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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark one)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

or

For the transition period from                                  to                                 

Commission file number 0-20103

WELLS REAL ESTATE FUND IV, L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act:

CLASS A UNITS

(Title of class)

CLASS B UNITS

(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.

Not Applicable

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes  ¨    No  x

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

Not Applicable

Note.—If a determination as to whether a particular person or entity is an affiliate cannot be made without involving unreasonable effort and expense, the aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates may be calculated on the basis of assumptions reasonable under the circumstances, provided that the assumptions are set forth in this Form.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this Form 10-K of Wells Real Estate Fund IV, L.P. (the “Partnership”) other than historical facts may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and prospects and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, as well as known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Therefore, such statements are not intended to be a guarantee of our performance in future periods. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” or other similar words. Specifically, among others, we consider statements concerning projections of future operating results and cash flows, our ability to meet future obligations, and the amount and timing of future distributions to limited partners to be forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that this report is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither the Partnership nor the general partners make any representations or warranties (expressed or implied) about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from any forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K, and we do not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Any such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors and are based on a number of assumptions involving judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive, and market conditions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately. To the extent that our assumptions differ from actual results, our ability to meet such forward-looking statements, including our ability to generate positive cash flow from operations; provide distributions to limited partners; and maintain the value of our real estate properties, may be significantly hindered. Some of the risks and uncertainties, although not all risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented in certain forward-looking statements follow:

General economic risks

Real estate risks

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Other operational risks

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PART I

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS.

General

Wells Real Estate Fund IV, L.P. (the “Partnership”) is a Georgia public limited partnership with Leo F. Wells, III and Wells Partners, L.P. (“Wells Partners”), a Georgia non-public limited partnership, serving as its general partners (collectively, the “General Partners”). Wells Capital, Inc. (“Wells Capital”) serves as the corporate general partner of Wells Partners. Wells Capital is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Real Estate Funds, Inc. Leo F. Wells, III is the president and sole director of Wells Capital and the sole owner of Wells Real Estate Funds, Inc. The Partnership was formed on October 25, 1990 for the purpose of acquiring, developing, constructing, owning, operating, improving, leasing and managing income-producing commercial properties for investment purposes. The Partnership has two classes of limited partnership interests, Class A and Class B Units. Limited partners may vote to, among other things, (a) amend the partnership agreement, subject to certain limitations; (b) change the business purpose or investment objectives of the Partnership; and (c) add or remove a general partner. A majority vote on any of the above-described matters will bind the Partnership without the concurrence of the General Partners. Each limited partner unit has equal voting rights, regardless of class.

On March 4, 1991, the Partnership commenced an offering of up to $25,000,000 of Class A or Class B limited partnership units ($10.00 per unit) pursuant to a Registration Statement filed on Form S-11 under the Securities Act of 1933. The Partnership commenced active operations upon receiving and accepting subscriptions for 125,000 Units on May 13, 1991. The offering was terminated on February 29, 1992 at which time the Partnership had sold approximately 1,322,909 Class A Units and 38,551 Class B Units representing capital contributions of $13,614,652.

Management believes that the Partnership typically operates through the following five key life cycle phases. The duration of each phase is dependent upon various economic, industry, market, and other internal/external factors. Some overlap naturally exists in the transition from one phase to the next.

The period during which the Partnership is raising capital through the sale and issuance of limited partner units to the public;

The period during which the Partnership invests the capital raised during the fundraising phase, less upfront fees, into the acquisition of real estate assets;

The period during which real estate assets are owned and operated by the Partnership during the initial lease terms of the tenants;

The period during which the leases in place at the time of acquisition expire and, thus, the Partnership expends time, effort, and funds to re-lease such space to existing and/or new tenants. Following the holding phase, the Partnership continues to own and operate the real estate assets, evaluate various options for disposition, and market the real estate assets for sale; and

The period during which the Partnership sells its real estate investments, distributes net sale proceeds to the partners, liquidates, and terminates the Partnership.

The Partnership has moved from the positioning-for-sale phase and into the disposition-and-liquidation phase of its life cycle and, accordingly, is focusing on re-leasing and marketing efforts that will result in the best disposition price for the remaining assets.

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Employees

The Partnership has no direct employees. The employees of Wells Capital, the corporate general partner of Wells Partners, and Wells Management Company, Inc. (“Wells Management”), an affiliate of the General Partners, perform a full range of real estate services including leasing and property management, accounting, asset management and investor relations for the Partnership. See Item 13, “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions,” for a summary of the fees paid to the General Partners and their affiliates during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004.

Insurance

Wells Management carries comprehensive liability and extended coverage with respect to the properties in which the Partnership has an ownership interest. In the opinion of management of the Partnership, all such properties are adequately insured.

Competition

The Partnership will experience competition for tenants from owners and managers of competing projects which may include the General Partners and their affiliates. As a result, in connection with negotiating leases, the Partnership may offer rental concessions, reduced charges for tenant improvements, and other inducements, all of which may have an adverse impact on results of operations. The Partnership is also in competition with sellers of similar properties to locate suitable purchasers for its properties.

Web Site Address

Access to copies of each of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) may be obtained free of charge from the following website, http://www.wellsref.com, through a link to the http://www.sec.gov website.

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES.

The Partnership owns interests in all of its real estate assets through joint ventures with other entities affiliated with the General Partners. During the periods presented, the Partnership owned interests in the following joint ventures (the “Joint Ventures”) and properties:

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Wells Real Estate Fund III, L.P and Wells Real Estate Fund V, L.P. are affiliated with the Partnership through common general partners. Each of the aforementioned properties was acquired on an all-cash basis.

As of December 31, 2004, the lease expirations scheduled during the following ten years for all properties in which the Partnership owned an interest through the Joint Ventures, assuming no exercise of renewal options or termination rights, are summarized below:

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The Joint Ventures and properties in which the Partnership owned an interest during the periods presented are further described below:

Fund III-IV Associates

In March 1991, Fund III-IV Associates was formed for the purpose of developing, constructing, operating, and selling commercial and industrial real properties. During the periods presented, the Partnership and Wells Real Estate Fund III, L.P. owned equity interests of approximately 43% and 57%, respectively, in the following properties based on their respective cumulative capital contributions to Fund III-IV Associates:

Stockbridge Village Shopping Center

In April 1991, Fund III-IV Associates purchased 13.62 acres of real property located in Stockbridge, Georgia, for the purpose of developing, constructing, and operating a shopping center known as the Stockbridge Village Shopping Center. The multi-tenant shopping center contained approximately 112,900 square feet, of which approximately 64,000 square feet was occupied by the Kroger Company (“Kroger”), a retail grocery chain. Kroger was the only tenant in occupancy of more than ten percent of the rentable square feet of this property. On April 29, 2004, four affiliated Joint Ventures, including Fund III-IV Associates, sold five real properties, including the Stockbridge Village Shopping Center, to an unrelated third party for a gross sales price of $23,750,000. As a result of the sale of the Stockbridge Village Shopping Center, the Partnership received net sale proceeds of approximately $5,100,000 and was allocated a gain of approximately $2,000,000.

4400 Cox Road

In July 1992, Fund III-IV Associates acquired the 4400 Cox Road, a two-story office building containing approximately 43,000 square feet located in Richmond, Virginia. 100% of this building was leased to the Reciprocal Group, an insurance company, on October 4, 2000 for a term of eight years, with rent commencing in February 2001. Reciprocal Group terminated its lease and vacated the premises effective July 31, 2003. In 2004, two new leases were executed. As of December 31, 2004, New York Life Insurance Company leased approximately 34% of the building, and Apex Systems, Inc. leased approximately 50% of 4400 Cox Road. New York Life Insurance Company entered into a lease for approximately 14,700 square feet commencing on October 1, 2004 for approximately ten years and three months, including three months of rent abatements at lease commencement, with initial monthly base rent of approximately $21,496 and increasing each October until the lease expiration. Apex Systems, Inc. entered into a lease for approximately 21,300 square feet commencing on November 15, 2004 for approximately ten years and ten months, including seven months of rent abatements at lease commencement, with initial monthly base rent of approximately $25,521, increasing to approximately $26,163 per month effective December 1, 2005, increasing to approximately $31,826 per month effective June 1, 2006, and thereafter increasing by approximately 2.5% every December until lease expiration.

Fund IV-V Associates

In April 1992, Fund IV-V Associates was formed for the purpose of developing, constructing, owning, and operating commercial properties. During the periods presented, the Partnership and Wells Real Estate Fund V, L.P. owned equity interests of approximately 38% and 62%, respectively, in the following properties based on their respective cumulative capital contributions to Fund IV-V Associates:

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Village Overlook Property

In September 1992, Fund IV-V Associates acquired 2.655 acres of real property in Stockbridge, Georgia for the purpose of constructing two substantially identical two-story office buildings containing approximately 17,850 rentable square feet each (the “Village Overlook Property”). On September 29, 2003, Fund IV-V Associates sold the Village Overlook Property to an unrelated third party for a gross selling price of $5,300,000. As a result of this sale, the Partnership received net sale proceeds of approximately $1,882,000 and was allocated a gain of approximately $689,000.

10407 Centurion Parkway North

In June 1992, Fund IV-V Associates acquired approximately 5.676 acres of real property located in Jacksonville, Florida for the purpose of developing, constructing, and operating a four-story office building, 10407 Centurion Parkway North, containing approximately 87,600 square feet. Approximately 62,400 square feet (or approximately 70%) of 10407 Centurion Parkway North was leased primarily to International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM”), a computer sales and service corporation, from April 1993 through April 2003.

During 2004, Fund IV-V Associates entered into a lease with Synovus Bank for approximately 19,000 square feet (or approximately 22% of the property) for a term of eleven years commencing on June 1, 2004. In connection with negotiating the Synovus Bank lease, Fund IV-V Associates agreed to absorb free rent for twelve months. Beginning June 1, 2005, annual base rent will be approximately $326,000 and increases each June until the lease expiration. The annualized base rent for the Synovus Bank lease for the last year of the lease is approximately $390,000.

Additionally, a lease was executed with ADP, Inc. for approximately 32,000 square feet (or approximately 36% of the property) to commence on July 1, 2004 for a term of five years and five months. Fund IV-V Associates will absorb free rent for seven months. Beginning February 1, 2005 the annual base rent was approximately $543,000 and increases approximately 3% each December. Two other tenants, Kaplan Company and Commercial Jacksonville, Inc. lease approximately 2% and 3% of 10407 Centurion Parkway North, respectively. Management is actively marketing the property to prospective tenants.

From time to time, we are party to legal proceedings, which arise in the ordinary course of its business. We are not currently involved in any litigation for which the outcome would, in the judgment of the General Partners based on information currently available, have a materially adverse impact on the results of operations or financial condition of the Partnership, nor is management aware of any such litigation threatened against us. In addition, no legal proceedings were terminated during the fourth quarter of 2004.

ITEM 4.    SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

No matters were submitted to a vote of the limited partners during the fourth quarter of 2004.

PART II

ITEM 5.     MARKET FOR PARTNERSHIP’S UNITS AND RELATED SECURITY HOLDER MATTERS.

Summary

As of February 28, 2005, 1,322,909 Class A Units and 38,551 Class B Units held by a total of 1,224 and 39 limited partners, respectively, were outstanding. Capital contributions are equal to $10.00 per each limited partnership unit. A public trading market has not been established for the Partnership’s limited partnership units, nor is such a market anticipated to develop in the future. The partnership agreement provides the General Partners with the right to prohibit transfers of units at their discretion.

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Unit Valuation

Because fiduciaries of retirement plans subject to ERISA and IRA custodians are required to determine and report the value of the assets held in their respective plans or accounts on an annual basis, the General Partners are required under the partnership agreement to report estimated unit values each year in the Partnership’s annual report on Form 10-K. The methodology to be utilized for determining such estimated unit values under the partnership agreement requires the General Partners to estimate the amount a unit holder would receive assuming that the Partnership’s properties were sold at their estimated fair market values as of the end of the Partnership’s fiscal year, and the proceeds therefrom (without any reduction for selling expenses), plus the amount of net sale proceeds held by the Partnership at year-end from previous property sales, if any, were distributed to the limited partners in liquidation. The estimated unit valuations are intended to be an estimate of the distributions that would be made to limited partners who purchased their units directly from the Partnership in the Partnership’s original public offering of units.

Utilizing the foregoing methodology and based upon market conditions existing in early December 2004, the General Partners have estimated the Partnership’s unit valuations, based upon their estimates of property values as of December 31, 2004, to be approximately $5.02 per Class A Unit and $5.02 per Class B Unit. These estimates should not be viewed as an accurate reflection of the value of the limited partners’ units, what limited partners might be able to sell their units for, or the fair market value of the Partnership’s properties, nor do they necessarily represent the amount of net proceeds limited partners would receive if the Partnership’s properties were sold and the proceeds distributed in a liquidation of the Partnership. There is no established public trading market for the Partnership’s limited partnership units, and it is not anticipated that a public trading market for the units will ever develop. In addition, property values are subject to change and could decline in the future. While, as required by the partnership agreement, the General Partners have obtained an opinion from The David L. Beal Company, an independent MAI appraiser, to the effect that such estimates of value were deemed reasonable and were prepared in accordance with appropriate methods for valuing real estate, no actual appraisals were obtained due to the inordinate expense which would be involved in obtaining appraisals for all of the Partnership’s properties.

The valuations performed by the General Partners are estimates only, and are based on a number of assumptions which may not be accurate or complete and may or may not be applicable to any specific limited partnership units. These estimated valuations assume, and are applicable only to, limited partners who purchased their units directly from the Partnership in the Partnership’s original public offering of units. Further, as set forth above, no third-party appraisals have or will be obtained. For these reasons, the estimated unit valuations set forth above should not be used by or relied upon by investors, other than fiduciaries of retirement plans and IRA custodians for limited ERISA and IRA reporting purposes, as any indication of the fair market value of their units. In addition, it should be noted that ERISA plan fiduciaries and IRA custodians may use estimated unit valuations obtained from other sources, such as prices paid for the Partnership’s units in secondary market trades, and that such estimated unit valuations may well be lower than those estimated by the General Partners using the methodology required by the partnership agreement.

It should also be noted that the Partnership is in the process of selling certain of its properties and that, as properties are sold and the net proceeds from property sales are distributed to limited partners, the remaining value of the Partnership’s portfolio of properties, and resulting value of Partnership’s limited partnership units, will naturally decline. In considering the foregoing estimated unit valuations, it should be noted that the Partnership has previously distributed net sale proceeds in the amount of $3.40 per Class A Unit and $3.40 per Class B Unit to its limited partners.

Operating cash available for distribution to the limited partners is generally distributed on a quarterly basis. In accordance with the partnership agreement, such distributions are paid first to the limited partners holding Class A Units until they have received a 10% per annum return on their respective adjusted capital contributions, as defined. Cash from operations is then paid to the General Partners until each has received an amount equal to 10% of distributions. Any remaining cash available for distribution is split between limited partners holding Class A Units and the General Partners on a basis of 90% and 10%, respectively. No cash distributions will be made to each limited partner holding Class B Units.

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Operating cash distributions made to limited partners holding Class A Units during 2003 and 2004 are summarized below:

The Partnership has reserved operating distributions to limited partners during 2004 primarily due to funding re-leasing costs of 4400 Cox Road and 10407 Centurion Parkway North. No operating cash distributions were paid to the limited partners holding Class B Units or the General Partners as of December 31, 2004 or 2003.

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ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

The following sets forth a summary of the selected financial data as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000.

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Selected Financial Data presented in Item 6 and our accompanying financial statements and notes thereto.

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Portfolio Overview

The Partnership has moved from the positioning-for-sale phase into the disposition-and-liquidation phase of its life cycle. We have sold two assets, with only two assets remaining in the Partnership. Our focus on the remaining assets involves re-leasing and marketing efforts that we believe will result in the best disposition pricing for our investors.

During 2004, we accomplished a number of goals. First, we completed the sale of the Stockbridge Village Shopping Center as we continue to progress through the disposition-and-liquidation phase. Second, we increased leasing at both 10407 Centurion Parkway North and 4400 Cox Road, both of which had significant vacancies at the beginning of the year. Lastly, we made our first distribution of net sale proceeds to limited partners totaling approximately $4,627,000 in November 2004 from the sales of the Village Overlook Property and the Stockbridge Village Shopping Center.

With only two properties remaining in the Partnership, the General Partners are currently reserving operating cash and the remaining net sale proceeds to fund the re-leasing costs anticipated for the remaining vacancy at 4400 Cox Road and 10407 Centurion Parkway North. We anticipate that operating distributions will continue to be reserved in the near term, as re-leasing occurs at both properties, particularly since operating cash flow has decreased with the sale of Stockbridge Village Shopping Center. Once the outcome of the property re-leasing efforts is known, the General Partners will evaluate if further distributions of net sale proceeds are appropriate.

Property Summary

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As we move further into the disposition-and-liquidation phase, we will continue to focus on re-leasing vacant space and space that may become vacant upon the expiration of our current leases. In doing so, we seek to maximize returns to the limited partners by negotiating long-term leases at market rental rates while attempting to minimize down time, re-leasing expenditures, ongoing property level costs, and portfolio costs. As properties are positioned for sale, our attention will shift to locating suitable buyers, negotiating purchase-sale contracts that will attempt to maximize the total return to the limited partners and minimize contingencies, and our post-closing involvement with the buyers.

Industry Factors

Our results continue to be impacted by a number of factors influencing the real estate industry.

General Economic and Real Estate Market Commentary

Management reviews a number of economic forecasts and market commentaries in order to evaluate general economic conditions and formulate a view of the current environment’s effect on the real estate markets in which we operate.

Management believes that the U.S. economy is continuing on the path of slow, but steady recovery. Job growth is improving, with 2.2 million jobs created in 2004, and with another 2.4 to 2.8 million projected to be added in 2005. Gross Domestic Product growth and renewed business confidence are fueling the job growth. However, uncertainty still exists in the economy, primarily due to high oil prices, the war in Iraq, the trade deficit, and other global issues.

The U.S. office real estate market has begun to show modest improvement. The strength of the overall economy is having a positive impact on office real estate fundamentals. Positive absorption of office space combined with a decline in new construction has contributed to the increase in office occupancy rates for three consecutive quarters. Although occupancy rates have increased, management does not expect that they will rise by more than 200 basis points annually. As a result, management anticipates that it could be a minimum of two to three years before vacancy rates reach the equilibrium level of ten to twelve percent. Average asking rates stabilized in the second half of 2004. Management believes that renewed employment growth should benefit the office market; however, the uncertainty that still exists in the economy is causing many firms to continue to be more cautious with their investment and hiring decisions. Importantly, management believes the pace and strength of the recovery for office real estate will vary by market. Market conditions var