The federal estate and gift tax exemption (known as the “basic exclusion amount”) has increased to $12.06 million per taxpayer in 2022. The exemption in 2021 had been $11.7 million. The increase means that in 2022, an individual can make gifts during life or at death totaling $12,060,000 without incurring gift or estate tax; a married couple can transfer $24,120,000 of assets. The annual gift tax exclusion has also increased, to $16,000 per donee (or $32,000 if spouses elect gift-splitting).
The gift tax annual exclusion for gifts to non-citizen spouses has also increased in 2022, to $164,000.
Note that the estate and gift tax exemption is slated to be reduced to $5 million, indexed for inflation, as of January 1, 2026. With this known reduction in the exemption approaching, we recommend consulting with your estate planning attorney to discuss possible strategies to take advantage of the large exemption presently available.