Gift Tax Exclusion 2027: $20,000 per Person, Form 709 Due April 15

The annual gift tax exclusion is $20,000 per recipient for 2027, up from $19,000 for 2026, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said on Nov. 5, 2026 in news release IR-2026-133. Revenue Procedure 2026-35 sets the rule: “the first $20,000 of gifts to any person (other than gifts of future interests in property) are not included in the total amount of taxable gifts.” Gifts made in 2026 are still measured against $19,000. Form 709, the gift tax return, for 2026 gifts is due Thursday, April 15, 2027. The tables below compare 2026 and 2027 by giver and list the filing dates, and a free printable gift log follows at the end.

How much can you give in 2027 without filing Form 709?

Up to $20,000 to any one person in calendar year 2027, and the same limit applies to each recipient separately. The 2025 Form 709 instructions, the current edition on irs.gov, say a return is needed for gifts over the annual exclusion to any one person other than a spouse, for gifts of future interests, and for couples who elect to split gifts. Our 2027 tax brackets and limits story lists the gift figure as one row among the other 2027 numbers; this page covers the gift rules.

Giver or rule	2026	2027	Source
One person, to one recipient	$19,000	$20,000	IR-2026-133
Married couple splitting gifts, per recipient	$38,000	$40,000 (our arithmetic)	IRS frequently asked questions on gift taxes; 2 x annual exclusion
Gift to a spouse who is not a U.S. citizen	$194,000	$201,000	IR-2026-133; Rev. Proc. 2026-35 section 3.46(2)
Lifetime basic exclusion amount	$15,000,000	$15,480,000	IR-2026-133; Rev. Proc. 2026-35 section 3.44

The 2026 basic exclusion of $15,000,000 was set by the Working Families Tax Cuts law, which amended section 2010(c)(3), the IRS says on its estate and gift tax page. Rev. Proc. 2026-35 adds that the basic exclusion amount “is also used in determining the generation-skipping transfer (GST) exemption amount.” It prints no separate GST figure, so the GST exemption follows the $15,480,000 basic exclusion for 2027.

Do married couples get $40,000 per person?

Per recipient, yes, when both spouses give. The IRS frequently asked questions on gift taxes list $38,000 per donee for spouses who give jointly in 2026 and says “Each spouse is entitled to the annual exclusion amount on the gift.” Two times the 2027 amount is $40,000; the IRS does not print that figure, so it is our arithmetic of its rule.

Gift splitting has a paperwork step. The 2025 Form 709 instructions require the spouse’s signed “Notice of Consent” attached to the return. The same instructions list gift splitting among the reasons to file, because the election is made on Form 709.

What gifts never count toward the limit?

The IRS frequently asked questions on gift taxes list these as not taxable gifts:

• Tuition or medical expenses you pay for someone (the educational and medical exclusions).
• Gifts to your spouse, which are “eligible for the marital deduction.”
• Gifts to political organizations.
• Charitable gifts.

A gift to a spouse who is not a U.S. citizen is different: the 2027 limit for those gifts is $201,000.

When is Form 709 due for 2026 gifts?

The IRS e-file due date table lists 2026 gifts, with a year ending December 31, 2026, as due April 15, 2027. The 2025 instructions say the return is due “not later than April 15, of the year after the gift was made.” The same table says “If the 15th falls on a federal holiday or weekend, the return due date is the next business day.”

Gifts made in	Form 709 due	Extended due date (Form 8892)
2026 ($19,000 limit)	Thursday, April 15, 2027	Friday, Oct. 15, 2027
2027 ($20,000 limit)	April 15, 2028 falls on a Saturday, so the next business day	October 15, 2028 or the next business day

The 2027 row applies the IRS rule to the calendar; the IRS has not published 2027 gift return dates. Form 8892 gives an automatic 6-month extension, filed by the regular due date of Form 709. An extension of time to file does not extend the time to pay any gift tax. A Form 4868 or Form 2350 extension of the income tax return also extends Form 709, per the 2025 instructions.

Does a 529 plan gift follow a different rule?

Yes, for 5-year spreading. The 2025 instructions let a giver who put more than $19,000 into a qualified tuition plan for one person in 2025 “elect to treat up to $95,000 of the contribution” as made over 5 years. That is the 2025 rule from the 2025 instructions. The 2027 amount is not yet published.

Print a 2027 gift log

The printable gift log has 14 blank rows for recipient, date, amount, running total against the $20,000 limit and a split-with-spouse column, plus the Form 709 and Form 8892 dates. Pair it with a 2027 yearly calendar, an April 2027 calendar for the filing date or an October 2027 calendar for the extension date. The year-end money deadlines for 2026 cover other dates before Dec. 31, and the 2027 monthly budget planner holds a month-by-month grid. Ask a tax professional how these rules apply to a specific gift.