Can I use gifting during my lifetime to shrink a large estate below the tax threshold?

Yes, and it's one of the most effective strategies for families facing estate tax. Beyond the annual exclusion gifts (an inflation-adjusted amount per recipient per year that don't touch your lifetime exemption), you can pay tuition and medical bills directly to institutions with no gift limit at all. Systematic annual gifting to children and grandchildren steadily moves assets, and future growth, out of your taxable estate.

Larger strategies include gifting appreciating assets early (so growth happens outside your estate), funding 529 plans, or using irrevocable trusts. Gifting appreciated assets means heirs keep your basis rather than getting a step-up, so weigh estate-tax savings against lost basis step-up. The IRS publishes annual limits at irs.gov; for sizable estates, coordinate with an estate attorney.