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.

The individual tax payer is allowed certain deductions to reduce their taxable income. The two major deductions are standard deduction and itemized deductions. With Standard deductions, the IRS provides each tax payer with a predetermined deduction for himself and dependants. Basically to qualify for a tax deduction for a car donation your total deductions would have to be greater than the standard deduction you would receive. The amount the individual can deduct for their charitable contribution can reduce the taxable income by that amount.

Here are some of the most important and best charity donation tips you'll consider before donating your vehicle whether it's a car, truck or van.

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. Keeping a record of the mileage, actual pricing and place of purchase, including all the monetary details of the car will help get it a good pricing.

3. Clearly document the exact car or vehicle value. Always maintain the records. This ensures that no eyebrows are raised in concern to your income tax returns since IRS scrutinizes carefully all non-cash donations.

4. Ensure that you know the exact value of the car and have documents stating its value to avoid any suspicions regarding your income tax returns as there will be a lot of scrutiny from the IRS when it comes to non-cash donations.

5. If the value placed to the charity is over 5000 dollars on the contribution, then you need to ask the charity to provide or direct you to an independent professional appraiser to help in the evaluation of your car.

6. Clear photographs of the best angles of your car will also go a long way in giving it the attention and value it deserves. Sift through a used car buying guide that helps you determine how to get the most out of your donation. They also offer quite informative success stories and tips on car donation.

A tax deduction checklist should be followed strictly before any tax deduction is done. This is done to make sure that you are tax- aware throughout the year. The checklist acts as a guideline to help you make all the necessary provisions before deducting. - 16928

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