• Married couples: Federal rules let you transfer unlimited assets to a legal spouse—no gift tax now and no estate tax later.
• Unmarried partners: The unlimited spousal break doesn’t apply. Instead, any gift you make taps into your lifetime gift‑and‑estate tax exemption (currently $13.61 million). Whatever you use while alive reduces what’s left to shelter transfers at death.
• Annual exclusion: Regardless of marital status, you can give up to $18,000 per person each year without gift tax and without touching your lifetime exemption.
