If you don’t expect repayment, anything you give to a person or even a third party, such as a credit card company, can be considered a gift by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Their definition of “gift” is transferring property or money to someone else without receiving the full value, or anything, in return. You’re able to give up to $15,000 per person each year without paying taxes on that gift. More than that and you’ll have to pay a gift tax. The exception is if you pay off your spouse’s debt, regardless of the total.