You can give gifts tax-free up to $13,000 ($26,000 for married couples) to as many people as you like. Most folks, of course, are in no position to be so generous. But if you believe you’ll eventually have to pay an estate tax it makes sense to start whittling away at the size of your estate through a gifting program right now. Better that your assets should go directly to your loved ones than to the IRS.