When several items are bought for one lump sum (e.g., a business, or real property along with personal property), the basis must be separated among the various properties.

Exception - If a taxpayer buys several assets to get just one, the whole price is allocated to the one.

Allocate to each item according to FMV, e.g., the basis of building A equals the FMV of A divided by the total FMV of all the assets, times total purchase price.