Tax Deductions For Charity Donations

Tax deductions for charity donations are a significant incentive for people to donate money as well as valuable items to various worthy causes. The IRS recognizes that many organizations that offer valuable services could not operate without a sizeable portion of their budgets being funded privately. In order to encourage people to continue helping these organizations do their jobs within their communities, the IRS offers tax breaks for the donations.

In order to qualify for tax deductions for charity donations, the charity must be registered as a 501(c) organization. This means that it is a nonprofit entity. If someone is not sure that their favorite charity is registered as a 501(c) organization, a call to the IRS Customer Account Services division for Tax Exempt and Government Entities with the charity's name and address will verify the status. Once a person has this verification, he can offer money or items and take the deductions for the donations.

A few IRS rules apply to tax deductions for charity donations. For example, any donation over $250 must be documented with a receipt from the charity. Also, if a person receive anything in return for a donation, such as a service, merchandise, or admission tickets to a musical or sporting event, that person can deduct only the amount of the donation that exceeds the value of the gift. For example, if someone give $100 to the local PBS station and they give a $20 DVD of a James Taylor performance to that person in return, he can be deduct only $80 as deductions for the donations, not the full $100.

When a person gives an item, such as jewelry or a vehicle to a charity and he wants to take the deductions for the donations, it's necessary to determine the fair market value of the donation. This can be tricky, because many people refer to the item's price when it was bought rather than what it would be worth to a current buyer. If the item's value is more than $5,000, one would need to have the item appraised by a certified professional and submit the appropriate form with his taxes in order to take tax deductions for charity donations. If a person has any questions about how to take full advantage of deductions for the donations, he should consult an accountant or tax adviser. The IRS also has publications that detail the do's and don'ts of deductions for the donations. These can be downloaded from their website.

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