Look around the yard, do you have an old car you want to or should get rid of? Is the car just taking up precious space and slowly deteriorating from lack of maintenance and proper care because you don’t need it? Then for you a charitable car donation may be worth more than using the car as a trade-in or in any other way. If you decide to donate a car and the car donation is accepted, the charity arranges for and takes care of any towing expenses and provides you with the necessary documents for your tax return.
Donating a car eliminates the expense of any advertising, the loss of privacy and possible security risk from potential buyers. No need to pay for annual vehicle registration and/or emissions testing or insurance, and no need for any repairs to keep your car in running condition while you wait for a buyer. It’s easy, just fill out the forms the charity gives you and have them ready for the driver when he comes to pick up the car. A large chunk of your car donation money when it’s received by the charity after they sell the vehicle, should not taken out for administrative fees or investments. Make sure to find out how much of your donation money goes for these fees.
Your car, truck, RV, boat, aircraft or other vehicle is usually marketed by the charity through various means including their own car lots and middlemen and sold to a buyer who is in need of a good used vehicle. If you’re thinking about donating your automobile to charity, be sure to check out thoroughly the charity or car donation program that handles the donation. Certain commercial firms and trade organizations publish guides known as ‘blue books,’ that state the average resale prices based on the model and year of your vehicle. You can find these blue books at your library in the reference section or online.
If your auto, truck, boat, motorcycle, RV or other vehicle is no longer of use to you, it can still go a long way toward helping support a reputable charity of your choice. Best of all, by not selling the car yourself, you don’t have to worry or wonder about total strangers calling you and getting information about where you live, or coming to your house to see the car or other vehicle.
Charities don’t need to send you a form for cars that eventually sell for less than $500, but you’ll still be able to deduct up to $500 on your tax return.
If it’s necessary to go through a car donation program middleman, which you can find online, find out what percentage of your donation will go to charity and shop around for the best deal. There are a quite a few of them online.
As for your benefits, you as the donor of the car benefits from the donation by receiving a tax receipt for the highest possible value of the vehicle.
Make sure you have easy access to the title of the vehicle. If you have an unused vehicle just sitting around, you never know when a storm might cause damage to your vehicle or if it might get vandalized or if it’s on the street get involved in an accident. Some charities that run their own program, instead of hiring a car donation program middleman, are discriminating about which vehicles they will accept, repair and materially improve. They sell most of their vehicles at retail prices. One thing to note, your vehicle must have all four of its tires inflated to be accepted.
Important, one of the exceptions to the new IRS tax regulations allows donors to still deduct the fair market value of their vehicle, provided the charity materially improves the vehicle. Charities usually provide you with a release of liability when they take your vehicle away. After the car sells, they send you a tax-deduction form that explains how much they received for your car.
Charities look at car donations from both the point of view of the donor of the car and of themselves as the charity receiving it. You can get a car donation tax deduction up to the maximum limits allowed by the IRS. You may also donate your car online to individual charities or through the car donation programs, some of which contract with charities.
It used to be able that you could deduct the fair market value of the vehicle at the time of the deduction – but not anymore. In wear and tear, minor repairs and breakdowns, an average vehicle owner might spend more than $3000 per year so a good reason not to keep the extra car around. In the end the donor is responsible to an extent to ascertain the value of their car donation after discussing with the charity.
A charity car donation is becoming more common as people discover the nice car donation tax deduction that is available. Choosing the best charity for your car donation can be overwhelming and you want to make sure your choice is the best and right choice for you. Why not donate your car, truck, boat, RV, motorcycle or even aircraft today and enjoy a nice car donation tax deduction on your annual income tax return.
