United States
A mortgage gift letter, drafted from the facts you type
For a conventional loan sold to Fannie Mae, Selling Guide B3-4.3-04 says the donor’s letter must state the actual or maximum gift amount, say that no repayment is expected, and give the donor’s name, address, phone number, and relationship to you. FHA’s Handbook 4000.1, in the August 13, 2025 issuance, asks for those facts plus the borrower’s signature and date. This page drafts the letter. It is not a lender form.
Buying in the UK or Canada? Use the gifted deposit letter or the Canadian gift letter. If the money already hit your account, you may also need a large-deposit explanation.
Preview
The draft shows up here. Until you unlock a copy, the preview is watermarked and the second half stays hidden. Copy and download of the finished letter include signature and date lines.
What the published sources say
These are summaries, with the page we read and the date we read it. They are not official forms, and the drafter is not allowed to invent rules beyond this file.
Conventional loans — Fannie Mae personal gifts
Summary of Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.3-04, Personal Gifts, as published with a topic date of February 4, 2026. A gift letter signed by the donor has to state the actual or maximum dollar amount, include the donor’s statement that no repayment is expected, and give the donor’s name, address, telephone number, and relationship to the borrower. Gift funds may be used on a principal residence or second home, subject to the guide’s minimum borrower contribution rules, and are not allowed on an investment property. The donor may not be, or be affiliated with, the builder, the developer, the real estate agent, or any other interested party to the transaction. The guide describes an exception when the seller is an acceptable donor and is not affiliated with another interested party. The lender must also verify that the funds are in the donor’s account or have been transferred.
- Actual gift amount, or the maximum amount.
- The donor’s statement that no repayment is expected.
- Donor’s name, address, telephone number, and relationship to the borrower.
- Donor’s signature. The guide calls for a letter signed by the donor.
- This is a summary, not the guide. The Selling Guide controls.
- A different gift amount than the one used in underwriting can mean the lender has to update the loan file.
- Proof the money moved is separate from the letter. The guide lists donor checks, withdrawal slips, electronic transfers, and settlement statements among acceptable records.
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.3-04, Personal Gifts — Topic date 02/04/2026, read 2026-11-10
FHA — HUD Handbook 4000.1 gifts
Summary of HUD Handbook 4000.1, issued August 13, 2025, in the Gifts (Personal and Equity) sections for both TOTAL Scorecard and manual underwriting. The handbook defines gifts as contributions of cash or equity with no expectation of repayment. It says the mortgagee must obtain a gift letter signed and dated by the donor and the borrower that includes the donor’s name, address, and telephone number, the donor’s relationship to the borrower, the dollar amount, and a statement that no repayment is required. The same letter items appear in both the TOTAL and manual sections read for this note. Cash on hand is not an acceptable source of the donor’s gift funds. The mortgagee must also document the transfer.
- Signed and dated by the donor and the borrower.
- Donor’s name, address, and telephone number.
- Donor’s relationship to the borrower.
- Dollar amount of the gift.
- A statement that no repayment is required.
- This is a summary of the August 13, 2025 issuance. A later handbook or mortgagee letter controls if HUD has revised it.
- Acceptable gift sources in that issuance include a family member, an employer or labor union, a close friend with a clearly defined and documented interest, a charitable organization, and certain government or public homeownership programs. The handbook’s source rules are broader than the letter itself.
- The handbook requires the mortgagee to document the transfer before settlement or at settlement. The letter does not replace that paper trail.
- HUD Handbook 4000.1 (issued August 13, 2025), Gifts (Personal and Equity), TOTAL and Manual Required Documentation — Issued August 13, 2025, read 2026-11-10
VA — checklist not published here
VA’s Home Loan Guaranty Buyer’s Guide says a gift letter may be required when gift funds are provided by someone not involved with the sale, and it points readers to Chapter 4 of the Lenders Handbook for the gift-fund rules. On November 10, 2026 the handbook chapter text was not available to read, so this site does not list VA letter elements.
Chapter 4 of VA Pamphlet 26-7 was not retrieved, so no VA checklist is published.
- Use the letter and evidence your VA lender asks for. Do not treat this page as a VA form.
- VA Home Loan Guaranty Buyer’s Guide — Read 2026-11-10; chapter text not retrieved
Blank gift letter
Free to copy. Your lender may still hand you its own form. The generated draft above stays watermarked until you unlock it.
To whom it may concern: I, [donor name], of [donor address], am giving [borrower name] a gift of $[amount]. [Borrower name] is my [relationship]. The gift is for the property at [property address, if known]. The funds [were transferred / will be transferred] on [date]. No repayment is expected. I do not expect an ownership interest in the property. These funds are not from the seller, a real estate agent, a builder, or the lender. Phone: [donor phone] Email: [donor email, if any] Donor signature: ______________________________ Date: ________________ Borrower signature: ___________________________ Date: ________________
Sample letter
Fictional names and a 555 phone number. This is not your file and not a promise that a lender will accept it.
SAMPLE — not a real letter, and not your draft. To whom it may concern: I, Avery Chen, of 18 Birch Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, am giving Jordan Lee a gift of $15,000.00. Jordan Lee is my child. This gift is for a conventional mortgage. The gift is for the property at 402 Maple Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43215. I transferred the funds on March 1, 2026. No repayment is expected, now or later. I do not expect an ownership interest in the property. These funds are not from the seller, a real estate agent, a builder, or the lender. Phone: (614) 555-0148 Avery Chen
Questions
What does a mortgage gift letter have to say?
For a conventional loan sold to Fannie Mae, Selling Guide B3-4.3-04 says the donor’s letter must state the actual or maximum amount, say that no repayment is expected, and give the donor’s name, address, phone number, and relationship to the borrower. FHA’s Handbook 4000.1, in the August 13, 2025 issuance, also requires the borrower’s signature and date. Your lender can ask for its own form on top of that.
Can I call it a gift if I will pay the money back?
No. If the money has to be repaid, it is a loan. This site will not draft a gift letter for that. Tell your loan officer the real terms. A false statement to a lender can be a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. §1014.
Do you keep a copy of the letter?
No. The draft is returned to your browser and kept in this tab’s session storage so you can preview it. The server does not store the letter text. Clearing the tab clears the draft.
Will you take my Social Security number or full account number?
No. The form rejects Social Security numbers and long account numbers. An optional last 4 of the donor account is the only account detail the gift letter form accepts.
Are you affiliated with Fannie Mae, FHA, VA, or a lender?
No. Mortgage Gift Letter is not Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, FHA, VA, Nationwide, RBC, or any lender or broker. Notes on this site are summaries of public pages, with the source linked. They are not an official form.
Is this financial, legal, or mortgage advice?
No. We format a letter from facts you supply. We are not your loan officer, lawyer, or broker. Your lender’s requirements and forms take priority. Ask which format they accept before you rely on a draft.
What do I get before I pay?
A watermarked preview with the second half hidden, plus the blank templates on each page. Copy and download of the finished letter, as PDF and Word, unlock after purchase. Single letter is $4.99. Unlimited letters for one loan, for 30 days in this browser, is $9.99. If checkout is not connected, the button says coming soon.
Do UK and Canadian lenders use the same letter?
No. Requirements vary by lender. The UK page summarizes Nationwide’s published gifted-deposit page. The Canada page summarizes what RBC has published on its own site. Neither is a national form.