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A credit is an amount that eliminates or reduces tax. A unified credit applies to both the gift tax and the estate tax. You must subtract the unified credit from any gift tax that you owe. Any unified credit you use against your gift tax in one year reduces the amount of credit that you can use against your gift tax in a later year. The total amount used during life against your gift tax reduces the credit available to use against your estate tax. Under prior law, the same unified credit amount applied to both the gift tax and the estate tax. Under current law, however, the unified credit against taxable gifts will remain at $345,800 (exempting $1 million from tax) through 2009, while the unified credit against estate tax increases during the same period. The following table shows the unified credit and applicable exclusion amount for the calendar years in which a gift is made or a decedent dies after 2003.
For examples of how the credit works, see Applying the Unified Credit to Gift Tax and Applying the Unified Credit to Estate Tax, later. Gift TaxThe gift tax applies to the transfer by gift of any property. You make a gift if you give property (including money), or the use of or income from property, without expecting to receive something of at least equal value in return. If you sell something at less than its full value or if you make an interest-free or reduced interest loan, you may be making a gift. The general rule is that any gift is a taxable gift. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. Generally, the following gifts are not taxable gifts:
Annual exclusion. A separate annual exclusion applies
to each person to whom you make a gift. For 2004, the annual exclusion is
$11,000. Therefore, you generally can give up to $11,000 each to any number
of people in 2004 and none of the gifts will be taxable.
If you are married, both you and your spouse can separately give up to $11,000 to the same person in 2004 without making a taxable gift. If one of you gives more than $11,000 to a person in 2004, see Gift Splitting, later.
Inflation adjustment. After 2004, the
$11,000 annual exclusion may be increased due to a cost-of-living
adjustment. See the instructions for Form 709 for the amount of the annual
exclusion for the year you make the gift.
Example 1. In 2004, you give your niece a cash gift of $8,000. It is your only gift to her this year. The gift is not a taxable gift because it is not more than the $11,000 annual exclusion.
Example 2. You pay the $15,000 college
tuition of your friend. Because the payment qualifies for the educational
exclusion, the gift is not a taxable gift.
Example 3. In 2004, you give $25,000 to
your 25-year-old daughter. The first $11,000 of your gift is not subject to
the gift tax because of the annual exclusion. The remaining $14,000 is a
taxable gift. As explained later under Applying
the Unified Credit to Gift Tax, you may not have to pay the gift
tax on the remaining $14,000. However, you do have to file a gift tax
return.
Gift SplittingIf you or your spouse make a gift to a third party, the gift can be considered as made one-half by you and one-half by your spouse. This is known as gift splitting. Both of you must consent (agree) to split the gift. If you do, you each can take the annual exclusion for your part of the gift. In 2004, gift splitting allows married couples to give up to $22,000 to a person without making a taxable gift. If you split a gift you made, you must file a gift tax return to show that you and your spouse agree to use gift splitting. You must file a Form 709 even if half of the split gift is less than the annual exclusion.
Example. Harold and his wife, Helen,
agree to split the gifts that they made during 2004. Harold gives his
nephew, George, $21,000, and Helen gives her niece, Gina, $18,000.
Although each gift is more than the annual exclusion ($11,000), by gift
splitting they can make these gifts without making a taxable gift.
Harold's gift to George is treated as one-half ($10,500) from Harold and one-half ($10,500) from Helen. Helen's gift to Gina is also treated as one-half ($9,000) from Helen and one-half ($9,000) from Harold. In each case, because one-half of the split gift is not more than the annual exclusion, it is not a taxable gift. However, each of them must file a gift tax return. Applying the Unified Credit to Gift TaxAfter you determine which of your gifts are taxable, you figure the amount of gift tax on the total taxable gifts and apply your unified credit for the year.
Example. In 2004, you give your niece,
Mary, a cash gift of $8,000. It is your only gift to her this year. You
pay the $15,000 college tuition of your friend, David. You give your
25-year-old daughter, Lisa, $25,000. You also give your 27-year-old son,
Ken, $25,000. Before 2004, you had never given a taxable gift. You apply
the exceptions to the gift tax and the unified credit as follows:
You do not have to pay any gift tax for 2004. However, you do have to file Form 709. Filing a Gift Tax ReturnGenerally, you must file a gift tax return on Form 709 if any of the following apply.
You do not have to file a gift tax return to report gifts to (or for the use of) political organizations and gifts made by paying someone's tuition or medical expenses. You also do not need to report the following deductible gifts made to charities:
More information. If you need to file a gift tax
return, you should see Form 709 and its instructions.
Estate TaxEstate tax may apply to your taxable estate at your death. Your taxable estate is your gross estate less allowable deductions. Gross EstateYour gross estate includes the value of all property in which you had an interest at the time of death. Your gross estate also will include the following:
Taxable EstateThe allowable deductions used in determining your taxable estate include:
More information. For more information on what is
included in your gross estate and the allowable deductions, see Form 706
and its instructions.
Applying the Unified Credit to Estate TaxBasically, any unified credit not used to eliminate gift tax can be used to eliminate or reduce estate tax. However, to determine the unified credit used against the estate tax, you must complete Form 706. Filing an Estate Tax ReturnAn estate tax return, Form 706, must be filed if the gross estate, plus any adjusted taxable gifts and specific gift tax exemption, is more than the filing requirement for the year of death. Adjusted taxable gifts is the total of the taxable gifts you made after 1976 that are not included in your gross estate. The specific gift tax exemption applies only to gifts made after September 8, 1976, and before 1977.
Filing requirement. The following table lists the
filing requirement for the estate of a decedent dying after 2003.
More information. If you think you will have an
estate on which tax must be paid, or if your estate will have to file an
estate tax return even if no tax will be due, see Form 706 and its
instructions for more information. You (or your estate) may want to get a
qualified estate tax professional to help with estate tax questions.
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