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Boat appraisals for gift tax, prepared in accordance with IRS gift tax requirements (Form 709). AppraiseItNow provides certified marine valuations reflecting transfer-date fair market value, protecting donors from audit exposure and undervaluation penalties.
IRS Form 709 Qualified…I am looking forward to utilizing AppraiseItNow for many years to come
DEFENSIBLE, USPAP-COMPLIANT BOAT APPRAISAL REPORTS — QUALIFIED FOR THE IRS, PROBATE COURTS, AND ESTATE ATTORNEYS.
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Owner & CEO
Joe founded AppraiseItNow to make a certified, USPAP-compliant appraisal as simple to order as anything else online. A former Bain & Company strategy consultant, Joe leads the entire team and specializes in strategy, growth, and the firm's tech capabilities.
Vehicle Appraiser
CAGA Certified Appraiser since 2014, covering vehicles, boats, equipment, fine art, and collectibles. A classic-car restoration background informs her vehicle work, with reports prepared for insurance, divorce, and charitable contributions.
Client Success Manager
Manages each engagement from the first enquiry to the delivered report, and keeps you posted at every step along the way.
Certified Appraisers Guild of AmericaCertified Appraiser
The Appraisal FoundationAuthorized by Congress as the source of appraisal standardsWhen you transfer a boat to another person without receiving full market value in return, the IRS requires you to report the gift on Form 709 if its value exceeds the 2025 annual exclusion of $19,000 per recipient. A qualified appraisal establishing fair market value is the foundation of that filing, giving the IRS the documentation it needs to evaluate the transfer and protecting you from indefinite audit exposure. Our boat appraisal services cover vessels of all types and sizes, with appraisers who understand marine markets, hull condition, engine hours, and the comparable sales data that support a defensible valuation.
AppraiseItNow delivers appraisals both online and onsite across the United States, making it straightforward to get a compliant report regardless of where the vessel is located. Our gift tax valuation services are designed to satisfy adequate disclosure requirements, start the three-year statute of limitations, and hold up under IRS scrutiny.
AppraiseItNow appraises a wide range of vessels commonly transferred as gifts, including:
Our process and deliverables are designed to meet IRS qualified appraisal standards for Form 709 filings:
What clients say we are known for
Across 80+ published AppraiseItNow reviews the picture is consistent: every one is from a client who paid us for an appraisal, and the three things they raise most often are that they would hire us again, how quickly we answer, and how much research is visible in the report.
From the start they were very responsive, price competitive, and had a quick turn around time. Thank you so much to Joe who was very sweet in responding to my emails; I am looking forward to utilizing AppraiseItNow for many years to come.
Very thorough and professional — great communication and outstanding service. Highly impressed with their work!
Fair market value on the date of the gift under the federal gift tax regulations: the price a willing buyer and willing seller would agree on in the relevant market. If the gift exceeds the annual exclusion, $19,000 per recipient for 2025, the donor reports it on Form 709 and the excess draws down the lifetime exemption.
No. When property transfers for less than adequate and full consideration, the spread between fair market value and the price paid is treated as a gift under 26 U.S.C. Section 2512(b) and belongs on Form 709. Informal family sales at a dollar are exactly the transfers this rule catches.
Rarely. Publication 561 limits the guides-only shortcut to inexpensive small boats and otherwise expects a marine surveyor's appraisal, because condition dominates boat value. The IRS also rejects list prices and unadjusted guide values that ignore the vessel's actual condition and verified comparable sales.
Yes. Some states impose use tax on the boat's fair market value at registration regardless of the donor-recipient relationship, and the registration agency may apply its own valuation guide or demand an appraisal. That creates a second valuation record that should stay consistent with the federal reporting.