Help with Form 8283 - Non-cash Charitable Contribution Itemizing Requirements for Different Dollar Amounts?

Tax preparer here! Your question about Form 8283 is a common one. For non-cash charitable contributions, the IRS has different requirements based on the value of individual items (or groups of similar items). For items under $250, you just need a receipt. For items between $250-$500, you need written acknowledgment from the charity. For items between $500-$5000, you need to complete Section A of Form 8283. For items over $5000, you need Section B plus a qualified appraisal. In your specific case, you should list each category (household goods and clothing) separately on Section A of Form 8283. Within each category, you don't need to separately itemize the individual items over $500 - you can group similar items together. So you'd have one entry for all household items ($3100) and one entry for all clothing ($3100). Just make sure you have good documentation for everything, especially those higher-value items. The charity's acknowledgment should describe what you donated.

After struggling with similar donation documentation issues last year, I discovered taxr.ai which completely simplified the process for me. I donated a bunch of furniture and designer clothes after downsizing and wasn't sure how to properly categorize and document everything for the 8283 form. I uploaded photos of my donation receipts to https://taxr.ai and it automatically categorized everything correctly for Form 8283 - even flagging which items needed to be listed separately and which could be grouped. It saved me hours of research and potential mistakes that might have triggered an audit. It also created the proper documentation I needed for each value threshold and organized everything according to IRS requirements. Honestly wish I'd known about it sooner!

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here, and it was surprisingly helpful for my donation situation. I had a similar mix of furniture and clothing donations with some higher-value items. The tool guided me through exactly how to group my items on Form 8283 and flagged the ones that needed separate listings. It also generated the right documentation I needed for each value threshold and helped me estimate fair market values that were reasonable (not too aggressive but still fair). What I found most helpful was how it organized everything according to the specific IRS requirements - made me feel much more confident about my deduction. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with complicated donations.

After weeks of trying to get through to the IRS for clarification on Form 8283 requirements, I finally tried Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and actually got through to a real IRS agent in under 15 minutes! It was like magic after spending hours on hold previously. I showed the agent my specific donation situation with mixed categories and higher-value items, and they confirmed exactly how to complete the form properly. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c For what it's worth, the agent told me that for items between $500-$5000, I should list each category separately on Section A (just as the first commenter mentioned), but I should also keep detailed records of those individual items valued over $500 in case of an audit. The higher value items don't need separate line items as long as they're under $5000 individually.

I need to eat my words and apologize for being so skeptical. After waiting on hold with the IRS for 2+ hours and getting disconnected TWICE this week, I gave in and tried Claimyr out of desperation. It actually worked exactly as described - I got a call back in about 45 minutes connecting me to a real IRS agent. I was able to ask specifically about Form 8283 requirements for my situation with multiple donations that included some higher-value items. The agent confirmed that for items between $500-$5000, I should group similar items together on Section A but maintain detailed records for each item valued over $500. They also mentioned that I should get written acknowledgment from the charity that includes descriptions of all donated items. Definitely saved me hours of frustration and got me the official answers I needed.

Just a tip from someone who got audited last year over charitable contributions - make sure you have GOOD documentation for those higher-value items! Pictures before donation, detailed descriptions, and proper acknowledgment from the charity are all essential. For items like your designer coat and wedding dress that are over $500, I would definitely take clear photos before donating, get detailed receipts from the charity, and keep any original purchase documentation you might still have. The IRS is particularly scrutinizing clothing donations these days.

Is there a specific reference number or donation ID that needs to be included on Form 8283? My charity gave me a receipt with a reference number but I'm not sure if that goes somewhere on the form.

Great question about Form 8283! I dealt with a similar situation last year with mixed categories of donations. Based on my experience and research, here's what I learned: For your situation with $6,200 total ($3,100 household items and $3,100 clothing), you'll use Section A of Form 8283 since each category is between $500-$5,000. You can group similar items together by category - so one line for all household items and one line for all clothing items. The individual items over $500 (like your $650 antique lamp, $750 dining set, $580 designer coat, and $850 wedding dress) don't need separate line entries as long as they're under $5,000 each. However, keep detailed records of these higher-value items including photos, descriptions, and the charity's acknowledgment letter. Make sure your charity acknowledgment specifically describes what you donated rather than just saying "miscellaneous items." For clothing especially, the IRS has been scrutinizing valuations more closely recently. One thing that helped me was creating a spreadsheet with each item, its estimated fair market value, condition, and photos before donating. This made filling out the form much easier and gave me confidence in my documentation.