Charity Car Donation Services | Vehicle Donation Charity Resource

Mother nature’s fury, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes, have wreaked havoc on many people, and communities. As a result of these devastating events, homes, and lives have been destroyed. Rebuilding infrastructure and property, requires a great deal of resources, and capital. Federal, and local financial aid are much needed, however this aid falls short of what is truly required. Individual contributions are vital to fill these vast short falls.

Beyond monetary contributions, donating a used vehicle can greatly benefit the needs of these desperate communities. A car donation is a process whereby both the donors, and the recipients benefit from the transaction.

Car Donations are relatively easy, and are done through a charity vehicle donation program. Generally, a telephone call is all that is necessary, in addition to a clear title to the automobile. Many charities will take vehicles that are running or not running. The car donation program will arrange for the vehicle to be picked up, conduct a charity auction sale, and distribute the proceeds to the charity of your choice. It is important to have the following information ready before you make the call:

A car donation will help provide humanitarian aid, and disaster relief for devastated areas, and communities. Additionally, a car donation will eliminate the hassles of selling a car.

-Owner's name
-Owner's address
-Owner's telephone number - work and home
-Owner's e-mail address
-Year, Make and model of vehicle
-Running Condition?
-Address where the vehicle is located.
-Approximate mileage on vehicle

Your car donation is fully tax deductible, as long as the charity is a registered 501(c)3 organization. A registered 501(c)3 organization is a non-profit organization permitted by the IRS to accept contributions and offer donors a tax deduction for their gifts. Thanks to a new tax law in effect as of January 2005, the IRS has taken the guesswork out of determining the value of your vehicle. You may deduct the full price that is received from the sale of your car. This greatly simplifies the process, because you no longer have to research and arrive at an estimate of the fair market value of the vehicle. This also eliminates the risk of getting into trouble by overstating the value of your deduction on your tax return. You’ll know exactly the amount you may deduct, eliminating guesswork, and saving both time and risk.

A car donation will help provide humanitarian aid, and disaster relief for devastated areas, and communities. Additionally, a car donation will eliminate the hassles of selling a car, and give something back to a community in need at the same time. A car donation can and will make a difference.

About the Author

Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Charity Car Donation Service Resource Visit http://www.car-donation-usa.com/ for more information.

By: Donating Cars To Charity - New Tax Rules

On June 3, 2005, the IRS released guidance on charitable deductions for donated vehicles. The American Jobs Creation Act (AJCA) radically changed the amount of the deduction taxpayers can claim for their donated car.

Fair Market Value v. Actual Sales Price

When donating a car to charity, a taxpayer traditionally was allowed to deduct the fair market value. The new law changes this valuation to the actual sales price of the vehicle when sold by the charity. The taxpayer is also required to get written and timely acknowledgment from the charity in order to claim the deduction

The AJCA does provide some limited exceptions under which a donor may claim a fair market value deduction. If the charity makes a significant intervening use of a vehicle--such as regular use to deliver meals on wheels-- the donor may deduct the full fair market value. For example, driving a vehicle a total of 10,000 miles over a one-year period to deliver meals is a significant intervening use.

The AJCA also allows a donor to claim a fair market value deduction if the charity makes a material improvement to the vehicle. Under the guidance, a material improvement means major repairs that significantly increase the value of a vehicle, and not mere painting or cleaning.

Interestingly, the IRS has also added an exemption not included in the AJCA. On its own, the IRS has determined that taxpayers can claim a deduction for the fair market value of a donated vehicle if the charity gives or sells the vehicle at a significantly below-market price to a needy individual, as long as the transfer furthers the charitable purpose of helping a poor person in need of a means of transportation.

If you intend to assert one of these exemptions, how do you determine the fair market value? Generally, vehicle pricing guidelines and publications differentiate between trade-in, private-party, and dealer retail prices. The IRS consider the fair market value for vehicle donation purposes to be no higher than the private-party price.

The new provisions of the Americans Job Creation Act certainly make it less attractive to donate a car to charity. Using the exemptions, however, you can still create a sizeable deduction while helping others who are less fortunate.

Richard Chapo is CEO of Business Tax Recovery - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.