Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Get Tax Deductions by Donating your Car

By Mark Peter

Do you wish to donate a car? Then, a charity car donation has proven to be one superb way of getting a deduction on your taxes. The basic tax procedure for most Americans is as follows: a person makes a certain amount of income per year called the "gross income". The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows certain deductions from the total "gross income". The remaining income is called taxable income. This taxable income is then taxed, a certain percentage on the basis of the income range. The higher the taxable income, the more the tax to be paid.

There are two types of deductions for the tax payers to choose from. They are standard deductions and itemized deduction. The deductions predetermined by the IRS for you are called as standard deductions. The standard deduction will be less than your total deduction so that you can qualify for a tax deduction

There are some helpful guidelines to assist you when you are making a car donation to get a tax deduction.

1. The car donation tax reduction has been limited to the amount that the charity will eventually sell the car for. This is according to the new rules that have been set up.

2. Don't forget to get a documented receipt for vehicle or car donation from the charitable organization.

3. Make sure that you are given an authentic receipt by the charity that receives the car.

4. It is imperative to note that the written contribution must have the contribution date, which is the day the donation, for was received.

5. Save your receipts for any upgrades including any new tires to document and verify the car or its value.

6. It important to note that it is not that the charitable organization is under no obligation to come up with the accurate value and you'll have to pay any fine if the IRS reviews or challenges you and finds that your figures are unsubstantiated.

Alternatively, you could sell the car privately for a figure close to its total market value by either using an online website or car dealers. This is usually hard to pull of so good luck with that. - 16759

About the Author: