term:

Unified Credit

unified credit n

: a tax credit applied against the unified transfer tax that is a cumulative credit gradually reduced by the amount of credit allowed for gifts made in preceding calendar periods NOTE: The total unified credit allowed as of 1987 is $192,800. The amount of the credit to be used in each period cannot exceed that period's tax liability, and so the credit may be gradually used up over a period of years. The unified credit is phased out once the amount of taxable gifts rises above a certain level.

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.