topic How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to complete form 8283? Turbotax won't let me submit if I leave it blank. in Deductions & credits

How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to complete form 8283? Turbotax won't let me submit if I leave it blank.

bfriesen01 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:00:34 GMT

I don't know the cost basis on the charitable donation, as that's not reported anywhere. And the date of acquired shares are over multiple dates >1 year ago, which the IRS does not require cost basis to be reported. If I mark it as 0, Turbotax eliminates the donation deduction.

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to comp...

DavidD66 — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 22:48:51 GMT

For the date acquired, use "Various", or pick a date that is more than two years prior to donation date. For the cost basis, estimate. As long as the donation qualifies for the donation amount to be the fair market value on date of donation (as opposed to cost basis), it won't have any affect on the amount of your allowed donation.

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to complete form 8283? Turbotax won't let me submit if I leave it blank.

Mike9241 — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 01:39:56 GMT

certain info is not required if the stock donation $500 or less and a publicly traded security - date acq, -how acq, cost. probably donations on different dates should not be lumped together because the FMV differs the same would be required for stock donations to different charities.

$500 or less works for desktop deluxe those columns can be left blank

$501 and they are required.

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to comp...

dmgmd — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 19:31:32 GMT

The IRS form 8283 instructions say "Do not complete column g for publicly traded securities held more than 12 months unless you elect to limit your deduction cost basis" but TurboTax won't let me submit without this information and then when I put in best estimate of our cost basis (as this is not supplied by Schwab) my refund amount goes down.

I am wondering if we hit the 30% AGI non-cash limit and so when I finish this last charitable donation that final calculation is made and then it is taken out of our return. How can I know if this is the case? And if so will TurboTax let me know that I have a carryover donation?

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to comp...

RobertB4444 — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 16:03:35 GMT

Entering a zero for the cost basis (or 0.01 cents if the system balks at a zero) will maximize your donation and solve the problem.

@dmgmd

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to comp...

mfixer — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 22:12:52 GMT

Can you please review your response and let us know if there is a different option? I am having a similar issue related to the cost basis for donated stocks.

Stocks were acquired on various dates, all held for multiple years so beyond the 1 year threshold. I have tried both options in the Date Acquired field - (a) Choosing a date older than a year (even though they were acquired on various dates) and (b) inputting "Various" instead of a date (which is what the instructions say to do.

Leaving the Cost Basis field blank or inputting the same value as the Fair Market Value (since the stocks were purchased more than a year ago and I should get full value for the donation) provides a greater refund to me. If I input 0 or the the actual cost basis, my refund is diminished, which should not be the case.

However, Turbo Tax requires a value in the Cost Basis field even though direction from the IRS states that a cost basis does not have to be provided. It seems Turbo Tax's calculations in this matter are incorrect.

How can we proceed with leaving the Cost Basis blank and not getting an error message from Turbo Tax?

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to comp...

PattiF — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 00:57:41 GMT

Follow these instructions to enter the Stock donation. Please see the screenshots for details.

When you enter the contribution in TurboTax, you should choose the Stock option in the list you will see.
You will then be asked to enter the date of the donation, stock symbol, value at the date of the donation, the date you acquired it, and cost basis of the shares. Make sure the date you acquired it is more than one year from the date of the donation.
You will receive a 30% of adjusted gross income deduction for the contribution of appreciated securities held long-term. Any unused deduction can be carried over to future years.
This tells the IRS and Turbo Tax that this is a Donor Advised Fund contribution.

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to comp...

garrmeyer — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 02:35:30 GMT

I have held my securities for over two years, and the IRS form 8283 instructions say "Do not complete column g for publicly traded securities held more than 12 months unless you elect to limit your deduction cost basis" but TurboTax won't let me e-file without this information, and when I enter anything in the cost basis (small or large value), it decreases my deduction. My AGI high enough, and the recipient charity is a public charity (PC), so I don't think I'm hitting the 50% limit.

I don't know if I'm missing something, or if this is just a TurboTax bug. Any help would be appreciated.

Re: How do I e-file with charitable stock donation, as Turbotax is requiring a cost basis to comp...

DaveF1006 — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:23:05 GMT

TurboTax often uses "cost basis" as a required field to trigger the generation of Form 8283. Without it, the software’s "Error Check" or "Smart Check" flags the form as incomplete, which blocks the e-file transmission. However, by providing a cost basis, the software’s calculation engine may incorrectly apply the "cost basis election," slashing your deduction from the FMV down to what you paid for the stock.

1. The "Step-by-Step" Cleanup.

Go back to the Deductions & Credits section for Charitable Donations.
Find the entry for your stock donation.
Ensure the Date Acquired is clearly marked as more than one year prior to the donation date.
Check if there is a checkbox that says something like "I elect to limit my deduction to my cost basis." Make sure this is unchecked.

In many versions, if you leave the cost basis blank and it throws an error, users have found success by entering the FMV in both the value and cost basis boxes, but this is risky as it might still trigger the wrong tax treatment.

2. The Desktop Version "Forms Mode" Trick (Recommended) If you are using the Desktop version, you have much more control:

Switch to Forms Mode (top right of the screen).
Open Form 8283 from the list on the left.
Look at Column (g). If TurboTax has auto-filled it or highlighted it in red, try to delete the entry.
If the program insists on an entry for e-filing, look for the Charitable Contribution Worksheet associated with this gift.
Ensure the "Type of Deduction" is set to FMV and not "Basis."

3. The "Force-Refresh" Method If the software is stuck in a loop:

Delete the donation entirely.

Go to Tax Tools > Tools > Delete a form and remove Form 8283 and any "Donation Worksheets." If using the desktop version, go to the forms mode and delete the forms from there.
Re-enter the donation from scratch. When asked for the "Value," ensure you select that it is Publicly Traded Stock and held Long-Term. If it asks for cost basis and won't let you proceed, some users enter the cost basis but then explicitly ensure the "30% AGI Limit" (FMV) is selected in the subsequent summary screens.

Important Tax Note

Since you are donating appreciated stock held for >12 months to a Public Charity (PC):
Your Deduction: Should be the Fair Market Value (usually the average of the high and low price on the date of donation).

The Limit: You are subject to a 30% AGI limit. If your donation exceeds 30% of your AGI, the excess simply carries forward for up to 5 years. Do not let TurboTax force you into the 50% "Cost Basis" election unless you actually need it to use the deduction this year and the basis is very close to the FMV.