What if my donation is worth over $5000?

When your non-cash charitable donation exceeds $5,000, the IRS requires a qualified appraisal, and you must report the contribution on Section B of IRS Form 8283 rather than Section A.

This threshold applies to most non-cash property other than publicly traded securities. A qualified appraiser must determine the fair market value of the donated item (or group of similar items), and both the appraiser and the receiving charity must sign Section B of Form 8283 before you file. Similar items donated across multiple charities in the same tax year are combined when evaluating whether you cross the $5,000 threshold, so grouping matters.

A few additional rules apply at higher values:

• If your total non-cash deduction exceeds $500,000, you must attach the full qualified appraisal report to your tax return, not just the completed Form 8283.
• Certain non-publicly traded securities carry a higher appraisal threshold, generally over $10,000.
• Publicly traded securities are typically reported in Section A regardless of value and do not require a qualified appraisal.

Our appraisals are prepared in accordance with USPAP and structured to satisfy IRS requirements for a qualified appraisal, including completion and signing of the appraiser declaration in Part IV of Form 8283, Section B. If you have questions about what your specific donation requires, our personal property appraisal and fine art appraisal pages cover the most common asset types. You can also review what IRS Form 8283 is used for for a broader overview of the form's requirements.