An appraisal document that is created, signed and dated by a qualified appraiser and meets the requirements set forth by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A qualified appraisal is made no sooner than 60 days before a piece of property is donated. The document is used to notify the IRS that the value of a piece of property is in excess of $5,000.

A qualified appraisal is attached to Form 8283 and filed with a tax return if a deduction is being requested.

Determining the value of a piece of property is especially important when making a donation, since an improper valuation can result in either a deduction lower than what the property could bring or a red flag by the IRS for a valuation that seems too high.