A gift letter is a piece of legal, written correspondence explicitly stating that money received isn't expected to be repaid. The letter must explain who is gifting the money, where the donor's funds are coming from and the relationship between the donor and the recipient.Use these stepbystep instructions for accepting a cash downpayment gift on a home, including a readytouse mortgage gift letter template. You can give up to 18K a year (36k for a married couple) to anyone you know without reporting it. There is no maximum limit on the amount of gift money that can be received for a mortgage down payment. It states how much you're getting and from whom. A down payment gift letter simply states that the donor does not expect any form of repayment. In the letter, the donors must specify that the money is a gift. A gift of real property is a transfer for which there is no consideration given in return for granting an interest in the property. A check should be made out to Washington.