Updated for tax year 2026.
Being a parent often involves lending money to your kids throughout their lives. Maybe you’re helping them buy their first car, assisting with higher education costs, or contributing toward a down payment on their first home. But when you fork over cash to your family, does the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) care about those loans?
At a glance
- Small loans to your children of $10,000 or less generally are not a concern for the IRS.
- Charge interest on significant loans to avoid gift tax implications.
- If your child doesn’t pay back the loan, you may be able to take a bad debt deduction.
Does the IRS care about me lending money to my kids?
For small loan amounts of $10,000 or less, the answer is generally simple — no. The IRS isn’t concerned with most personal loans to your son, daughter, stepchild, or other immediate family member if the total outstanding amount of loans between you and that person does not exceed $10,000. They also generally don’t care how often loans are handed out, whether interest is charged, or if your loved one pays you back in this situation, as long as and the total loans do not exceed $10,000 and is not used to purchase or carry income-producing assets (like stocks or real estate).
But, as with most things, there are exceptions.
Scenario: Interest-free loans
For tax purposes, if you loan a significant amount of money to your kids — over $10,000 (in aggregate) — you should consider charging interest as a lender.
If you don’t charge sufficient interest, the IRS can treat the loan as a below-market loan and say the amount of interest you should have charged was a gift based on current tax rules. In that case, the “gift” (forgone interest) goes toward your annual gift-giving limit of $19,000 per individual as of tax year 2026. If you give more than $19,000 to one individual, even if the individual is your child, you are required to file a gift tax form. Since the gift limit is per person, married couples can have a combined annual limit of $38,000 ($19,000 x 2) if each spouse makes a $19,000 gift. If the spouses elect to split gifts, a gift tax return may still be required.
The minimum interest rate on the loan must be based on the lesser of applicable federal rates (AFRs) set by the IRS. For certain gift loans of $100,000 or less, the amount of hypothetical interest for income tax purposes is limited to the borrower’s net investment income for the year. But if the borrower’s net investment income is $1,000 or less, it is treated as zero for purposes of this limitation, so you wouldn’t need to charge interest.
If you choose to charge interest lower than the AFR, it’s called a below-market loan, and there are tax implications. See the last section of this article for more information about this topic and some exceptions.
Scenario: Family loans that are really gifts
Some people may think they can give large amounts of money to their children and call it a loan to avoid the hassle of filing a gift tax return, but the IRS is wise to that. The loan must be legal and enforceable. Otherwise, it may be deemed a gift.
When loaning money to a family member, it’s good practice to seek legal advice and have a professional help you draw up an official loan agreement for both parties to sign. It may also be worth talking to a financial advisor if you are unsure of the full tax implications.
Scenario: Student loans for tuition
You can give “student loans” to help fund your kid’s higher education by drawing up a contract like any other loan. However, when they graduate and start a repayment schedule, your children cannot take the student loan interest deduction on interest paid to you because loans from related persons, including parents, are not qualified student loans for this deduction.
Remember that interest income is taxable income, and you’ll need to pay income tax on interest payments and report them to the IRS.
Scenario: Take a bad debt deduction if your child doesn’t pay you back
One of the advantages of a written agreement for your loan is that if your child doesn’t pay you back, you may be able to take a tax deduction for a non-business bad debt on your federal income tax return. Additionally, if the transaction was a loan rather than a gift, the original loan amount typically isn’t treated as a gift when the loan is made, meaning you won’t have to pay gift tax to the IRS on the amount you would have if you had gifted the money.
To take a bad debt deduction, you must prove that the debt is truly worthless and there is no reasonable expectation of repayment. To do this, gather as much evidence that you tried to collect the debt as possible. Letters, invoices, and phone calls to your child can all be used as proof in this instance.
Scenario: Filing a gift tax return for a loan
But what if you fail to document the loan properly and legally, the IRS decides your loan is actually a gift, and you need to file a gift tax return?
In most cases, you won’t have to pay taxes for a “loan” the IRS deemed a gift. Even if you exceed the $19,000 annual gift tax exemption we mentioned before, you only owe gift tax when your taxable lifetime gifts to all individuals exceed your available lifetime gift tax exclusion. For tax year 2026, the basic exclusion amount is $15 million per individual (up from $13.99 million in 2025). The lifetime exemption is per person, meaning married couples can exclude $30 million in lifetime gifts.
If you’re like most people, that means you’re probably safe, but you still need to keep track of and report any gifts that exceed the annual exclusion ($19,000 in 2026).
Other family loans with special tax rules
You typically don’t have to worry about family loans being subject to federal tax consequences if:
- You lend a child $10,000 or less (total across all loans), and the child does not use the money for income-producing assets, such as stocks or bonds.
- You lend a child $100,000 or less (total across all loans), and the child’s net investment income is not more than $1,000 for the year. In this case, your child’s net investment income is treated as zero when determining the amount of hypothetical interest for income tax purposes.
If you don’t fall within the above exceptions, it might be a good idea to read up on below-market loans in IRS Publication 550 to determine the tax implications.
The bottom line
If you’re thinking about lending a significant sum to a family member, it’s smart to consider the potential tax consequences (a tool like TaxAct’s tax calculator can be very helpful here).
As an American taxpayer, when it comes to lending money to your kids, the IRS generally doesn’t take much interest unless larger sums are involved. While qualifying loans of $10,000 or less in aggregate generally aren’t subject to the below-market loan rules and likely won’t raise any red flags, significant amounts can trigger tax implications if you’re not careful. Charging sufficient interest on these loans, documenting them properly, and understanding the exceptions can save you from unwanted tax consequences. As always, a little bit of financial planning now can prevent potential tax liability headaches later on.
This article is for informational purposes only and not legal or financial advice.
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Citations
Ponder, Meghen. “3 Easy Ways to Avoid Paying a Gift Tax.” TaxAct Blog, 10 July 2025.
Internal Revenue Service. “About Form 709, United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return.” IRS.gov, 2 Feb. 2026.
Internal Revenue Service. “Applicable Federal Rates (AFRs) Rulings.” IRS.gov, Aug. 2026.
Ponder, Meghen. “Tax Breaks Students (and Parents) Can Claim This Year.” TaxAct Blog, 9 Sept. 2025.
Internal Revenue Service. “Topic No. 453, Bad Debt Deduction.” IRS.gov.
TaxAct. “Tax Deductions for Non-Business Bad Debts.” TaxAct Blog, 19 Feb. 2026.
TaxAct. “Gift Tax Calculator: Do I Have to Pay Tax When Someone Gives Me Money?.” TaxAct Blog.
Internal Revenue Service. “Publication 550 (2025), Investment Income and Expenses.” IRS.gov, 2025.
TaxAct. “Income Tax Calculator.” TaxAct.com.
