You can deduct donations you make to qualified charities. This can reduce your taxable income, but to claim the donations, you have to itemize your deductions. Claim your charitable donations on Form 1040, Schedule A. Your donations must go to an organization that’s one of these: These groups are often referred to as 501(c)(3) organizations. Donations you give directly to needy individuals don't count. Money donations are those you make directly to a nonprofit organization. You’ll use one of these payment methods: If you accept something in return for your gift, you can't write off the full amount. Ex: A local public television station offers a CD player for a $1,000 donation to its annual fund drive. If the CD player’s value is $200, your deduction is limited to $800 -- the difference between what you gave and what you got. You can claim the full charitable deduction only if you refuse the CD player. You can disregard goods and services received if (for 2015) one of these applies:

If you don't know whether the organization you're donating to is IRS-approved, ask for the organization’s tax ID number. Then, check www.irs.gov for a list of qualified organizations. The recordkeeping requirements for donations differ depending on your: Cash donations less than $250 You must prove the donation amount if you want to deduct it with one of these: Written records from the donor aren’t enough proof. These include check registers or personal notations. For donations you made by payroll deduction, you can prove your donations if you have both of these: Cash donations of $250 or more You can claim these if the organization gives you a written acknowledgement of the donation. The acknowledgement must include all of these: You must receive this acknowledgement by the earlier of the: Noncash donations less than $250 The organization must give a receipt showing: However, you don’t have to get a receipt if it’s impossible or impractical.

(Ex: You donate property at an unattended drop-off site.) In these cases, you must keep a reliable written record for each donated item showing: Noncash donations at least $250 but less than $500 You must get and keep a written receipt or acknowledgment from the organization for these donations. You must get the receipt before or on the later of: The written receipt must include: The organization can give you a separate statement for each donation. Repairing Glass Block GroutThey could also give you periodic statements proving your donations.Homes For Sale High Ridge Road Ellicott City Md To learn more, see Publication 1771: Charitable Contributions at www.irs.gov.Used Bobcat Trencher Attachments For Sale

Noncash donations more than $500 but less than $5,000 You must have a written acknowledgement and written record, which include: Noncash donations of $5,000 or more If your noncash single charitable donation for one item or a group of similar items is more than $5,000: If you’re calculating if a deduction is more than $5,000 ($5,000), you must do so in a certain way. You need to combine all deductions for similar items you donated to all organizations in the year. You usually have to get an appraisal. Sometimes you must get a written appraisal from a qualified appraiser. Appraisals are required when the value of: You’re also required to get an appraisal for an item of clothing or a household item if either of these is true: To evaluate the specific kind of donated property, the qualified appraiser must possess the needed: You’ll owe a penalty if the donated property’s value is significantly overstated. The cost of the required appraisal can't be part of your charitable donation.

Instead, you can deduct it as a miscellaneous itemized expense. To learn more, see Appraisals in Publication 561: Determining the Value of Donated Property at www.irs.gov. The tax-saving potential can be much more when you donate appreciated property like: However, the rules are more complicated. Your deduction depends partly on if the property you donated is considered one of these: To learn more, see Publication 526: Charitable Contributions at www.irs.gov. Donating property can earn you a deduction just as donating money can. Property donations are usually used clothing and household goods. Your write-off for these is the FMV of the property at the time you give it. Item donations must be in good used condition to qualify for a deduction. “Good used condition” isn’t defined. You can only deduct donations the organization plans to sell or to use for its charity. If an item is heavily worn, ask the organization if it will sell or use the item. It’s often difficult to determine the FMV of used items.

The IRS doesn’t have any stated amounts considered acceptable for these items. However, the Salvation Army publishes a guide that could help you. The guide tells you the average prices of clothing, furniture, and household items in its stores. You can use this guide to establish the value of these items. If you'd like to learn more, see Publication 561: Determining the Value of Donated Property at www.irs.gov. When you donate a vehicle to a charity, special rules apply. If the charity sells the vehicle, the charity must send you a Form 1098-C within 30 days of the sale. This will tell you the sales price and set the amount you can deduct. However, there’s one exception. If the claimed car’s value is $500 or less, you can deduct the value of the donated vehicle. You’ll still deduct the vehicle's FMV at the time of the donation if the charity: If you do volunteer work for a qualified organization, you can deduct: The mileage rate for 2015 is 14 cents a mile.

You can also deduct the cost and care of a special uniform you have to wear while performing these services. You can't write off the value of services or time you donate. If you have foster children, you can deduct some of the costs of providing for them as a charitable donation. You can deduct the cost that’s more than the reimbursement you receive. You can only do this if you aren’t in the trade or business of providing foster care. You can also earn a charitable deduction if a student lives in your home under a qualified program. To qualify for this deduction, the student: You can deduct up to $50 a month of what you spend for the student, including the cost of: You’ll need to count each month the student lives with you for 15 or more days to figure how many $50 allotments you can claim. Form 8283: Noncash Charitable Contributions You must file Form 8283: Noncash Charitable Contributions if both of these apply: The information Form 8283 requires is the same as what you need to prove a charitable gift -- what you gave, when, and to whom.