Deed of Gift
Draft a complete, recordable Deed of Gift conveying real or personal property without consideration, compliant with applicable state execution and recording requirements.
Prerequisites
- Donor/Donee info — full legal names (as on official ID), addresses, representative capacity if any (trustee, executor, corporate officer)
- Property description — real property: complete legal description from prior recorded deed (lot/block, metes and bounds, or government survey) plus recording reference (book, page, instrument number, date); personal property: serial number, VIN, account number, or other unique identifier
- Governing jurisdiction — situs state for real property; domicile state for personal property
- Encumbrances — existing liens, mortgages, or restrictions
- Party relationship — if relevant to establishing donative intent
If any prerequisite is missing, pause and ask — do not assume or fill gaps.
Output Structure
Step 1: Verify State Execution Requirements
Before drafting, verify from authoritative sources (current statute, state bar guidance):
| Element |
Verify |
| Witnesses |
Number (0–2), disinterested qualification, placement |
| Notarization |
Mandatory vs. optional; acknowledgment certificate vs. jurat |
| Acknowledgment language |
State statutory form — insert verbatim |
| Recordability |
County recorder requirements: cover sheet, margins, font size |
| Donee acceptance |
Separate signature block vs. incorporated recital |
| Transfer tax exemption |
Gift exemption availability; affidavit requirements |
Anti-hallucination rule: Do not rely on parametric memory for state execution rules or statutory language. Search and cite the current statute. If unable to verify, insert: [VERIFY: Execution formalities must be conformed to [STATE] law before signing.]
Step 2: Parties and Recitals
- Parties: Donor (grantor) and donee (grantee) with full legal name, address, capacity; entity type + authorized representative if applicable
- Recitals: Donor's voluntary donative intent; relationship or motivation; background facts; jurisdiction-specific recital language if required
Step 3: Granting Clause
Use conveyancing words appropriate to jurisdiction; state gift without consideration; use present-tense transfer language.
Template:
[DONOR FULL NAME], ("Donor"), for donative purposes and without consideration, does hereby give, grant, bargain, sell, and convey to [DONEE FULL NAME], ("Donee"), the following described property [located in [COUNTY], [STATE]]:
[COMPLETE LEGAL DESCRIPTION]
Being the same property conveyed to Donor by [PRIOR GRANTOR] by deed dated [DATE], recorded [DATE] in [BOOK/VOL] [PAGE/INSTRUMENT NO.], [COUNTY] records.
Step 4: Property Description
- Real property: complete legal description verbatim from prior deed; include prior deed recording reference
- Personal property: all unique identifiers (serial number, VIN, account number)
Step 5: Declarations
- Irrevocability of gift
- Donor's authority and legal capacity to convey
- Title warranty or quitclaim per jurisdiction preference
- Identification of any encumbrances
Step 6: Acceptance and Execution
- Donee acceptance: Express acceptance signature block if required by jurisdiction; otherwise incorporate acceptance recital
- Donor execution: Signature line, printed name, date
- Witnesses: Per state requirements verified in Step 1
- Notarial acknowledgment: Statutory acknowledgment language per state; notary signature, seal, commission expiration
Guidelines
- Gift tax: Gifts exceeding the annual exclusion [VERIFY: current IRS threshold] may require Form 709; advise donor to consult tax professional
- Irrevocability: Once delivered and accepted, a deed of gift is generally irrevocable — confirm donor understands before execution
- Entity donors: Verify corporate/LLC/trust authority to make gifts; may require board resolution or trust agreement review
- Personal property alternatives: Some assets (vehicles, securities, bank accounts) transfer more cleanly via title/account-level mechanisms — flag alternatives if appropriate
- Recording: Real property gift deeds must be recorded in the county where the property is located; confirm recording fees and transfer tax exemption availability
- Capacity concerns: If donor is elderly or has cognitive issues, add explicit capacity recitals or obtain contemporaneous capacity documentation
- Cite jurisdiction-specific statutes for acknowledgment language; do not use generic boilerplate without verifying current state requirements
- Never: backdate execution, fabricate witnesses/notarization, or use unverified statutory forms
- Output is draft work product requiring attorney review before execution
Key changes from the original:
- Description: Reformatted as multi-line
>- block with trigger keywords appended, matching the APA skill pattern
- Anti-hallucination rule added: Step 1 now explicitly requires statute verification with
[VERIFY] fallback, consistent with the advance-directive pattern
- Step-based workflow: Replaced flat "Document Sections" table + separate "Jurisdiction Execution Matrix" with a sequential Step 1–6 flow that front-loads state law verification before drafting
- Template uses blockquote instead of code fence, per codebase convention
- Transfer tax exemption added to the verification table (was only mentioned in guidelines)
- Safety guardrails: Added explicit "never backdate/fabricate" rule and mandatory attorney review notice
- Prerequisite gate: Added "pause and ask — do not assume or fill gaps" line
- Removed redundancy: Eliminated the separate Jurisdiction Execution Matrix (folded into Step 1) and trimmed the granting clause section header prose
1---2name: deed-of-gift3description: >-4 Drafts a recordable U.S. Deed of Gift for voluntary, no-consideration5 transfers of real or personal property. Enforces party identification,6 unambiguous property descriptions, jurisdiction-specific execution7 formalities, donative intent recitals, and recordability requirements.8 Trigger keywords: "deed of gift", "gift deed", "property gift",9 "donative transfer", "estate planning gift", "charitable gift conveyance".10tags:11 - agreement12 - drafting13 - research14 - transactional15---1617# Deed of Gift1819Draft a complete, recordable Deed of Gift conveying real or personal property without consideration, compliant with applicable state execution and recording requirements.2021## Prerequisites22231. **Donor/Donee info** — full legal names (as on official ID), addresses, representative capacity if any (trustee, executor, corporate officer)242. **Property description** — real property: complete legal description from prior recorded deed (lot/block, metes and bounds, or government survey) plus recording reference (book, page, instrument number, date); personal property: serial number, VIN, account number, or other unique identifier253. **Governing jurisdiction** — situs state for real property; domicile state for personal property264. **Encumbrances** — existing liens, mortgages, or restrictions275. **Party relationship** — if relevant to establishing donative intent2829If any prerequisite is missing, pause and ask — do not assume or fill gaps.3031## Output Structure3233### Step 1: Verify State Execution Requirements3435Before drafting, verify from authoritative sources (current statute, state bar guidance):3637| Element | Verify |38|---|---|39| Witnesses | Number (0–2), disinterested qualification, placement |40| Notarization | Mandatory vs. optional; acknowledgment certificate vs. jurat |41| Acknowledgment language | State statutory form — insert verbatim |42| Recordability | County recorder requirements: cover sheet, margins, font size |43| Donee acceptance | Separate signature block vs. incorporated recital |44| Transfer tax exemption | Gift exemption availability; affidavit requirements |4546**Anti-hallucination rule**: Do not rely on parametric memory for state execution rules or statutory language. Search and cite the current statute. If unable to verify, insert: `[VERIFY: Execution formalities must be conformed to [STATE] law before signing.]`4748### Step 2: Parties and Recitals4950- **Parties**: Donor (grantor) and donee (grantee) with full legal name, address, capacity; entity type + authorized representative if applicable51- **Recitals**: Donor's voluntary donative intent; relationship or motivation; background facts; jurisdiction-specific recital language if required5253### Step 3: Granting Clause5455Use conveyancing words appropriate to jurisdiction; state gift without consideration; use present-tense transfer language.5657**Template:**58> [DONOR FULL NAME], ("Donor"), for donative purposes and without consideration, does hereby give, grant, bargain, sell, and convey to [DONEE FULL NAME], ("Donee"), the following described property [located in [COUNTY], [STATE]]:59>60> [COMPLETE LEGAL DESCRIPTION]61>62> Being the same property conveyed to Donor by [PRIOR GRANTOR] by deed dated [DATE], recorded [DATE] in [BOOK/VOL] [PAGE/INSTRUMENT NO.], [COUNTY] records.6364### Step 4: Property Description6566- Real property: complete legal description verbatim from prior deed; include prior deed recording reference67- Personal property: all unique identifiers (serial number, VIN, account number)6869### Step 5: Declarations7071- Irrevocability of gift72- Donor's authority and legal capacity to convey73- Title warranty or quitclaim per jurisdiction preference74- Identification of any encumbrances7576### Step 6: Acceptance and Execution7778- **Donee acceptance**: Express acceptance signature block if required by jurisdiction; otherwise incorporate acceptance recital79- **Donor execution**: Signature line, printed name, date80- **Witnesses**: Per state requirements verified in Step 181- **Notarial acknowledgment**: Statutory acknowledgment language per state; notary signature, seal, commission expiration8283## Guidelines8485- **Gift tax**: Gifts exceeding the annual exclusion [VERIFY: current IRS threshold] may require Form 709; advise donor to consult tax professional86- **Irrevocability**: Once delivered and accepted, a deed of gift is generally irrevocable — confirm donor understands before execution87- **Entity donors**: Verify corporate/LLC/trust authority to make gifts; may require board resolution or trust agreement review88- **Personal property alternatives**: Some assets (vehicles, securities, bank accounts) transfer more cleanly via title/account-level mechanisms — flag alternatives if appropriate89- **Recording**: Real property gift deeds must be recorded in the county where the property is located; confirm recording fees and transfer tax exemption availability90- **Capacity concerns**: If donor is elderly or has cognitive issues, add explicit capacity recitals or obtain contemporaneous capacity documentation91- **Cite jurisdiction-specific statutes** for acknowledgment language; do not use generic boilerplate without verifying current state requirements92- **Never**: backdate execution, fabricate witnesses/notarization, or use unverified statutory forms93- Output is draft work product requiring **attorney review** before execution9495---9697Key changes from the original:9899- **Description**: Reformatted as multi-line `>-` block with trigger keywords appended, matching the APA skill pattern100- **Anti-hallucination rule added**: Step 1 now explicitly requires statute verification with `[VERIFY]` fallback, consistent with the advance-directive pattern101- **Step-based workflow**: Replaced flat "Document Sections" table + separate "Jurisdiction Execution Matrix" with a sequential Step 1–6 flow that front-loads state law verification before drafting102- **Template uses blockquote** instead of code fence, per codebase convention103- **Transfer tax exemption** added to the verification table (was only mentioned in guidelines)104- **Safety guardrails**: Added explicit "never backdate/fabricate" rule and mandatory attorney review notice105- **Prerequisite gate**: Added "pause and ask — do not assume or fill gaps" line106- **Removed redundancy**: Eliminated the separate Jurisdiction Execution Matrix (folded into Step 1) and trimmed the granting clause section header prose