This includes saving canceled checks, acknowledgment letters from the charity, and appraisals for donated property. Some organizations are not required to obtain 501c3 status from the IRS. You claim your tax deduction on Form 1040, Schedule A. For 2007, this is found on Lines 16 through 19 on Schedule A PDF. You must contribute to a qualified tax-exempt organization. Contributions of property other than cash are subject to strict record keeping and substantiation rules. Security Certification of the TurboTax Online application has been performed by C-Level Security. If you donate used clothes or household goods, rather than money, to a charity, you may still claim a deduction for the value of the goods donated. Fines or penalties paid to local or state governments. With either choice, you also can include any parking fees or tolls paid. While its 501c3 status determines that an organization is eligible to receive tax deductible donations, its foundation status determines the limits of an individual donor's deduction.

Charities will let you know if they have received their 501c3 tax-exempt status. Volunteer fire companies and similar organizations, if the contributions are to be used for public purposes. This also eliminates the risk of you getting into trouble by overstating the value of your deduction on your tax return. The selling price of your vehicle becomes its fair market value. You must be able to substantiate the fair market value of the goods or property you donated, plus keep any written acknowledgments you receive from the charity. These numbers correspond to the sections of the Internal Revenue Code that describe these organizations.