman:

""Q: I read your recent article in which you said that the annual gift-tax exclusion will go up in 2009 to $13,000. Could you tell me what tax form to use to file for this annual gift-tax exclusion?

S.W., Pittsburgh

A: Good news: You don't have to fill out any Internal Revenue Service forms as long you follow the rules.

As I reported, IRS officials recently confirmed that the annual gift-tax exclusion will increase next year to $13,000 from the $12,000 of this year, 2007 and 2006. The increase reflects inflation adjustments required by law.

The gift-tax exclusion means you are allowed to give away as much as $13,000 next year to anyone -- and to each of as many people as you want -- without having to fill out any IRS forms or to worry about income-tax issues.

The lucky recipient of your generosity doesn't have to be a child or even a relative. It can be anyone at all. Many wealthy people take advantage of the gift-tax exclusion each year as an estate-planning tool.

Just remember you can't deduct gifts unless you make them to qualified charitable institutions and unless you itemize your deductions. (Nearly two-thirds of all taxpayers take the standard deduction each year, instead of itemizing.) You may think of a gift to your child as a noble act of generosity, but that doesn't make it tax-deductible.

I also mentioned recently there are certain ways to give away even more than the annual exclusion without having to report it to the IRS: You can pay for someone else's medical or tuition expenses without having those payments count toward the annual limit.

"For example, a grandmother who wishes to help pay for a granddaughter's education can write tuition checks directly to the school without making a taxable gift," says a new Deloitte Tax LLP publication. "Tuition is not limited to college tuition; any level of school tuition qualifies for this exclusion. Medical does not just mean doctors and hospitals; any medical expense, including insurance, can be paid under this exclusion."

Some people, encouraged by an IRS ruling several years ago, even have prepaid tuition expenses for students years in advance.""

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Comments (10)

ladytexan
17 years ago
Thank you so much for posting this.

Believe me, it isn't due to any extra wealth we have, but we are in a situation that we need to transfer some property or money to our children and this might be the way to do it.
annkathryn
17 years ago
ladytexan if your children are high school age or younger and you hope to have a chance for financial aid when they go off to college, you need to be careful what kind of accounts you set up for them. Children's assets in a 529 account will not be assessed nearly as high for financial aid as assets in a UTMA. Also, you can add up to $60,000 in a 529 at one time for each child (it's not limited by the gift tax exclusion amount).
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This has nothing to do with the tax situation, but if you're not that financially saavy, and not doing this for estate planning (which you obviously are not, because you would be being advised by a professional who would be answering all your questions)--are you sure giving a child a windfall like that is a good idea? Look, you don't have to answer me, but I do hope you think a lot about this before you do something that could be bad for both of you. Why are you planning to give a child so much money? Are you being pressured by them? Blackmailed? are they in financial trouble? why? Is this money to be a one-time gift? or are you likely to be hit up for more next month, next year? Will they be responsible with it (saving, economizing, etc?) Unfortunately, it sounds very fishy to me that you would be giving a child such a huge amount, but not have the resources to find the answers to your questions (if you're really well enough off to afford that kind of gift, wouldn't you have an accountant and possibly a lawyer you could ask?) Please don't just hand that kind of money over to a child. If they've gotten themselves into a financial bind, you will be enabling them to continue to be irresponsible if you hand over a whopping pile of cash. If they're in trouble, and you want to help, pay a portion of some of their bills, making sure they know they are expected to pay their share (perhaps match whatever they can come up with?) I'm not posting this lightly. My in-laws, over the years, gave my SIL many tens of thousands of $$$ to bail her out financially. All it did was make her more irresponsible, because she figured that any time she got into difficulties, the Bank of Dad would be there for her. In the end, she felt so entitled, that she finagled a way to get POA over MIL after FIL died, and SIL misappropriated over a quarter of a million $$$ of the money FIL had worked hard for, and had left for MIL's end care (she has Alzheimers). We're 6 years and over $20,000 into that fight--and all we've been able to do is stop the hemmorage of money, there's no way to get back the money the outlaw stole from her own mother. It's gone. I knowthis is an extreme outcome, but it is the sort of thing that can happen when children are handed too much money, and aren't expected to work for what they need, want, wish for. Please think this through--get all the answers to your tax questions. and do think about how a windfall like that will affect your child--considering both the potential good and bad. And be brutally honest with yourself. I'll be honest, I don't care how much money I had, I cannot imagine any situation where I would hand over that kind of money to a child. It's not a good precedent, and it's not healthy for them mentally or emotionally.
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jakkom
Original Author
17 years ago
>>Also, you can add up to $60,000 in a 529 at one time for each child (it's not limited by the gift tax exclusion amount).>>

Ummm....I'm not certain if this is correct. When I worked at a CFP's office, one of our very wealthy clients used 529's for each of his 5 grandkids to reduce his estate with a view towards estate taxes. The max he could put in was the $12K/yr limit with a 5-yr max carryforward for a total of $60K; e.g., no gifting from the estate for the next 5-yr period.

With the 2009 exclusion rising to $13K/hr, that would be a total $65K per each 529 plan, with no further estate gifting for the next 5 yrs.

You might want to consult with your tax advisor to confirm what applies best in your situation.
annkathryn
17 years ago
jkom you're correct, the $60,000 limits the opportunities for gifting in the following 4 years. The $60K max per 529 I referred to uses the 5-year election. You can elect to treat your $60,000 in 529 plan contributions as if they were made ratably over five years instead of all in one year. A husband and wife can gift a total of $120,000 per child in this manner in 2008, with the total rising to $130,000 if gifted in 2009. But as jkom notes, this must be included in planning for gifts in the future.

The interesting thing about 529s is that they can be set up for the benefit of anyone in the giver's family (son, daughter, grandchild, niece, spouse) and the designated beneficiary can be changed at any time.

Here is a link that might be useful: IRS Education rules
partst
17 years ago
Thanks jkom51 for posting this it has been on my list of things to find out about for the last month. I will run it by our CPA. He set up a gifting plan several years ago to keep the estate tax under control. He usually gives us the amount to gift when we have our annual tax meeting but we may want to do something before that happens.

With the new administration who know how it will play out after 2010. I have read so many conflicting accounts as to what Obama will do. One said he will just let it go back to the 1 million exclusion and others have said he would set the exclusion at 5 million still others said 8 million. Does anyone out here have any information other than hearsay? Poor guy coming into the presidency with such a financial mess he probably hasnÂt figured it all out yet.
ladytexan
17 years ago
Mine are grown, and this may not apply. We are going to call the accountant and see what he says.
jakkom
Original Author
17 years ago
>>what Obama will do.I think you mean, what the Democratic Congress will do. I sincerely doubt Congress will jump whenever Obama tells them to. And that isn't the way he tends to operate anyway. He's a consensus builder, which is pretty evident from the people he's picking for his political team.

It would be politically unpopular to allow the estate tax in 2011 to lapse back to its old $800K limit. Inflation alone would demand a resetting upwards. The best guess by most analysts is that it will be compromised to a level between the $3M to $5M figure.
partst
17 years ago
Unless everything our CPA has told us for the past 8 years is incorrect if congress does nothing the estate tax goes back to a 1 million exemption in 2011.

The reason I said Obama is no matter what congress dose he will have to sign it. He said today he will more than likely just let the Bush tax cuts run out in 2010. Several reports have said he will set the exemption after it runs out at 3.5 million with the current tax rate at 45% for amounts over that. That would give a couple a 7million exemption if set up properly within their estate plan.
jakkom
Original Author
17 years ago
BTW, people should be aware if they plan to pass money to their grandchildren, skipping their children's generation, there is a heavy tax penalty for doing so UNLESS a trust is properly set up. Consult a qualified estate attorney for details when planning this type of arrangement - or indeed, any type of trust designed to reduce estate taxes when you believe you are anywhere close to the Federal estate tax limits, no matter how they change in the future.
mannsjonny
17 years ago
thanks a lot for your post!

2009 Annual Gift Tax Exclusion Rises

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2009 Annual Gift Tax Exclusion Rises

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ladytexan

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