IRS-compliant · Fair Market Value

Charitable donation appraisals

A deduction of more than $5,000 for donated art or personal property requires a qualified appraisal by a qualified appraiser, and Form 8283 Section B signed by that appraiser.

Thresholds

What triggers what

Claimed deduction	Requirement
More than $5,000 per item or group of similar items	Qualified appraisal by a qualified appraiser; Form 8283 Section B completed and signed by appraiser and donee
$20,000 or more for art	A complete copy of the signed appraisal attached to the return
$50,000 or more for a single work	A Statement of Value may be requested from the IRS; examined returns at this level are referred to IRS Art Appraisal Services

Current as of Form 8283 (Rev. December 2025) and Publication 561. Note that $5,000 is “more than” while $20,000 is “or more.”

Download the two-page summary (PDF): the thresholds, the 60-day rule, the two routes to qualified-appraiser status, and where these filings usually fail. Written for accountants.

Timing

The 60-day rule

The appraisal must be signed and dated no earlier than 60 days before the date of the contribution and no later than the due date, including extensions, of the return on which the deduction is first claimed.

An appraisal completed a year before the gift does not qualify. If you are planning a donation, settle the sequence before you sign the deed of gift. It is a two-minute conversation that has saved donors a great deal of money.

What you get

A report built to survive review

A qualified appraisal meeting Treas. Reg. §1.170A-17, prepared in accordance with the principles of USPAP
Form 8283 Section B completed and signed
Photography to IRS Publication 5497 specifications, taken in house
The market data and comparable analysis supporting Fair Market Value
A structure designed for review by IRS Art Appraisal Services

Experience

The practice has prepared and signed charitable donation appraisals for tax purposes, including a sculpture bequeathed to a museum in Central New York, valued in excess of $100,000. References are available on request. Gifts to the Memorial Art Gallery, the George Eastman Museum, the Buffalo AKG and the region’s university and historical collections follow the same rules and timetable.

For museums and development officers: what the referral involves

Independence

Why the appraiser cannot be the dealer

A qualified appraiser may not be the donor, the donee, the party who sold the property to the donor, or anyone employed by or related to them. Beyond the regulation, an appraiser with a financial interest in the property has an obvious problem under the USPAP Ethics Rule.

The practice does not buy or sell the property it appraises, holds no financial interest in it, and prepares every appraisal in accordance with the principles of USPAP.

Common questions

Who can appraise art for an IRS donation?

A qualified appraiser, defined in Treasury Regulation §1.170A-17(b)(2)(i) as someone with either professional or college-level coursework in valuing that type of property and two or more years of experience valuing it, or a recognized appraiser designation for that property type. The appraiser must also regularly prepare appraisals for pay, declare competency in the appraisal itself, and not be barred from practice before the IRS.

Does the appraiser sign Form 8283?

Yes. For deductions over $5,000 the appraiser signs the Declaration of Appraiser in Section B, Part IV, and the donee organization signs the acknowledgment in Part V. A Form 8283 missing either signature is a common reason for a challenged deduction.

What if the museum will not sign?

Most donees are slow rather than unwilling; the acknowledgment is routine. A donee that genuinely refuses usually signals a problem with the gift itself, whether related use, acceptance policy or the deed of gift, and it should be resolved before the return is filed.

Will the IRS accept the appraisal?

No appraiser can promise that. The practice prepares a report that meets the regulation, follows USPAP, documents its comparables so the reasoning is reproducible, and carries photography to the standard Art Appraisal Services applies. Reports that run into trouble are usually those that assert a value without showing the work.

Rate

$275 per hour

Estate, gift and donation rate. No project minimum. Fees are never based on the value of the property. Full fee schedule

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