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It is a total of $15,000 you can gift to an individual in 2019
tax free to the recipient. |
Per person, ie mil and fil can get ds and Sil up to 60k per year I believe. |
Tax free up to $11.4M |
Are there strings attached? Can you move it all into the kids’ college funds? |
| Yes |
Nope. You can give the annual amount each year to each person. That does not need to be reported. Honestly, what they are doing is the most basic of estate planning. |
Plus the annual amounts. That is the whole point of what they are doing. |
Amounts over the annual exclusion need to be reported and count against the $11.4M. |
Maybe they're worth more than $24 million? Maybe they (rightfully so) are concerned that the existing exemption amount expires and must be extended and they anticipate that if the D's control Congress that the estate tax situation will tighten up? It's actually not a bad idea to go ahead and lock in the tax-free transfer now. In the past, amounts transferred under the gift tax exemption were grandfathered even when the estate exemption was subsequently lowered. Also, even Biden is running on eliminating the stepped-up basis for inherited assets, so the benefits of holding on to property until death may go away, as well. Sounds like OP's parents are hedging their bets. |
| Our inlaws Do this too. They can't take it with them and don't like spend on themselves. I say thank you. Use it for my children like getting a nanny instead of daycare and fund their 529s. I'd rather they used the funds to do something nice for themselves or hire some help. So if need be we hire them help (to rake leaves, do gutters etc etc). |
Nope. It doesn't count against the $11.4 million if it is under the reportable gift tax amount per year. It only counts against the lifetime exemption amount if it is over the yearly gift limit and is reported as such. Also, as others have pointed out, the limits apply per person, and the lifetime exemption amount is portable between couples. So it is $11.4 million x four. |
I followed you until the x4. Who are the four? |
Frankly, you should at least appreciate the fact that they are able to do this, from a practical and emotional standpoint. My beloved grandfather was a religious investor in stable stocks/companies. He and my grandmother lived through the Great Depression and every purchase was maximized for value. He taught me how to evaluate a stock and encouraged investment even if it was $5 and increased over time. His/my grandmother's wealth increased exponentially in the late '90's and the relatively low estate tax cap at that time worried him. But despite endless conversations with his family and his lawyers about what could be done to mitigate the estate tax he simply couldn't make the decision because the amount of money they were looking at was inconceivable to them and he was cautious. He and my beloved grandmother (his wife of over 65 years) died within 6 weeks of each other. Fully 50% of their estate - which totaled less than $2 million went to the US Government. If you simply can't stand receiving this money and don't need it, start a foundation or something. I get where you are coming from, but just cut it out. |
Stop bragging. If you don't want the money then you do not keep their gift or give yo a charity in their name. The fact that you keep it belies your outrage! |
You do not have to accept, do you? The fact that you accept, with alacrity I bet, indicates your hypocrisy. |