To prepare and record a quitclaim deed, you fill out a deed form with the grantor’s and grantee’s full legal names, the property’s legal description, and the consideration; the grantor signs it in front of a notary; and you submit the original to the county recorder’s office where the property sits, along with a recording fee that usually runs $20 to $95. Most people can complete the paperwork in under an hour. The pitfalls sit around the edges of that simple process: mortgages, gift tax reporting, and property tax reassessment can all be triggered by a transfer you thought was routine.
Information You Need Before You Start
Gather these details before you open a blank form:
- The full legal names and mailing addresses of every grantor (the person giving up the interest) and every grantee (the person receiving it).
- The property’s legal description. This is the formal boundary description from property records, not the street address. You can pull it from the most recent deed, the county assessor’s website, or the county recorder’s office. Copy it exactly, character by character. A single error can create title problems later.
- The consideration being exchanged. Many quitclaim transfers involve no money, but the deed still has to state something. The standard phrase where no real payment changes hands is “ten dollars and other good and valuable consideration.”
Blank quitclaim forms are available from county recorder websites, legal document providers, and office supply stores. Fill the form out carefully, use black ink if handwriting, and check every name and the legal description against official records before you sign anything.
Signing and Notarization
Every grantor listed on the deed has to sign it, and each signature has to be notarized. That means signing in front of a licensed notary public who verifies your identity and confirms the signing is voluntary. Notary fees for a single signature typically run $5 to $25. Banks, shipping stores, law offices, and mobile notary services all handle this.
The grantee does not need to sign or be present. Only the person giving up the interest executes the document.
A handful of states also require witnesses when a deed is signed. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Connecticut, and South Carolina fall in that group, so check your local rules before you schedule the signing.
Formatting the Deed for the Recorder
County recorder offices apply strict formatting rules, and a deed that doesn’t meet them can be rejected or hit with a non-standard document fee. Specifics vary, but common requirements include:
- Standard letter-size paper, 8.5 by 11 inches.
- A top margin of at least two inches on the first page for the recorder’s stamp.
- Side and bottom margins of at least half an inch.
- Black ink.
- A minimum font size, often 10 or 12 point.
Check your county recorder’s website for its exact specifications before you print the final version.
Recording Fees and Transfer Taxes
Recording fees usually range from $20 to $95, charged per page or as a flat rate depending on the county. The current schedule is normally posted on the recorder’s website.
Transfer taxes are separate. Sometimes called documentary stamp taxes or real estate transfer taxes, they’re calculated as a percentage of the sale price or the property’s assessed value. Rates vary widely, and some states don’t impose them at all. Where they do apply, exemptions commonly cover transfers between spouses, transfers as part of a divorce, and transfers into a revocable living trust where beneficial ownership doesn’t change. To claim an exemption, the deed or an accompanying affidavit typically has to state the basis.
Some jurisdictions also require supplementary forms, such as a change-of-ownership report, filed alongside the deed. Skip a required form and the recorder may charge an extra fee or reject the filing outright. Confirm with the county recorder which forms and taxes apply to your specific transfer.
Most recorder offices take checks, money orders, and credit cards. Some require exact payment for in-person filings, so confirm the total before you go.
Submitting the Deed
You have three ways to file.
In person. This is the fastest option, and some offices stamp and record the deed the same day. Bring the original signed and notarized deed, any required supplementary forms, and payment. Counter staff can often catch formatting or completion errors on the spot, which saves you a rejection and a return trip.
By mail. Send the original deed, all required forms, payment (usually a check or money order), and a self-addressed stamped envelope so the recorder can return the stamped original. Processing takes longer, and you won’t know immediately if there’s a problem.
Electronic recording. A growing number of counties accept e-recording through an online portal, often run by a third-party service. You scan the signed and notarized deed and upload it. Convenient, but sometimes carries an additional service fee on top of the standard charge.
After processing, the recorder stamps the deed with a recording date and a unique document number. Processing times range from a few days to several weeks. The stamped original is returned to the grantee, usually by mail. You can verify recording through the county’s online records database or by calling the recorder’s office.
Check the Mortgage Before You Record
A quitclaim deed transfers ownership but does nothing to the mortgage. If the grantor has an outstanding loan, transferring the deed does not remove the obligation to repay it, and the grantee receives property that still has a lien attached. If the grantor stops paying, the lender can foreclose even though the grantee now holds title.
Most residential mortgages also contain a due-on-sale clause letting the lender demand the full remaining balance when the property is transferred. Federal law blocks enforcement of that clause in several common quitclaim situations. Under the Garn-St. Germain Act, a lender cannot accelerate the loan when the transfer goes to a spouse or child of the borrower, results from a divorce or legal separation, or moves the property into a living trust where the borrower stays on as a beneficiary and continues to occupy the home.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 12 U.S. Code 1701j-3 – Preemption of Due-on-Sale Prohibitions Transfers to a relative after the borrower’s death are also protected.
If your transfer doesn’t fit one of those exceptions, the lender can call the entire loan due. Contact the lender before recording. Refinancing the mortgage in the grantee’s name is often the cleanest fix because it satisfies the existing loan and removes the grantor’s liability at the same time.
Gift Tax Filing if the Transfer Is a Gift
When you transfer property by quitclaim deed for less than its fair market value, the IRS may treat the difference as a taxable gift. For 2026, the annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000 per recipient.2Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax Real property is almost always worth more than that, so most gift transfers exceed the exclusion and require the grantor to file IRS Form 709, the gift and generation-skipping transfer tax return.3Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes
Filing Form 709 doesn’t necessarily mean you owe tax right away. The amount above the annual exclusion counts against your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption, which for 2026 is $15,000,000.2Internal Revenue Service. What’s New – Estate and Gift Tax You only owe out of pocket once cumulative lifetime gifts pass that threshold. The return itself still has to be filed to report the gift, with documentation including the legal description of the property, the relationship between donor and recipient, and either a qualified appraisal or a detailed explanation of how you determined fair market value.4Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 709 (2025)
Transfers between spouses are generally unlimited and exempt. Transfers incident to a divorce are also typically excluded. But gifting property to an adult child, a sibling, or an unmarried partner will trigger reporting in nearly every case. If you’re married and both spouses agree to split the gift, the combined annual exclusion doubles to $38,000 per recipient, but Form 709 still has to be filed to elect gift-splitting.3Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes
Property Tax Reassessment
In many jurisdictions, recording a new deed can trigger a reassessment of the property’s value for tax purposes. If the property hasn’t been reassessed in years, the new assessed value can jump well above what the prior owner was paying, and the grantee inherits a much larger annual bill.
Most states that reassess on transfer provide exemptions for quitclaim transfers between spouses, between parents and children, into revocable trusts, and as part of a divorce. The specific exemptions and the forms needed to claim them vary. Before recording, check with your county assessor’s office to find out whether the transfer will trigger reassessment and what paperwork you need to prevent it.
After the Deed Is Recorded
A few follow-up steps are easy to miss.
Notify the homeowner’s insurance company about the ownership change. Policies are tied to the named owner, and a mismatch between the title holder and the policyholder can create coverage problems on a claim. If the property is held in a trust, make sure the trust is named as the insured or the trustee is listed appropriately.
Update the property tax records with the county assessor’s office so future bills go to the right person at the right address.
If the transfer is a gift, set a reminder to file Form 709 by the federal tax filing deadline for the year of the gift.
Keep the recorded deed, the notarized original when it comes back, and any supporting documents such as appraisals or transfer tax exemption forms in a safe place. These records matter if ownership is ever questioned and when the property is eventually sold.