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Your donation records checklist

A better paper trail starts before the item leaves your home.

Print this checklist

Before collection

• List each item and quantity.
• Photograph the full item and any wear.
• Record dimensions, condition and identifying details.
• Save your used-value evidence and the method for your estimate.
• Confirm the receiving organization and its acceptance.
• Keep transport arrangements and service charges in a separate record.

At the handoff

• Record the donation date and location.
• Confirm what was actually received and what was declined.
• Ask the charity for its acknowledgment and check the description.
• Keep the final item list with the acknowledgment.

Check the acknowledgment

For contributions of $250 or more, the IRS requires a contemporaneous written acknowledgment with the required description and information about anything provided in return. Obtain it by the applicable deadline—generally the earlier of filing your return or its due date, including extensions. Keep records for smaller gifts too.

Source: IRS Publication 526: records and written acknowledgments ↗ · Reviewed October 20, 2026.

Before filing

Review your donations for the whole year, including similar items given to different organizations. Check the Form 8283 and appraisal thresholds, and ask a qualified adviser if you are uncertain. This page is a planning checklist, not a charitable receipt or tax form.