General Tax Deduction Guidelines

Here are the general guidelines for donations of household goods and clothing to the Vietnam Veterans of America. These guidelines are based on information obtained from the Internal Revenue Code and other sources (appropriate citations of IRS and Treasury Department documents are in parentheses). As with any tax-related information, an individual donor should always consult a tax professional to resolve questions regarding their particular donation. Please consult form 8283 on the Internal Revenue Service website.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. Tax-exempt #: 13-2929110

If an individual donates property they may deduct the property’s fair market value at the time of the donation, subject to the statutory limitations on such donations. Fair market value is defined as the price at which the property would change hands between a willing seller and a willing buyer. For property, it is generally held that fair market value is the price at which the item or a comparable item would be sold at retail (IRS Rev. Proc. 65-19, 1965-2 CB 1002). Further, the fair market value of used clothing and household items is the price that buyers of used items actually pay in used clothing stores (Treasury Department booklet, Your Federal Income Tax, 1993 edition, p.186).

It is the donor’s responsibility to determine the value of donated items.

If the donation is $250 or more, but does not exceed $500, a written acknowledgment of the donation must be provided by the donee. In the case of VVA, the donation receipt fulfills this obligation.

If the donation is over $500, but does not exceed $5, 000, the donor must complete IRS form 8283, Non-cash Charitable Contributions, Part A only. They should file this form with their tax return.

If the donation is over $5, 000, the donor must complete IRS form 8283 and send it to:

Vietnam Veterans of America
8719 Colesville Road, Suite 100
Silver Spring, MD 20910

The VVA Washington Office will complete section B, part IV, and return the completed form to the donor. The donor should retain the form to file with their tax return for the tax year in which the donation was made. Obviously, the donor should send the form to the VVA Washington Office as soon as possible after the donation is made in order to allow sufficient time for VVA to process and return the form in time for the donor to file their taxes. In addition, an appraisal performed by a qualified appraiser may be required.