The judge shall not approve gifts from principal to individuals unless it appears to the judge’s satisfaction that all of the following requirements have been met:

(1) Making the gifts will not leave the incompetent’s remaining principal estate insufficient to provide reasonable and adequate income for the support, maintenance, comfort, and welfare of the incompetent in order to maintain the incompetent and any dependents legally entitled to support from the incompetent in the manner to which the incompetent and those dependents are accustomed and in keeping with their station in life.

(2) The making of the gifts will not jeopardize the rights of any existing creditor of the incompetent.

(3) It is improbable that the incompetent will recover competency during his or her lifetime.

(4) The judge determines that either a., b., c., or d. applies.

a. All of the following apply:

1. The incompetent, prior to being declared incompetent, executed a paper-writing with the formalities required by the laws of North Carolina for the execution of a valid will, including a paper-writing naming as beneficiary a revocable trust created by the incompetent.

2. Each donee is entitled to one or more specific devises, or distributions of specific amounts of money, income, or property under either the paper-writing or revocable trust or both or is a residuary devisee or beneficiary designated in the paper-writing or revocable trust or both.

3. The making of the gifts will not jeopardize any specific devise, or distribution of specific amounts of money, income, or property.

b. That so far as is known the incompetent has not, prior to being declared incompetent, executed a will which could be probated upon the death of the incompetent, and each donee is a person who would share in the incompetent’s intestate estate, if the incompetent died contemporaneously with the signing of the order of approval of the gifts.

c. The donee is a person who would share in the incompetent’s nonprobate estate, if the incompetent died contemporaneously with the signing of the order of approval.

d. The donee is the spouse, parent, descendant of the incompetent, or descendant of the incompetent’s parent, and the gift qualifies either for the federal annual gift tax exclusion under section 2503(b) of the Internal Revenue Code or is a qualified transfer for tuition or medical expenses under section 2503(e) of the Internal Revenue Code.

(5) If the incompetent, prior to being declared incompetent, executed a paper-writing with the formalities required by the laws of North Carolina for the execution of a valid will, including a paper-writing naming as beneficiary a revocable trust created by the incompetent; then all residuary devisees and beneficiaries designated in the paper-writing or revocable trust or both, who would take under the paper-writing or revocable trust or both if the incompetent died contemporaneously with the signing of the order of approval of the gifts and the paper-writing was probated as the incompetent’s will, the spouse, if any, of the incompetent and all persons identified in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 35A-1341.1(7) have been given at least 10 days’ written notice that approval for the gifts will be sought and that objection may be filed with the clerk of superior court of the county in which the guardian was appointed, within the 10-day period.

(6) If so far as is known, the incompetent has not, prior to being declared incompetent, executed a will which could be probated upon the death of the incompetent, all persons who would share in the incompetent’s estate, if the incompetent died contemporaneously with the signing of the order of approval, have been given at least 10 days’ written notice that approval for the gifts will be sought and that objection may be filed with the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the guardian was appointed, within the 10-day period.

(7) If the gift for which approval is sought is of a nonprobate asset, all persons who would share in that nonprobate asset if the incompetent died contemporaneously with the signing of the order of approval have been given at least 10 days’ written notice that approval for the gifts will be sought and that objection may be filed with the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the guardian was appointed within the 10-day period. This notice requirement shall be in addition to the notice requirements contained in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 35A-1341.1(5) and (6) above.

The judge may order that the gifts be made in cash or in specific assets and may order that the gifts be made outright, in trust, under the North Carolina Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, under the North Carolina Uniform Custodial Trust Act, or otherwise. The judge may also order that the gifts be treated as an advancement of some or all of the amount the donee would otherwise receive at the incompetent’s death. (1999-270, s. 6; 2011-284, s. 41; 2013-91, s. 3(d).)