Box 20 · code AH
K-1 box 20 code AH: noncash gifts need two numbers
AH is the letter where a single missing number stops the return. A noncash charitable contribution needs the fair market value and the adjusted basis together, and the K-1 prints neither.
The wording on the form is: Noncash charitable contributions. Read against the year printed in the K-1 header, because the letters are reassigned between years.
Where the letter goes
Form 8283, Section A or Section B, then Schedule A line 12 — with Section B and a qualified appraisal once the claimed value crosses the form's threshold.
Form 8283 exists to report both the value claimed and the basis given up. One without the other cannot be filed, which is why the letter points at a form rather than at a line.
What has to be true before any of it can be claimed
- Both figures are in hand. Fair market value alone describes a gift; fair market value with adjusted basis describes the deduction and what it may cost in another year.
- The property is described well enough to identify. Form 8283 asks what was given, not only how much it was worth.
- The partner itemizes, and the partner's own AGI limit has room for a noncash gift.
What the statement has to show
The statement behind AH should give the property, the value and the basis. Where the K-1 prints an amount directly, it is still the pair that has to reach the form — the amount in box 20 is not by itself what goes on Schedule A.
What goes wrong, and the shape of it
- Value recorded, basis dropped. The most common failure on this letter. The deduction looks right and the form is incomplete, and the basis is what determines whether the gift also costs the partner a deduction somewhere else.
- AH treated as a cash gift. Cash gifts are in box 13 under A, B or G. A noncash gift entered as cash claims a limit that does not apply to it.
- The appraisal threshold ignored. Above the threshold the form requires Section B and a qualified appraisal. Recording the value without recording that a appraisal exists makes the file look finished when it is not.
What the reading step does here, and what it does not
K1 FastTax reads the AH letter and any amount printed beside it, and records the page. It does not read the contribution statement and does not produce Form 8283.
The rest of box 20 is in the full box 20 code list , and the printed wording of the box itself is on the box 20 page . This page describes where a code goes; it is not tax advice, and the Partner's Instructions for the year on your K-1 are the authority.
Plain answers
Questions about box 20 code AH
What is K-1 box 20 code AH?
Noncash charitable contributions. It tells the partner that a gift of property, rather than cash, was allocated to them, and it points at Form 8283 rather than at a line on Schedule A.
Why do I need both fair market value and basis?
Because the form asks for both and the return cannot be filed with one. Value establishes the deduction; basis describes what was given up, and the two together are what a reviewer or an examiner works from.
Where do cash contributions appear then?
In box 13, under codes A, B and G depending on the AGI limit that applies. Box 20 code AH is specifically the noncash case.
Does the K-1 print the fair market value?
Usually not on the face of the K-1. The detail lives on the attached statement, and the letter is the key that ties the statement back to this partner.
Read box 20 code AH from your own K-1
K1 FastTax keeps the letter, the amount and the page together, keeps a statement reference as STMT rather than zero, and records which rows a person checked.