For income tax purposes, there’s no tax on gifts—to make or receive them. For federal gift tax purposes, there’s an annual exclusion ($14,000 in 2015 and 2016). Above that, you can apply your lifetime exclusion ($5.43 million in 2015 and $5.45 million in 2016). If you’re married and your spouse consents to the gift, you can double these amounts.
Items, such as interest, state and local income and sales taxes, charitable contributions, and medical deductions, claimed on Schedule A of Form 1040. Itemized deductions are subtracted from adjusted gross income to arrive at taxable income. The amount of itemized deductions is also subject to a reduction when adjusted gross income exceeds certain limits.