On November 26, 2019, the IRS clarified that individuals taking advantage of the increased gift tax exclusion amount in effect from 2018 to 2025 will not be adversely impacted after 2025 when the exclusion amount is scheduled to drop to pre-2018 levels. The IRS formally made this clarification in final regulations released that day. The regulations implement changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), tax reform legislation enacted in December 2017.
The regulations provide a special rule that effectively allows the estate to compute its estate tax credit using the greater of the BEA applicable to gifts made during life, or the BEA applicable on the date of death. As a result, people planning to make large gifts between 2018 and 2025 can do so without being concerned that they will lose the tax benefit of the higher exclusion level once it decreases.
Q. How does the special rule work?
A. Here’s an example. Before 2018, A had never made a taxable gift. In 2018 when the BEA is $11.18 million, A makes a taxable gift of $9 million. A uses $9 million of the available BEA to reduce the gift tax to zero. A dies in 2026. Even if the BEA is lower that year, A’s estate can still base its estate tax calculation on the higher $9 million of BEA that was used in 2018.
For more information about this and other TCJA provisions, visit IRS.gov/taxreform.
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