How much money can I receive as a gift from overseas?
According to IRS regulations, if the aggregate amount received from the nonresident exceeds $100,000 during the taxable year, the gift needs to be reported. No taxes are due; this is just a filing/reporting requirement. A few states might want to tax the money, especially if it's an inheritance.
Americans who receive financial gifts from foreign loved ones won't have to pay taxes on the transfer. However, if you yourself sent funds to an American while abroad, you might. Recipients of foreign inheritances typically don't have a tax liability in the United States.
Legal transfer limits for international transfers
There are no legal limits on the amount of money you can send internationally from the UK. The same is true for when you receive money. However, different banks and money transfer providers may have their own limit of bank transfer for international transactions.
Year of Gift | Annual Exclusion per Donee |
---|---|
2018 through 2021 | $15,000 |
2022 | $16,000 |
2023 | $17,000 |
2024 | $18,000 |
For example, IRS rules on gifting money to family in 2024 stipulate that you can gift up to $18,000 to any one person over the course of the year without having to report the gift to the IRS. This is called the gift tax exclusion, and the amount is subject to change every year.
- Payment purpose.
- Relationship between sender and recipient.
- Date of birth.
- Address.
- Occupation and business.
- Nationality and place of residence.
- Bank details.
- Source of funds for remittance.
Annual gift tax exclusion
The gift tax limit is $18,000 in 2024 and $19,000 in 2025. Note that this annual exclusion is per gift recipient. So, you could give away the limit to several different people in a single year and still not have to file a gift tax return and possibly pay the gift tax.
As a receiver, you may be charged a receiving fee from your bank or financial institution, which will be deducted from your total amount, to process and deposit a foreign payment into your bank account.
There is no limit to the amount of money that you can travel with, receive and send overseas. You also don't need to declare money that you transfer overseas or receive from overseas through a bank or a remittance service provider (money transfer business).
The $10,000 limit is not a per-person limit; it applies to the combined total of cash and monetary instruments carried by a person or a group traveling together. This is a critical distinction, especially for families or groups of friends traveling together.
Do I need to report money received from overseas?
The IRS considers any gift of money or property made to you by a foreign person to be a taxable gift. While gifts from foreign individuals are generally non-taxable to the recipient, gifts from foreign entities (such as corporations or partnerships) may be subject to US gift tax, and the annual exclusion may not apply.
According to IRS regulations, if the aggregate amount received from the nonresident exceeds $100,000 during the taxable year, the gift needs to be reported. No taxes are due; this is just a filing/reporting requirement. A few states might want to tax the money, especially if it's an inheritance.

Use the lifetime gift tax exclusion
The lifetime gift tax exclusion allows you to transfer wealth up to a certain amount during your lifetime without incurring gift tax. In 2024, this exclusion is set at $13.61 million. This means you can give away this amount throughout your life without owing any gift taxes.
Some commonly asked questions when it comes to gift tax can be, "Can I gift my adult children money?" or "Can I gift $100,000 to my son?" The answer to both questions is yes. However, gifting money to children can have financial and tax implications for both the giver and the recipient.
While inheritance allows for complete control over asset distribution until your death, gifting offers several potential advantages: Reduced estate tax liability: Gifting assets during your lifetime reduces the taxable value of your estate, potentially avoiding or minimizing inheritance tax upon your death.
In India, the MTSS scheme imposes a cap on the amount of inward remittance. Each individual's inward remittance is restricted to a maximum of USD 2500. A beneficiary is permitted to receive no more than 30 MTSS transfers per year. To receive inward remittances in India, one must first establish an NRE account.
According to the Currency and Exchanges Manual of SARB, you must declare any money you receive from abroad before it can be credited to your account. The declaration of the money can only be made by the accountholder before the account is credited and not by a third party.
In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about international wire transfer reporting requirements and regulations here in this guide. The IRS does monitor international wire transfers, and that there's an overseas money transfer limit of $10,000¹ before your transfer will be reported to the IRS.
Generally, a person receiving a gift from their family does not have to pay gift tax until a donation exceeds $18,000 (this amount increases to $19,000 in 2025). A gift tax is a government tax imposed on those who give money or property to others in exchange for nothing (or less than total value).
For 2024, the annual gift tax limit is $18,000. (That's up $1,000 from last year's limit since the gift tax is one of many tax amounts adjusted annually for inflation.) For married couples, the combined 2024 limit is $36,000. (That's $2,000 up from the 2023 tax year amount.)
Can I give my daughter $50,000 tax free?
You don't have to report gifts to the IRS unless the amount exceeds $18,000 in 2024 (increasing to $19,000 in 2025). Any gifts exceeding $18,000 in a year must be reported and contribute to your lifetime exclusion amount. You can gift up to $13.61 million over your lifetime without paying a gift tax on it (as of 2024).
An Indian individual beneficiary can receive 30 remittances under MTSS per calendar year (January-December) with a maximum of USD 2,500 per transfer. MTSS is mainly offered by fintechs. No outward remittance from India is permissible under MTSS.
Receiving international payments
There may also be fees and charges that the sender needs to cover. These can affect the amount you receive.
Understanding the basics of international money transfer laws is important if you're receiving or sending large amounts of money abroad. If transactions involve more than $10,000, you are responsible for reporting the transfers to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
You can receive funds from abroad via bank-to-bank transfers or international wire transfers. It's considered to be a simple, safe and reliable option. On the other hand, the transfer can take between 1-5 working days to go through and can be costly.