• Revocable or not, by your choice

  Choose whether you can take the gift back. A revocable gift carries a separate revocation form to keep; an irrevocable one says the gift cannot be taken back.

• Money or something else

  Give an amount, or describe a non-monetary gift in detail, with identifying features.

• An individual or a charity

  Name a person, or a charity with its registration number.

• An agent holds and delivers it

  Name the person who holds the deed and delivers the gift, and an alternate who steps in if they cannot or will not.

• If the recipient does not take it

  The deed says the property comes back to you, or to your estate, if the recipient cannot take it.

• What the agent may do

  The deed sets out the agent's powers, that they are repaid and may be paid reasonable fees, and that they are protected when they act in good faith.

• Signing and witnesses

  The deed ends with your signature and two witness blocks, and the revocable form has its own.

• A lawyer reviews it before it is used

  Your answers are prepared into a draft and reviewed by a qualified lawyer, rather than handed back to you as a finished form.

A gift deed is a written record that you are giving something to another person or a charity, with nothing paid or expected in return. This builder prepares a gift that is delivered later through an agent you name: the agent holds the deed and hands the gift over as the deed says.

It starts by asking whether you want to be able to revoke the gift, because the answer changes the document and there is no default. It then asks what you are giving (money or something else), who is receiving it (an individual or a charity), who is giving it, and who your agent is, with an alternate. Each person's city and state are asked for.

Whether a deed like this works for your property, whether it must be recorded with a public office, and what tax follows differ by state and by what is given, so the draft sets none of that out. A lawyer confirms it before you sign, and the draft says so rather than leaving you to assume it is complete.

Not sure? Talk to an attorney about your situation first.

These are separate documents, for different jobs.

• Last will and testamentSet out who inherits and who carries out your wishes.View document
• Power of attorneyName someone you trust to handle your finances if you can't.View document
• Revocable living trustHold assets in a trust you can still change during your life.View document

• Giving a vehicle or valuable item to a relative, to take effect later
• Giving a sum of money to a person or a charity
• Setting aside a gift while keeping the right to take it back
• Making a gift that cannot be undone

• Property sale agreementsSet the terms for selling a property.View document
• Property purchase agreementsSet the terms for buying a property.View document
• Property transfer documentsTransfer ownership of a property to someone else.View document
• Real-estate disclosure documentsDisclose what a buyer or tenant needs to know.View document