Gifts Given Record

Who this is for

A history of what you have given away. Each line records the date, who received it, what it was and what it was worth, so that anyone who later needs to know has a clear record rather than a family's memory.

People who give money or valuable items to children, grandchildren or others over the years, and anyone who expects their executors may one day need to account for past gifts.

What this helps you track

• Each gift, with its date and recipient
• Whether it was cash, a transfer, a cheque or an item
• The value you put on it at the time
• The occasion, such as a birthday, wedding or house deposit
• Totals for a period you choose and for one person you choose

How to use it

1. Write your name, the date the record was started and the currency at the top.
2. Add a line every time you give money or an item of value, with the date, recipient, relationship and a short description.
3. Enter the value as you understood it at the time; for an item, note in the description how you arrived at it.
4. To total one year or any other period, enter its start and end dates in the header; to total gifts to one person, enter their name exactly as used in the table.
5. Totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add the value column at the foot of each page.
6. Keep the record with your will papers and tell your executor it exists.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why keep a record of gifts at all?

In some places past gifts can matter when an estate is settled, and in any family they can matter for fairness. The sheet takes no view on either; it simply means the facts are written down by the person who knows them.

How do the period and person totals work?

Enter a start and end date and the sheet adds up gifts dated between them. Enter a recipient's name and it adds up every line where the recipient matches it exactly, so spell names the same way each time.

What value should I put on an item?

Whatever you believe it was worth when you gave it, and say how you know, such as a receipt or a valuation. The sheet does not suggest values or say which gifts count for any tax or legal purpose.

Should small presents go on here?

That is up to you. Many people record only money and items of real value, and leave ordinary birthday presents off. Check the rules where you are if you are unsure what might matter later.