2008 Tax Deduction for a Car Donation Overview
If a tax deduction is an important consideration for you when donating a car a charity, you should check out the charity; check the value of your car; and see what your responsibilities are as a donor.
Through this Publication 4303, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state charity officials provide general guidelines for individuals who donate their cars.
A companion brochure, Publication 4302, A Charity’s Guide to Car Donations, provides guidelines for charities that receive donated cars.
Note: This publication is not intended as a guide for corporate donors.
Selecting a Charity
If you are eligible to deduct charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes (see Qualifying for a Tax Deduction later) and you want to claim a deduction for donating your car to charity, then you should make certain that the charity is a qualified organization. Otherwise, your donation will not be tax deductible. The most common types of qualified organizations are section 501(c)(3) organizations, such as charitable, educational, or religious organizations.
This publication refers to section 501(c)(3) organizations generally as “charities.” To verify that an organization is a charity qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions, see IRS Publication 78, Cumulative List of Organizations, an annual list of most charities. Publication 78 is available
online at www.irs.gov/eo (under the Search for Charities 2 3 topic) and at many public libraries. You may also verify
an organization’s status by calling the IRS Customer Account Services division for Tax Exempt and Government Entities at (877) 829-5500 (toll-free).
Be sure to have the charity’s correct name. It is also helpful to know the charity’s address. Not all qualified organizations are listed in Publication 78. For example, churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques are not required to apply to the IRS for recognition of
exemption in order to be qualified organizations and are frequently not listed. If you have questions, call Customer Account Services at the above number.