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Gift Tax Calculator

Enter a gift amount, the $19,000 annual exclusion, and your lifetime exemption used to see any taxable gift and whether gift tax is owed.

Details

Total gifts this year to one person ($)

Annual exclusion per recipient ($)

Lifetime exemption already used ($)

Results

Taxable gift this year -

Covered by annual exclusion -

Lifetime exemption remaining -

Gift tax due now -

Based on the 2026 exclusion and exemption; confirm before filing.

By Priya Raman, Contributing Writer, Policy & Regulation
Updated 2026-07-08

2026 gift tax numbers

Federal gift tax, 2026 (verified July 2026)
Figure	Amount
Annual exclusion per recipient	$19,000
Lifetime exemption (shared with estate tax)	$15,000,000
Top rate once exemption is used	40%
Source	IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (Oct. 9, 2025)

These three numbers drive every result above. Gifts at or below $19,000 to a single recipient need no reporting at all. Anything above that draws down the $15 million lifetime exemption, the same pool the estate tax calculator uses, and only the balance after that pool runs dry is taxed at 40%.

The annual exclusion resets every year

You are not limited to one recipient. Give $19,000 to a child, another $19,000 to their spouse, and a third $19,000 to a grandchild in the same calendar year, and none of it touches your lifetime exemption. The count resets on January 1, so multi-year gifting compounds the benefit for donors who plan ahead.

Gift splitting doubles the room for couples: a married couple can jointly treat a gift as coming half from each spouse, covering up to $38,000 to one recipient with no exemption used, provided both spouses consent on Form 709.

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Run the full estate tax calculator next, or see what a step-up in basis is worth compared with gifting an asset now.

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What happens once you cross it

Crossing the annual exclusion is not an alarming event. The excess simply reduces the same $15 million lifetime exemption the estate tax calculator uses. No check gets written to the IRS until a donor has given away more than $15 million cumulatively above all annual exclusions, which is a threshold vanishingly few people ever reach.

Filing Form 709 without owing tax

Form 709 is a tracking document as much as a tax return. Report any gift above the annual exclusion in the year it was made, even though the exemption almost always absorbs it with nothing due. Skipping the filing does not erase the gift; it just means the IRS has no record of how much exemption remains when the estate tax return is eventually filed. Front-loaded 529 contributions and gift-splitting elections are also reported here.

Good to know

Answers about gifting and Form 709

What happens if I give more than $19,000 to one person?

Only the amount over $19,000 counts as a taxable gift. It reduces your lifetime exemption; it does not create a tax bill by itself.

Can my spouse and I combine exclusions for a single gift?

Yes, through gift splitting. A married couple can treat one spouse's gift as if half came from each, doubling the exclusion available to a single recipient. This requires a joint election on Form 709.

Do contributions to a 529 plan get special treatment?

Yes. The tax code allows front-loading five years of annual exclusions into a single 529 contribution through a special election, rather than spreading it out year by year.

What if I forget to file Form 709?

Penalties can apply for late filing when tax is due, and the IRS loses an accurate record of your lifetime exemption usage. File it even in years when no gift tax is actually owed.

Is this tax advice?

No, it's an educational estimate only. A tax professional should confirm how these rules apply to your situation.