The bulk of the money will pay back Student Loans and the rest I want to put in Money Market, CDs and a savings account.
I know there is a thing called "gifting" but how can the benefactor go about doing that? Thanks!
Guitar picker
Favorite Answer
Besides cold hard cash, which would make me nervous, and which would be unwise, maybe they could construct the gift as a personal loan. Borrowed money is not taxale income. Maybe you have no intention of ever paying it back, but as long as it is "borrowed" it is not taxable.
Eventually, however, this loan would be paid back or defaulted. I believe when it is officially defaulted it would then be taxable.
Be sure to consult a tax attorney before you do anything because this could have a serious impact, maybe not now, but years down the road. Remember, death and taxes are two certainties.
StephenWeinstein
First, if this is an offer you received from a stranger on the Internet, it is a scam. Clues would be either an address in Africa or a request for a bank account number.
If this is an offer from a family member or someone whom you have known for years, then it may be legitimate.
As noted in earlier answers, the person can give you a limited amount of money tax-free each year, so it would be best to spread the gift over many years.
If the person does decide to give you all the money at once, then any amount exceeding the maximum tax-free gift per year will be counted against a lifetime total limit that applies to what they give while alive AND when they die, meaning that it will result in a larger portion of their assets being subject to estate taxes upon their death.
CarVolunteer
If it is a gift (you do nothing for the other person in return), it is not taxable to you. As someone said, if the amount is over $12,000, the giver must file a gift tax return, and any amount over the $12,000 will come out of their life time exclusion. If the exclusion is used up, then the giver would owe tax. As said above, the $12,000 is an annual amount, so the gift can be spread over multiple years. Also, if "someone" is married, each member of the couple can give $12,000.
inquire
The IRS allows anyone to give gifts up to $12,000 a year without being taxed. You could either break this up over 6 years or have the person that is giving you the gift pay off the loans (you can call your loan agency and they will be happy to assist you). A combination of these two strategies could be used.
Good luck
Bostonian In MO
Assuming that this is a bona fide gift with NO strings attached to it, YOU will not pay any tax at all on it. You can receive an unlimited amount of gifts tax free from an unlimited number of donors.
The giver of the gift may have tax consequences -- a Gift Tax return will be required from them though they probably won't pay any tax -- but YOU have nothing to do but enjoy the gift.