For a gift made in calendar year 2026:
- One parent may give each child up to $19,000 under the federal annual gift-tax exclusion.
- Two married parents can potentially give $38,000 per child, although gift-splitting may require gift-tax returns and spousal consent.
- The exclusion is per donor, per recipient, per calendar year. A parent with three children could give $19,000 to each—$57,000 total.
- The children’s ages do not matter.
- Gifts exceeding $19,000 are not automatically taxed. They generally trigger Form 709 reporting, with the excess reducing the parent’s lifetime gift-and-estate exemption.