Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog
Each person has an annual gift tax exclusion of $12,000 annually free of gift tax if it is a gift of a present interest such as cash, tickets to Jacksonville Jaguars football game that are currently being given or a new car. If you are not giving the current right to enjoy the property and giving up complete control of it unless an exception applies such as a Crummey power for an irrevocable life insurance trust there will not be an exclusion and the value of the gift will use up part of the individuals applicable exclusion amount or if it has been used subject them to gift tax. A husband and wife can elect to split gifts for a year and are then able to give $24,000 to an individual in a year for gifts of a present interest with no tax. Other then spouses who are not US Citizens or residents spouses can give one another an unlimited amount of gifts of any type of interest during their lives and it will not be taxable at that time.
In addition, an individual is able to pay for the education and healthcare costs of their children and grand children. For these payments to qualify, the person must make the payments directly to the school or medical facility or health insurance company, if the funds go through the child, the will not qualify.