Transfer tax
Wisconsin charges a real estate transfer fee of $0.30 per $100 of value. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
Donate a house, lake lot or farm parcel in Wisconsin, in any of the 72 counties
Wisconsin property specialists: (888) 228-7320
Donate Real Estate in Wisconsin
Wisconsin files its transfer return electronically, and the register of deeds will not record a conveyance until the return has been completed, including where an exemption applies. Beyond that, two things shape the property here: lake frontage held by families who have scattered, and woodland enrolled in managed forest programs that carry commitments into the next owner’s hands.
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Wisconsin rules for a property donation
Federal tax rules are the same in every state. These three are set by Wisconsin and by the county where the property sits.
The electronic transfer return
Every Wisconsin conveyance is accompanied by an electronic real estate transfer return, and the receipt from it goes to the register with the deed. Exempt transfers still file. We complete it as part of preparing the deed, so nothing stops at the counter.
Recording
Deeds are recorded with the register of deeds for the county where the property sits. You sign before a notary wherever you live, and we handle the filing.
What Wisconsin owners call us about
Four situations the state produces more of than most.
Woodland under a managed forest order
Enrollment lowers the tax bill in exchange for a management plan and a term commitment, with a withdrawal charge if it ends early. It runs with the land and it is a figure in the review.
A lake cottage owned by six cousins
Northwoods and lake country property inherited by a generation spread across several states, with taxes, insurance and a pier to maintain.
Dairy ground after the herd was sold
Barns and milkhouses that no longer have a use, with cropland cash rented to a neighbor.
A Milwaukee duplex with deferred work
Sound older two-flats where the mechanical and roof bill outruns what the finished building appraises for.
Wisconsin property we accept
Each links to the full guide for that type, including how a donation compares with selling.
Houses in WisconsinBungalows, duplexes, farmhouses and lake cottages.
Wisconsin landLake frontage, Northwoods acreage, hunting land and city lots.
Farm groundDairy land, corn and soybean ground, cranberry marsh.
Commercial propertyMain street buildings, storefronts and small offices.
Industrial buildingsWarehouse and manufacturing space in the river and lake cities.
Land contractsProperty sold on terms years ago. We take over the payments and deliver the deed at payoff.
What a donation looks like by region
Six Wisconsins, and water features in most of them.
Milwaukee and the southeast
Duplexes and bungalows held for generations, small commercial, and housing where repairs outrun value.
Madison and the south central counties
Inherited houses in a tight market, plus farm ground on the development edge.
The Fox Valley and northeast
Paper mill town housing, small industrial buildings and bay frontage.
The Northwoods
Lake cottages, hunting camps and large woodland parcels, much of it enrolled in managed forest programs.
The Driftless southwest
Steep valley farms, timber and small river towns.
The northwest and Lake Superior
Remote acreage, shoreline parcels and small-town property with real winter carrying costs.
Wisconsin real estate donation questions, answered
Is a donated deed subject to Wisconsin transfer tax?+
Wisconsin charges a real estate transfer fee of $0.30 per $100 of value. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.
I live outside Wisconsin. Do I have to travel there to sign?+
No. We prepare the deed in the form Wisconsin requires for the county where the property sits, you sign before a notary where you live, and we record it with the county register of deeds.
My woodland is in a managed forest program. Can it still be donated?+
Yes, and the enrollment ordinarily continues with the land. Where a withdrawal happens instead, there is a charge, and that is a number we work out during the review rather than after. Send the order number and the parcel.
Does Wisconsin give a state tax deduction for a property donation?+
Wisconsin has a state income tax, and how it treats a charitable contribution is set by Wisconsin law rather than by us. Your federal deduction follows the usual IRS rules. Take the state question to your own advisor.
Six of us inherited the cottage and we do not agree. What then?+
Common, and workable. Sometimes all owners convey together; sometimes an individual undivided share can be given on its own. Tell us how many names are on the deed and how it came down, and we will tell you what is possible.
We do not provide tax or legal advice. State and local transfer tax rules change; we confirm current requirements when we prepare each deed. Consult your own advisor.
Tell us about your Wisconsin property and we will review it
The county and a parcel number are enough to start.