This is a commmon misconception: there is no $15k gift limit. There is a $15k annual exclusion of gifts that do not need to be reported. If you want to gift more than that, you simply file a form and the excess about the annual exclusion counts against your lifetime exclusion. The lifetime exclusion in 2017 was $5.49M (if you're married it effectively doubles). Oh and as of 2018 it is now $11.18M thanks to the tax "reform" bill.