I donated over $5,000 of used clothing and household goods to charity but never got a qualified appraisal — can Virginia at least let me deduct the first $5,000 of it?

Plain-English summary

A married couple claimed cash and noncash charitable contribution itemized deductions on their Virginia resident returns for 2020, 2021, and 2022, mirroring the deductions on their federal Schedules A. Under audit, the Department requested documentation supporting those noncash deductions. The taxpayers submitted some records, but the auditor found them insufficient for several donation categories and issued assessments disallowing part of the deductions.

Virginia follows federal substantiation rules. Virginia conforms to the Internal Revenue Code for itemized deductions (Va. Code § 58.1-322.03 1), and the Department can adjust a return where there's clear evidence it's inconsistent with the IRC (§ 58.1-219). Federal Treasury regulations set three substantiation tiers based on a donation's value — up to $500, between $500 and $5,000, and over $5,000 — each requiring progressively more documentation. Contributions over $250 also need a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the charity. Critically, "similar items of property" — the same generic category, like all the clothing a taxpayer donates in a year, even to different charities — are combined for purposes of hitting these thresholds (IRC § 170(f)(11)(F)).

Which donations failed, and why. The auditor sorted the couple's donations into categories: clothing, dry goods, toys and games, music, books, furniture, kitchen items, sports equipment, tools, and holiday items. Once combined by category and year, clothing and music exceeded $5,000 in 2020; clothing, books, and music exceeded $5,000 in 2021; and clothing, toys and games, books, and music exceeded $5,000 in 2022. Donations over $5,000 generally require a qualified appraisal with an appraisal summary attached to the return (Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-13(c)(2)). The taxpayers had no appraisals for any of these categories, and even their basic receipts lacked any description of the donated items. The Department did allow the deductions for every category that stayed at or under $5,000.

No partial credit for a failed tier. The taxpayers argued, in the alternative, that the Department should at least allow a $5,000 deduction on the categories they couldn't fully substantiate. The Department rejected that outright, relying on Mohamed v. Commissioner: if a taxpayer fails to meet the substantiation requirement for the tier their donation actually falls into, the deduction is denied in full — it is not reduced down to whatever lower tier's proof the taxpayer happens to have.

Result: assessment upheld. Under Va. Code § 58.1-205, an assessment is presumed correct, and the burden was on the taxpayers to prove otherwise. Because they couldn't substantiate the over-$5,000 categories with a qualified appraisal, those deductions were properly denied in full, and updated bills with accrued interest were to follow for all three years.

What this means for you

Anyone making noncash charitable donations

If your donations of one type of item — clothing, furniture, electronics, whatever the category — add up to more than $5,000 across the whole year (even spread across multiple charities), you need a qualified appraisal, not just receipts, or the entire deduction for that category can be denied. There is no partial credit for "at least get me to $5,000."

If you donate regularly to the same or different charities

Track your donations by CATEGORY across the full year, not by individual gift or individual charity. The aggregation rule can push you into a higher substantiation tier without you realizing it, simply because your total giving in one category (like clothing) crossed $5,000.

Accountants and tax professionals

This is at least the third time this aggregation-and-no-step-down framework has appeared in Virginia rulings on noncash donations (similar issues arose in other 2025 Virginia rulings on itemized-deduction documentation). Advise clients up front, before filing, to get appraisals for any category of similar donated property likely to exceed $5,000 for the year — waiting for an audit is too late to fix the substantiation gap.

Common questions

Q: My clothing donations to five different charities were $1,200 each — do they combine?
A: Yes. "Similar items of property" donated during the year are aggregated for threshold purposes regardless of how many different donees received them.

Q: What if I have receipts, just not an appraisal?
A: Receipts and even contemporaneous written acknowledgments are necessary but not sufficient once your category's total value passes $5,000 — a qualified appraisal and appraisal summary are then required.

Q: Can I at least deduct up to the $5,000 tier if I can't get an appraisal?
A: No. Under the Mohamed v. Commissioner rule the Department applied here, failing the substantiation requirement for your actual tier denies the deduction in full — it doesn't step down to a lower tier's threshold.

Q: Does Virginia have its own separate substantiation rule, or does it just follow federal law?
A: Virginia conforms to the Internal Revenue Code for itemized deductions and applies the same federal Treasury Regulation substantiation tiers described here.

Citations and references

Statutes and regulations:

• Va. Code § 58.1-301 — Virginia's conformity to IRC terminology
• Va. Code § 58.1-219 — Department's authority to adjust FAGI/itemized deductions inconsistent with the IRC
• Va. Code § 58.1-322.03 1 — itemized deduction conformity, including charitable contributions
• Va. Code § 58.1-310 — Department's authority to require federal return and supporting documents
• Va. Code § 58.1-205 — assessment is prima facie correct; burden on the taxpayer
• Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-13 — noncash-contribution substantiation tiers by dollar amount
• Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-13(f)(2) — contemporaneous written acknowledgment required over $250
• IRC § 170(f)(11)(F) — similar items of property aggregated across donees

Cases the Department relied on (described here, not linked): Kunkel v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2015-71; Bass v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2023-41 (both on aggregating similar donated property); and Mohamed v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2012-152 (no step-down to a lower substantiation tier).

Source

• Landing page: Virginia Laws, Rules & Decisions
• Ruling: P.D. 25-118

Original ruling text

November 10, 2025

Re: § 58.1-1821 Application: Individual Income Tax

Dear * :

This will reply to your letter in which you seek correction of the individual income tax assessments issued to * (the “Taxpayers”) for the taxable years ended December 31, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

FACTS

The Taxpayers filed Virginia resident income tax returns for the taxable years at issue, claiming cash and noncash charitable contributions as itemized deductions reportable on federal Schedules A. Under audit, the Department requested documentation to support the deductions. The Taxpayers submitted some documentation, but the auditor determined that it was insufficient to support all of the claimed deductions and issued assessments accordingly.

The Taxpayers submitted an application for correction, contending they provided sufficient documentation to support the deductions claimed for noncash charitable contributions. Alternatively, the Taxpayers assert that the Department should allow a reduced deduction of $5,000 for donations they valued at more than $5,000 but did not obtain a qualified appraisal.

DETERMINATION

Conformity

Virginia Code § 58.1-301 provides, with certain exceptions, that terminology and references used in Title 58.1 of the Code of Virginia will have the same meaning as provided in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), unless a different meaning is clearly required. Conformity does not extend to terms, concepts, or principles not specifically provided in the Code of Virginia . For individual income tax purposes, Virginia conforms to federal law, in that it starts the computation of Virginia taxable income with federal adjusted gross income (FAGI). Income properly included in the FAGI of a Virginia resident is subject to taxation by Virginia unless it is specifically exempt as a Virginia modification pursuant to Chapter 3 of Title 58.1 of the Code of Virginia .

Generally, the Department relies on the accuracy of information and computations reflected on the federal income tax return when reviewing Virginia individual income tax returns. If the information provided on the federal return looks reasonable, there is generally no reason to look behind those computations. The Department, however, retains the authority to adjust the FAGI and itemized deductions where there is clear evidence that the amounts reported on the federal or Virginia income tax return are inconsistent with the IRC. See Virginia Code § 58.1-219.

Itemized Deductions

Virginia Code § 58.1-322.03 1 allows taxpayers to deduct from their Virginia adjusted gross income certain amounts allowed for itemized deductions for federal income tax purposes. These deductions include charitable contributions, provided they are claimed in accordance with the IRC and its related regulations.

The Department requested that the Taxpayers provide documentation supporting the charitable contribution deductions claimed on their Schedules A for the 2020 through 2022 taxable years. The requests indicated the specific documentation required to substantiate the deductions. Deductions for charitable contributions are allowable only when they can be substantiated through items such as receipts or cancelled checks. See Public Document (P.D.) 19-78 (7/29/2019) and P.D. 23-24 (3/1/2023). Any contribution over $250 must also have a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the donee indicating whether any goods or services were provided by the donee in connection with the contribution and, if so, the value of those goods or services. See Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-13(f)(2).

Under IRS regulations, the substantiation requirements for gifts of property other than money vary depending on the amount of the deduction claimed. The regulations set up three tiers of deductions, for amounts up to and including $500, greater than $500 but less than $5,000, and greater than $5,000, and require greater substantiation for each tier. See Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-13. For purposes of determining the applicable threshold values, property and all similar items of property donated to one or more donees during the year are treated as one property. See IRC § 170(f)(11)(F). See also Kunkel v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo 2015-71, and Bass v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo 2023-41.

“Similar items of property” is defined as “property of the same generic category or type, such as clothing, jewelry, furniture, electronic equipment, household appliances, or kitchenware.” See Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-13(c)(7)(iii). For example, if a taxpayer made three separate donations of furniture valued at $2,000 each, the rules applicable to donations greater than $5,000 would apply because the total value of furniture donated during the year exceeded $5,000. In this case, using the information provided by the Taxpayers, the audit staff separated the Taxpayers’ contributions into categories for clothing, dry goods, toys and games, music, books, furniture, kitchen, sports, tools, and holiday items.

In addition, if a taxpayer fails to meet the substantiation requirement for a particular threshold, no deduction is allowed. The deduction is not reduced to a lower threshold for which the taxpayer may have sufficient documentation. See, e.g ., Mohamed v. Comm’r , T.C. Memo 2012-152. For example, if the taxpayer in the previous example did not have an appraisal to support the furniture deduction, the entire deduction would be disallowed. It would not be reduced to the lower tier threshold of $5,000 or $500, even if the taxpayer was able to meet the substantiation requirements of the lower deduction tiers.

In this case, the Department allowed the deductions for each category of donations that were valued at $5,000 or less. Under Treas. Reg. § 1.170A-13(c)(2), however, if a taxpayer claims a deduction for property valued in excess of $5,000, the taxpayer generally must obtain a qualified appraisal and attach an appraisal summary to their return.

In the 2020 taxable year, the Taxpayers’ contributions of clothing and music were each valued over $5,000. In the 2021 taxable year, the Taxpayers’ contributions of clothing, books, and music were each valued over $5,000. In the 2022 taxable year, the Taxpayers’ contributions of clothing, toys and games, books, and music were each valued over $5,000. The Taxpayers did not submit any qualified appraisals or appraisal summaries with their returns. In addition, the receipts provided did not contain any description of the donated property. Accordingly, the deductions claimed for contributions of these items of property were properly denied.

CONCLUSION

Taxpayers must maintain records sufficient to allow the IRS to determine their correct tax liability. See Treas. Reg. § 1.6001-1(a). Similarly, Virginia Code § 58.1-310 provides:

Whenever in the opinion of the Department it is necessary to examine the federal income returns or any copy thereof of any individual, estate, trust, partnership, or corporation in order properly to audit such returns, the Department or the commissioner shall have the right to require such taxpayer to provide such return or a copy thereof and all statements, inventories, and schedules in support thereof.

Under the provisions of Virginia Code § 58.1-205, in any proceeding relating to the interpretation of the tax laws of Virginia, an “assessment of a tax by the Department shall be deemed prima facie correct.” As such, the burden of proof is on the Taxpayers to show that the assessment was erroneous. In this case, the Taxpayers did not provide sufficient substantiation to support the deductions claimed for noncash charitable contributions valued over $5,000. In addition, the Taxpayers’ alternative request for reduced deductions cannot be granted because deductions that are not substantiated based on the requirements of the applicable threshold are denied in full, not reduced to the threshold for which there was adequate substantiation. See, e.g ., Mohamed v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo 2012-152.

The Taxpayers will receive updated bills that will include accrued interest to date. The Taxpayers should remit the balances due within 30 days of the bill dates to avoid the accrual of additional interest and possible collection actions.

The Code of Virginia sections cited are available online at law.lis.virginia.gov. The public documents cited are available at tax.virginia.gov in the Laws, Rules, & Decisions section of the Department’s website. If you have any questions regarding this decision, you may contact * in the Office of Tax Policy and Legal Affairs, Adjudication and Resolution Division, at or **.

Sincerely,

James J. Alex
Tax Commissioner
Commonwealth of Virginia

AR/5069.Q

Related Documents

19-78

23-24