If you are looking for a way to get ride of an old vehicle, you may want to consider a car donation.  To donate a car, you simply have to contact a car donation services and they take care of everything else.  Thus, donating your car to charity rather than selling it is more convenient and fast.  Moreover, you help those who are in need of assistance when you donate your car and benefit from it through tax breaks in return. The IRS allows a deduction to your taxes payable equivalent to the proceeds from your car donation.

Before you donate your car to charity you will probably want to know how much will your car donation tax deduction be.  The amount of your car donation tax deduction is covered by the 2005 revised federal tax legislation on car donations.  This legislation describes two possible amounts for your car donation tax deduction- the gross sales amount and the fair market value of your car.

Gross Sales Amount

Before the tax legislation was revised in 2005, the fair market value of a car donation was the amount used for the donor’s tax deduction.  However, the IRS found out that donors were claiming fair market values of donated cars based on the make and the model without considering the car’s condition.  Since the fair market value is the amount agreed upon by the donor and the car donation services, the donors usually considered the book value of the car as the fair market value without taking account of depreciation and the needed refurbishing.

Car donation services usually either refurbish donated cars first or sell them as is at auctions where the true fair market values of the cars are considered.  So if the cars were donated to them at a bloated fair market value, the amount that the car was sold for did not match this bloated value.  The 2005 car donation tax legislation revision corrects this error by allowing only the gross sales amount of the donated cars as the donor’s tax deduction.  

Fair Market Value

The legislation however, still allows that the fair market value of the donated car be used as the donor’s tax deduction provided that they meet certain conditions and paperwork.  

Car donation services do not always sell donated cars.  They may either use the car for their charitable causes or assign the car to a needy family or individual.  If the donated car is used this way by the car donation services, the revised car donation tax legislation allows that the fair market value of the car is used as the donor’s tax deduction.

The necessary paperwork that the IRS needs for the fair market value tax deduction is an acknowledgment receipt issued by the car donation services.  This paper must state that the car is used directly for their charitable causes, the donor’s tax identification number or social security number and the car’s identification number.  Moreover, the IRS may also require that the document contain a phrase restricting the donated car to charitable uses only and not to any future sale.

Donating a car and reducing your taxes is very convenient and easy.  There are already numerous car donation services online.  All you have to do is: call their toll-free number, fill out the application form, and wait for your car to be picked up.  But before that, you may want to check for a 501(c) (3) charity organization classification.  This way you can be sure that your donation goes to charity and be assured that your car donation tax deduction is valid.

A car donation is when you donate your old car to charity. This donation is usually channeled through car donation services, which are non-profit organizations with the sole purpose of handling donated cars to charity programs for affiliated charitable institutions.

Convenient and Cost-Free Donation

If you are planning to sell an old car, you’ve probably been asked to check donate car to charity programs. Yet, you are probably asking why you should donate car to charity. Why not just sell the car instead? Although you do not get money in return for your car when you donate car to charity, you will be saved from all the tedious task of selling your car. With donate car to charity programs, you will experience the convenience and speed of getting rid an old car. Donate car to charity programs makes donation as easy as possible for you by handling every task and paperwork there is.

When you go for donate car to charity programs, the first and last thing you will do is to contact a car donation services. Within 24 to 48 hours, this service will pick up your car, hand you a receipt in return and take care of the rest of the donation process. Donate car to charity programs have three ways of handling donated cars: (1) sell the car at auctions, (2) assigns the car for use of a family or individual or (3) use the car for their charitable operations. When the first option is used, the proceeds from the sale are used for charitable causes, so you are sure that you help the needy whatever way your car is used.

Recipients for donate car to charity programs may vary depending on the causes that the charitable institution supports. Their causes may vary from helping typhoon or hurricane victims, disabled people, battered individuals, homeless individuals or cancer patients. If you are inclined to a particular charity cause, you may want to go with a donate car to charity program that supports it. If not, inquire if your supported charitable cause can be accommodated.

Aside from convenience and being able to help those in need, donate car to charity programs will save you from any expenses. Car donation services accept all kinds of cars in any condition so you will not need to refurbish your car. And since cars are sold at auctions, you will be saved from advertising expenses as well. Donate car to charity programs doesn’t only spells convenience but cost-free as well.

Earn Tax Savings

Moreover, you benefit from a tax break or savings when you go for donate car to charity programs. The federal government allows tax deductions from car donations to charity. Typically, the tax deduction is equivalent to the gross sales amount of the donated car but is not entirely limited to this. The fair market value, which is usually a bigger value, can be used as a tax deduction provided that these two conditions are met: (1) when the donated car is used directly for charitable causes and (2) when improvements are made on the car.

Going for donate car to charity programs will definitely save you from the complexities and hassles of selling your car. But before you contact and car donation services and donate to charity, there are a few things you have to consider. To make sure that the non-profit organization offering the donate car to charity program has a legal personality, look for a 501(c) (3) charity organization classification.