Gift Tax Calculator
See how much of your gifts the annual exclusion covers, how much lifetime exemption you use, and whether you owe federal gift tax.
Gift Tax Calculator
Tax Year
2026: $19,000 annual exclusion, $15,000,000 lifetime exemption.
Are You Married?
Doubles the per-recipient exclusion to $38,000. Must apply to every gift made this year.
Recipients
Enter the total of all gifts to each person for the tax year. The annual exclusion applies separately to each recipient.
Prior Lifetime Exemption Used
Cumulative taxable gifts reported on past Form 709 returns. Leave at 0 if you have never filed one.
Estimate only, not tax or legal advice. Tuition and medical bills paid directly to the institution are unlimited and excluded, so do not include them above.
Form 709 Required?
Required when any single recipient's gifts exceed the exclusion, or when gift splitting is elected.
Plan Every Tax Move in One Place
Tax47 estimates your federal refund from your actual W-2, 1099, and Schedule C numbers, with the 2026 One Big Beautiful Bill changes applied for you.
How the gift tax works in 2026
Federal gift tax works on two tiers. The first is the annual exclusion: in 2026 you can give up to $19,000 to any one person without filing a return or touching any exemption. There is no cap on how many people you give to, so a parent could hand $19,000 each to several children in the same year and report nothing.
The second tier is the lifetime exemption. Gifts above the annual exclusion are called taxable gifts, but a taxable gift does not automatically mean you owe tax. The excess just draws down your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption, which is $15,000,000 per person for 2026. You only owe actual gift tax once your cumulative taxable gifts pass that exemption.
Here is the part people get wrong most often: the giver pays the tax, never the recipient. Someone who receives a gift owes nothing and reports nothing as income. And because the exemption is so large, most people never owe a dollar of gift tax, even when they give well above $19,000.
2026 annual exclusion and lifetime exemption amounts
For tax year 2026 the figures are: a $19,000 annual exclusion per recipient (unchanged from 2025) and a $15,000,000 lifetime basic exclusion amount per person, which works out to $30,000,000 for a married couple. These come from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) made the $15 million lifetime exemption permanent and indexed it for inflation, scrapping the scheduled sunset that would have cut it roughly in half. For comparison, the 2025 lifetime exemption was $13,990,000 per person, and the 2025 annual exclusion was also $19,000.
One edge case: gifts to a spouse who is not a U.S. citizen get their own special annual exclusion of $194,000 for 2026. Gifts to a citizen spouse are unlimited under the marital deduction, so this calculator does not cover them.
Gift splitting and giving to multiple people
Married couples can elect gift splitting, which treats a gift made by one spouse as if each gave half. Both spouses consent on Form 709, and in practice the annual exclusion doubles to $38,000 per recipient. A couple giving to four grandchildren could move $152,000 in a single year without touching either lifetime exemption.
The election is all-or-nothing. If you elect to split gifts, the election applies to every gift either spouse made during that year, not just the ones you choose. Gift splitting also requires filing Form 709 even when no tax is due.
Because the annual exclusion applies per recipient, this calculator works out the exclusion separately for each row rather than as one pooled limit. Put each donee on their own line to see which gifts stay under the exclusion and which become taxable gifts.
When you owe gift tax and how to file Form 709
Once your cumulative taxable gifts pass your lifetime exemption, the excess is taxed under the unified federal estate-and-gift rate schedule of IRC Section 2001(c). Rates start at 18% on the first $10,000 and climb to 40% on amounts over $1,000,000. Most gifts large enough to break through the exemption land in that top bracket, so a quick estimate is roughly 40% of the excess.
Form 709 (United States Gift Tax Return) is filed with your income tax return, usually by April 15 of the following year. You need to file it any time a gift to one person tops the annual exclusion, even with zero tax due, and any time a couple elects gift splitting. The filing keeps a record of how much lifetime exemption you have used, so the IRS can apply it correctly against your estate later.
Related tools
Sources: IRS Tax Inflation Adjustments 2026, IRS FAQ on Gift Taxes, IRS Instructions for Form 709. Lifetime exemption per IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21).
Estimates only. Not tax or legal advice. Consult a tax professional for your specific situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about gift tax calculator
How much money can I gift tax-free in 2026?
In 2026 you can give up to $19,000 per recipient without filing a gift tax return, and there is no limit on the number of recipients. Married couples who elect gift splitting can give up to $38,000 per recipient. Gifts above that draw down your lifetime exemption, which is $15,000,000 per person for 2026, so most people still owe no gift tax.
Do I have to pay tax on a gift I receive?
No. The recipient of a gift never owes federal gift tax and does not report the gift as income. Any gift tax is the responsibility of the giver. If you receive an appreciated asset, you generally take the giver's cost basis, which can matter later when you sell it.
What is the gift tax exclusion for 2026?
The annual gift tax exclusion for 2026 is $19,000 per recipient, unchanged from 2025 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32). You can give that amount to as many people as you like in the same year without using any lifetime exemption or filing Form 709.
What is the lifetime gift and estate tax exemption in 2026?
The lifetime basic exclusion amount is $15,000,000 per person for 2026 ($30,000,000 per married couple). The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) made this $15 million figure permanent and indexed it for inflation. The 2025 amount was $13,990,000 per person.
How does gift splitting work for married couples?
Gift splitting lets a married couple treat a gift made by one spouse as if each gave half. Both spouses must consent on Form 709, which doubles the effective annual exclusion to $38,000 per recipient. The election is all-or-nothing: it must apply to every gift either spouse made that year.
Do I need to file Form 709 if I don't owe any gift tax?
Often yes. You have to file Form 709 any time a gift to one person goes over the annual exclusion, even when no tax is due because the lifetime exemption soaks up the excess. A return is also required if a married couple elects gift splitting, no matter how small the gifts.
What is the gift tax rate, and who pays it?
Federal gift tax uses the unified estate-and-gift rate schedule, which runs from 18% on the first $10,000 of taxable gifts up to 40% on amounts over $1,000,000 (IRC Section 2001(c)). Tax is paid by the giver, not the recipient, and only after cumulative taxable gifts exceed the lifetime exemption.
Do gifts for tuition or medical expenses count toward the gift tax limit?
No, when paid correctly. Tuition paid directly to a school and medical bills paid directly to a provider are unlimited and excluded from gift tax entirely (IRC Section 2503(e)). The payment must go straight to the institution, not as a reimbursement to the person, to qualify.