Charles Browning

Car Donation Tax Deduction - Best Method

Get a car donation tax deduction while doing something good for charity. Any charity you may be considering, however, should be checked out the right way. After all, bogus charities exist in every state. Here is the best way to check them out.

Car donation tax deductions can be gotten no matter which state you live in, but the manner in which your state approves or qualifies charities may be different. More importantly, there are bogus car donation charities in every state. Some may appear kosher but are actually crooked. So it pays to do a little detective work first. Good thing there is a site setup to make this a quick process.

But even well-meaning charities may not be operating legally. They may have neglected to pay an annual fee to the state's Attorney General's office, or filed a form with them. Sometimes the Secretary of State's office handles charities. Regardless, you need to use due diligence before donating your used car or truck to ANY charity.

...After all, if you donate your vehicle to the wrong charity, you won't get your car donation tax deduction. Worse, the people who really need your donated car or truck will not get anything. Go to the Secretary of State website for any state, and you will probably find something about bogus charities operating in that state.

What is disturbing is that there is a never-ending supply of bogus charities forming all the time. One or more gets shut down and three more appear. So how can you quickly check out a charity beforehand? Type in the name of the charity (or the professional solicitation service) in any search box that you may find on a state website as mentioned above. Many have databases of charities that have registered with them that you can search.

Note that most states' official websites stress the fact that registration in their charities database does not mean they endorse or recommend the charity in any way. The reality is a charity may be registered but is not necessarily a good charity, as it may give only a tiny percentage of donations to those in need. So what further checks can be done to make sure a charity is a good one, in addition to being legal?

The answer is you check with online charity watchdog services. Their databases have lists of charities that meet certain standards. There you can find out if the charity you are researching is in 'good standing' or not.

Getting a tax deduction for a car donation is probably one of the reasons you have for making a charitable donation. The best thing you stand to get, however, is that feeling of having done a good deed that will help out someone or some family who needs your help. So qualify a charity the right way in order to get both benefits!

On the IRS website you can find good info on vehicle donation tax deductions. The IRS Publication 78 is a list of charities that are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. Everything you need to know about getting a car donation tax deduction can be downloaded as PDF documents from their site. The main one you would want to download is called, "A Donor's Guide to Vehicle Donation" (which is IRS Publication 4303).

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