Car Charity Donation

Cars helping America is a vehicle donation center that have an authorized to bonded agent working on behalf of its supported charities to accept and process car donations. The goal is to maximize the value of each and every car donations that the donors will receive the greatest possible tax benefit and charities receive the highest possible level of financial support from each and every donated car.

Donate your car to Cars Helping America to receive the best tax benefits available. The program is hassle-free and easy to use and easy to fill out the vehicle donation form. Car donation on any of their charities are fully tax deductible. The tax deductible amount that you will receive are usually worth much more than the vehicle’s trade-in value. The chosen charity receives a higher percentage of proceeds when Cars Helping America handles your car donation. When you donate, the sales proceeds from your vehicle count twice: first, when you receive a tax deduction for the full sales amount and second, when your charity receives cash from your car’s sale.

For the donation you can fill out the online form. If you have any question you can contact them at toll free at 1-866-Why-Don8 (1-866-949-3668) or you can email them at infor@carshelpingamerica.org.

Portland Car Donation

Considering the many good charities that you can consider for car donation in the Portland area, it is difficult to name only a few. But this charity is very reputable and worthwhile.

Oregon Food Bank

Oregon Food Bank is a hub consisting of a network of 800 hunger relief agencies. They distribute food to the hungry that is donated throughout Oregon.

Oregon Food Bank takes cars, trucks, vans, RVs, or boats. But to donate, your vehicle must be complete. It does not, however, need to run.

For car donation, Oregon Food Bank works with Volunteers of America. The steps for car donation to Oregon Food Bank is:

1. Fill out the form
2. Fax it to 503-282-0922
3. Oregon Food Bank sends a request to VOA.
4. Volunteers of America will contact you regarding pick up and transfer of title

There are advantages and disadvantages to the program. The advantage is that minus the handling fees of VOA, Oregon Food Bank gets to the proceeds. THE disadvantage is that if you want your car to be towed by the VOA, then you have to live in all cities in the !-5 corridor from Portland to Ashland.

For more information on their car donation program, you can contact Nanette Klimkow by phone at 503-282-0555 x203. or by e-mail at:
nklimkow [at] oregonfoodbank.org

Also, check out the new online form they have here to donate:
http://www.oregonfoodbank.org/make_a_difference/donate_funds/donate_vehicle.html.

Baltimore, Maryland

Donate any car or vehicle in Baltimore Maryland. Car Donation Baltimore – fast pick up sometimes on the same day. Donate an old used car, scooter, moped, automobile, van, truck, motorcycle, dirt bike, boat, trailer, snow mobile, golf cart, forklift, go cart, RV or any vehicle donation.

Give Cars at Teddy Bear Cops

Terrific results are being achieved daily with the Teddy Bear Cops™ Program. Their efforts are well received by police, ambulance and fire officials all over the country. During emergency situations these children are especially vulnerable to the immediate trauma. A simple cuddly little bear given to a child at times like this has a marvelous and calming effect. We hope you will help us help the children by donating your used car or vehicle.

Here is the fast simple donation process detailed for the step-by-step.
1. Fill out a car donation online form and it gets sent to us.
2. After receiving it and evaluate whether or not they can accept the car or vehicle. And then, they will email the instructions.
3. Later that day they will send the phone number of the Towing Auction Facility so that they can coordinate pickup with them.
4. They will coordinate the pickup.
5. And notify us that your car is picked up with signed off title (free of liens) and keys.
6. After the vehicle has been sold they will send the official tax receipt.

Giving out cuddly bears is a program designed to encourage private individuals, organizations and charities to send teddy bears to police and fire departments so that they can be given to children who have witnessed or experienced a great or small calamity.

Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio is a diverse city and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Therefore, it stands to reason that they have quite a few charitable causes that need supporting too. You can make a difference with some of those charities through a car donation.

Car Donation in Columbus, Ohio

The Online car donation evaluates the charities that eventually realize support from the Columbus car donation. They want to ensure that the charitable car donation is being used wisely. Plus, they want to make sure that you realize the best possible fair market value tax deduction for your efforts. In Columbus, the car donation might support purchasing sports equipment for a school or supplying computers to an after school program for inner city youth. Homeless shelters, food banks and literacy programs are other possible charities that depend on the charitable gestures like your car donation. Of course, they don’t accept just Columbus car donations here at online car donation. They also accept truck donations, van donations and other vehicles such as RV campers, motorcycles and even boats. If you have a garage filled with some of these vehicles that you want to get rid of, you have a way through us here. They will make sure that the donation process goes smoothly and quickly for you. Support the local Columbus charities today and donate car or other vehicle. You can truly make a difference. For more information you can call at toll free (888)-228-7320.

Car Donation in Jacksonville, Florida

If you have a car which you would like to donate to the charity of your choice in the Jacksonville area, Donation Line, one of the most respected car donation centers, will proudly accept a donation, whether the vehicle is running or not. Salvage and Junk cars are also accepted.

Donation OnLine

Donation Line represents over 400 charities all over the United States, including over a dozen in Florida. You choose the charity. The donation can be to any of the client charities regardless of your location, including the Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary right in Jacksonville.

The towing agents will contact you within two business days to arrange free pickup. In addition to auto donations they accept donations of boats, trucks, RVs, motorcycles, jet skis, snowmobiles, planes and real estate.

Donation on Line
Toll free phone: (888) 448-3345
Fax: (860) 228-9037
E-Mail: donate@donationline.com

Qualifying for a Tax Deduction in 2008 in the United States

You can deduct contributions to charity only if you itemize deductions on your Schedule A of Form 1040.
You must take into account certain limitations on charitable contribution deductions. For example, your deduction cannot exceed 50% of your adjusted gross income. Other limitations may apply. Publication 526, Charitable Contributions, provides detailed information on claiming deductions and the deduction limits. It also describes the types of organizations that are qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions.

See, there is a list of companies and foundations that ‘qualify’ to accept car donations…this is to protect against scammers ‘donating’ thier cars to a child or spose.

Publication 526 is available online at www.irs.gov or by calling (800) 829-3676 (toll-free). acknowledgment must include the name of the charity, a description (but not value) of your car, and one of the following:

You must get the written acknowledgment on or before the earlier of the date you file your return for the year you make the contribution, or the due date, including extensions, for filing the return. A charity can provide either a paper copy of the acknowledgment to
the donor, or a charity can provide the acknowledgment electronically, such as via e-mail addressed to the donor.
Do not attach the acknowledgment to your income tax return; instead, retain it with your records to substantiate your contribution.

So you have to get this stuff all in writing, then make sure not to attach it to the tax return forms!

FORM 8283, NONCASH CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

Depending on the amount of the deduction you claim for the car, you may have to file an additional form with the IRS with your Form 1040. If the deduction you are claiming for a donated car is greater than $500, you must complete Section A of Form 8283.

If this is your car then you DON’T have to get all these estimates in writing and such…

If the deduction you are claiming is greater than $5,000, you must get a written appraisal of your car (see Written
Appraisal below). You must also complete Section B of Form 8283, which must include the signature of an authorized official of the charity, and attach it to your return. WRITTEN APPRAISAL – Your written appraisal must be from a qualified appraiser. See Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property. The appraisal must be made no more than 60 days before you contribute the car. You must receive the appraisal before the due date (including extensions) of the return on which you first claim a deduction for the car.

For a deduction first claimed on an amended return, the appraisal must be received before the date the amended return is filed.

So basically do your homework and get this done immediately if your car is actually worth something 🙂

When you file your income tax return (Form 1040 orForm 1040X), you will need to complete Section B of Form 8283, and attach it to your return.
If Section B is required and the charity sells or otherwise disposes of a car within two years after the date of receipt, the charity must file Form 8282, Donee Information Return, with the IRS. On Form 8282, the charity reports information identifying the donor and itself, and the amount it received upon sale or other disposition of the car. The charity must provide you with a copy of the form. The chart below provides items of recordkeeping and filing requirements, based on the amount you claim as a deduction.

Determining the Value of Your Car

The maximum amount you can deduct on your income tax return is the fair market value of your car. Fair market value is the price a willing buyer would pay and a willing seller would accept for the car, when neither party is compelled to buy or sell, and both parties have reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.

These comments are pretty vague, so make sure that you read more about this below
.
Some fundraisers have mistakenly claimed that donors can, in all cases, deduct the full value of their cars as found in a used car guide (such as “blue book” value). A used car guide may be a good starting point to value your car, but you should exercise caution. The IRS will only allow a deduction for the fair market value of the car, which may be substantially less than the “blue book” value.

Example: You donate your car to the local high school for use by students studying car repair. Your credit union representative told you that the “blue book” value of the car is $1,600. However, your car needs extensive repairs, and after some checking, you find that you could only sell your car for $750. Your charitable contribution deduction may not exceed $750, the fair market value of the car.

This example is kind of odd…I mean how are you actually suppost to find out this number?

For information on determining the value of your car, see Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated
Property. If you used your car in a trade or business, see the rules for contributions of capital gain property in Publication 526.

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.

Concept of used car donation is noble idea and it is popular
too. In daily life you see a number of vehicles with banners of
certain organizations providing services to needy people. In
this you see ambulances with thanksgiving lines to the donor who
may be an individual or a charity group. You also see some
vehicles providing assistance to victims of natural calamities
like floods and earthquakes. Have you ever think from where
these vehicles come from? Some of these vehicles are donated by
donors under used car donation scheme.

This is an easy way to make your contributions towards humanity
service. Used vehicles normal gain very little resale value and
one may even think of throwing it in scrap. But when such used
vehicle is donated to an organization, it may boost their fund
raising drive for their activities of social importance. Such
used vehicles received from the donors are used by these
organizations for providing help to need people in many ways. An
organization may modify the vehicle into an ambulance or use it
for transporting the aid to need people or the victims of some
calamity. The organization may think of auction the received
vehicle to raise fund for their social activities. In both the
cases your contribution surely helps the needy people.

If one is determined to donate his used vehicle he can search
for an organization or charity group serving the need people
through local media or through internet. After he chose a
particular organization of his preference his duty is only to
contact that organization. It is responsibility of the concerned
organization to tow away the vehicle from any part of the nation
and complete other administrative formalities. Donation of used
vehicles is a cheaper, easy and hassle free process. As there is
provision of grant of tax deduction and administrative charges
levied on such donations are lesser this system is beneficial to
both donor and organization. If you have decided to make large
contributions towards human service, donating used vehicle is
one of the easy methods. Organization may consider the sale of
such vehicles through professional auctioneers to To gain
maximum proceeds from such vehicle. This means used car
donations can yield more money than selling the same vehicle in
the market.

To avoid fraudulent uses of this system, which is very rare
governments have laid down certain rules for donating and
accepting the used vehicles. These rules are beneficial to the
donor as he all information about use and sale of donated
vehicle and he can claim tax deduction on his income. While
choosing an organization for used car donation on must check
that the organization is government approved and reliable.

No doubt, used car donation brings up rays of hope in the life
of needy and underprivileged. A vehicle which otherwise was of
no use for you and you might have faced problem of towing away
gives assistance to needy people and satisfaction to your of
having served the mankind. One must take the opportunity of
donating his used car for the humanitarian purpose instead of
throwing it in scrap.

About the author:
Dave Markel operates a blog dedicated to car donations. Visit it
at http://used–car–donation.blogspot.com

Why are car donations a good idea? As a car owner, there
comes a point when you realize that your automobile is on its
last legs. Assuming you have the next automobile in your sights
and/or possession, what can you do with your clunker? If it’s a
heap and needs extensive work, there’s no point in giving your
wallet a beating. Why pay a thousand dollars in repairs if the
car is only worth a few hundred? Who is to say it won’t break
down again shortly thereafter, costing you even more? If the
motor runs and the wheels aren’t rolling off, a lucky younger
relative in need of a handout could take it as a present. Or you
could spend money advertising it for sale, yet receive a
pittance. Making a car donation is a smart option.

Whether a convertible, a bus, a pickup or a junker, a
non-profit charity will gladly take your vehicle. It does not
even have to be a running vehicle to donate it. It is a tax
write off and you’re able to claim more for making a
contribution than what you would get selling it. The assistance
you give to the charity of your choice by making a car donation
gives a feeling of satisfaction.

Making a gift of a car donation is simple. The hardest
part is figuring out which deserving charity gets your help, and
that’s not a bad task at all. You can choose from large national
organization that you are familiar with such as the United Way,
American Lung Association, The Red Cross, The Boy Scouts or the
Salvation Army. Or you can choose something local that will aid
your community exclusively. Church groups, schools and local
hospitals are all places to check.

Most places will come to you for a pickup within all 50 U.S.
States. The company will come with a tow truck to where your
vehicle is at your convenience. It can be towed anytime during
the week that you have time, usually within the week and some
organizations can do rush pickup within a day or two. You do not
have to pay anything for them to come and take it. If your
vehicle is worth less than $500 they’ll give you a receipt
quickly. If it is worth more, it will take longer to get your
receipt. Once you have the receipt detailing your gift of a car
donation, hold it until tax time to be itemized. You most likely
have a general idea of what your automobile is worth. Kelley
Blue Book will also aid you in assessing the value of your
gift.

Depending on the organization, up to 100% of all money made
from your car donation will go to that charity. How many times
have you given a handout to a bell-ringer or put a contribution
into a jar and felt a little guilty? Have you wished it could be
more? There may never be the “perfect time” to pull out $500 or
more to give to a charity organization you believe in. Donating
your automobile gives you that perfect time and the relief of
not having to do anything more than make a call.

About the author:
Timothy Rea has had extensive experience in the car buying and
selling world. Through his knowledge in the car business world
he has come to realize the value of car donations. He has an
easy to navigate web site dedicated to learning the pros and
cons of donating a car and is a great resource for finding all
the wonderful charities and causes you can donate your car to.
For more info visit: http://www.cardonations-info.com