The IRS taxes gifts made over a certain dollar amount. If borrowers plan to use gift money, they must request a gift letter from their lenders.If both of your parents are alive, they can gift you 36k without taxes. If you have a spouse or child, they can both gift you 72k tax free. A gift letter for a mortgage shows your lender that you don't need to repay gift money toward your down payment. A gift letter is a note from a donor to your lender regarding cash funds for your mortgage down payment. A gift letter is an important, formal, legal piece of documentation that can help explain that a (usually rather large) sum of money was gifted to you. Fill in the oval ( ) to indicate your status: Line 3a. You may also show proof of your deposit. The scammer also might stay on the phone with you while you go to the store and load money onto the card.