2024 Gift Tax Limit. You only pay the gift tax if you exceed the lifetime exclusion, and that only happens if you exceed the annual exclusion. The exclusion will be $18,000 per recipient for 2024—the highest exclusion amount ever.
This means that you can give up to $18,000 to anyone without having to worry about paying any gift tax. For 2024, the annual gift tax limit is $18,000.