What happens to the estate exclusion when gifts are made above the annual exclusion amount?

When gifts are made above the annual exclusion amount, the estate exclusion decreases because the value of those gifts counts against the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption limit.

The annual exclusion allows an individual to gift a certain amount each year without it impacting their lifetime exemption. However, any amount given over this annual exclusion reduces the amount of the lifetime exemption available to the donor's estate. This lifetime exemption is the total amount one can give away (during their lifetime or at death) without incurring federal estate or gift taxes.

Suppose an individual makes a gift exceeding the annual exclusion of, say, $17,000. In that case, the excess amount will be deducted from their lifetime exclusion amount (which is a significant figure, currently around $12 million). Thus, if someone gifts $25,000, $8,000 ($25,000 - $17,000) will reduce the estate exclusion, potentially bringing it down if subsequent gifts are made. This is critical for estate planning, as it impacts the total valuation of the estate for tax purposes.