Hi,
I have the same question. I think the confusion is over the instruction on Schedule A, Part 1, to report:
"Gifts made by spouse--complete only if you are splitting gifts with your spouse and spouse also made gifts."
Suppose you and your spouse made only one gift, (say) $50,000 and are splitting it. It seems that while you and your spouse are "splitting gifts" it is not the case that "your spouse also made" this gift. On this 709 you made the gift and she did not. On her 709, she made the gift and you did not.
With that interpretation, everything works out. Your spouse reports nothing here and the total for column (i) is just $25,000. This $25,000 is carried over to Line 1 of Schedule A, Part 4. She will do the same on her 709. In the end, as a couple, you get a total exclusion of $36,000 against the total $50,000 gift, which is right.
This is not what happens if you report $25,000 on Schedule A, Part 1 and you also report $25,000 for your spouse. Then on Line 1 of Schedule A, Part 4 you are stuck reporting $50,000 ("Total value of gifts of donor. Add totals from column (i) of Parts 1,2, and 3"). This creates a problem.
Do the experts in this forum see it this way, or differently? I have made great use of reading the forum over many years.
Thanks!
