With the arrival of January 1, 2006, here are a few new numbers for you to know: 

• The gift tax annual exclusion is now $12,000. 
• The gift tax individual exclusion is now $1,000,000. 
• The estate tax individual exclusion is now $2,000,000. 
• The Medicare Part B monthly premium is now $88.50. 
• Under Medi-Cal’s special spousal protections, the community spouse is now allowed at least $99,540 of countable assets and at least $2,489 of monthly income.
• California's official average monthly private pay rate for nursing home care is now $5,031.