The Form 8283 instructions are super confusing and contradict each other... help?

The confusion around Form 8283 is pretty common, so don't worry! Let me clarify this for you. You're right that you need Form 8283 when your total non-cash charitable contributions exceed $500. Section A is for items (or groups of similar items) valued at $5,000 or less, while Section B is for items valued at more than $5,000. Since all your donations are well under $5,000, you'll only need to complete Section A. You don't need to itemize every single donated item individually - you can group similar items together (like "men's clothing" or "kitchen items"). The form requires you to provide the charity's information, a description of the donated property, the date of the contribution, date of acquisition, how you got the property, your cost basis, and the fair market value. For items acquired over 3 years ago, you can just check a box rather than providing the exact acquisition date.

I was in this exact situation last year and wasted hours trying to figure out the contradictory instructions! I eventually found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that actually helped me make sense of all the IRS form instructions. I uploaded a picture of the form and my receipts, and it explained exactly what I needed to do for my specific situation. The tool told me I could group similar items together on Form 8283 Section A, rather than listing every single item separately. It also clarified that I only needed to complete the form because my total non-cash donations exceeded $500, not because any single item was worth that much. Saved me so much confusion!

Just wanted to follow up - I tried out taxr.ai after my skeptical comment above. I have to admit it actually solved my Form 8283 confusion! I uploaded my donation receipts and screenshots of the contradictory instructions I was stuck on. The explanation it gave me was super clear - I could list my donations by category (clothing, furniture, etc.) rather than individual items, and since nothing was over $5,000, I only needed Section A. I was really surprised how straightforward it made everything and I ended up using it for a couple other tax questions I had too. Much better than the circular explanations I was finding online!

If you're still having trouble after trying to figure out the Form 8283 instructions, consider calling the IRS directly. I know it sounds painful, but I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an actual human at the IRS without waiting for hours. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had a similarly confusing situation with charitable donations last year, and the IRS agent I spoke with actually walked me through exactly how to complete the form for my specific situation. They told me I only needed to fill out Section A since none of my individual items exceeded $5,000, and I could group similar items together rather than listing everything separately. Really helped clear up the contradictions in the written instructions.

I need to eat my words from my skeptical comment above. After getting desperate with my Form 8283 questions and finding no clear answers online, I tried Claimyr yesterday. I honestly still didn't believe it would work, but within an hour I was literally talking to an IRS agent who specialized in charitable contributions. The agent explained that the instructions are confusing because they cover so many different scenarios. For my situation (similar to yours with multiple Goodwill donations), she confirmed I only needed to complete Section A, and could group similar items together rather than itemizing every single thing. She also clarified that I needed the form because my total donations exceeded $500, not because any individual item did. Definitely worth it to get a definitive answer straight from the IRS instead of stressing over contradictory instructions!

My tax preparer told me that for Form 8283, if all your individual items are under $250 each, you only need to list them as groups even if the total is over $500. So like "men's clothing - $200" and "household items - $300" etc. You shouldn't need to list every single item with individual values unless anything is worth over $250 by itself. The key is keeping good records with all your receipts in case you get audited. Most of the detailed info on the form is really meant for higher value donations where they're looking more closely.

I'm finishing my taxes right now and had the same issue with Form 8283! I ended up calling my local H&R Block and they said the contradictory instructions are because the form is used for both simple and complex donation situations. For regular household donations to places like Goodwill or Salvation Army, even if the total is over $500, you can just list items by category (clothing, furniture, kitchenware, etc.) in Section A. You only need the detailed item-by-item breakdown for individual items worth over $500 each. The whole point of the form is to prevent people from claiming massive deductions for donated items without proper documentation. For normal household donations, they're not going to scrutinize every single t-shirt and coffee mug.

I went through this exact same confusion last year! The Form 8283 instructions are definitely poorly written and seem to contradict each other. Here's what I learned after going through it: Since your total non-cash donations are $650 and no individual item is worth more than $100, you'll use Section A only. You can absolutely group similar items together - so instead of listing every single shirt, you can put "men's clothing - $200" or "household items - $150" etc. The key things to remember: - You need Form 8283 because your TOTAL exceeds $500, not because individual items do - Section A is for items/groups valued at $5,000 or less - You can group similar items from multiple donation trips throughout the year - Keep all your Goodwill receipts as backup documentation The IRS instructions are confusing because they try to cover everything from simple household donations to complex artwork valuations in the same document. For your situation with typical household items, they're really just looking to make sure you have proper documentation and aren't inflating values. Don't overthink it - group your items by category, fill out the basic info, and you'll be fine!