Tax Deductions and Credits Volunteering This Summer? Find Out if Your Work is Tax Deductible Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by Elle Martinez Published Jul 5, 2017 - [Updated Jul 10, 2019] 2 min read We’ll do your taxesand find every dollaryou deserve When your Full Service expert does your taxes,they’ll only sign and file when they know it’s 100% correctand you’re getting the best outcome possible, guaranteed. Get started now Besides donating money, one of the best ways you can support a worthy cause is to volunteer. Many organizations are limited by what they can do because they don’t have the support staff and leaders to help them grow. You can lend your expertise or learn a new skill while assisting others. There may be some tax advantages to having a big heart. While you may already know that your donated funds and goods can be helpful come tax time, did you know that some of your volunteer work related expenses may be tax deductible? Making Sure You’re Getting the Most of Your Volunteer Work Before you start keeping tabs on your expenses, check to see if the organization is a qualified charitable organization and recognized by the IRS. While you can still do plenty of good work, to get the tax benefits the organization does have to meet certain qualifications. Once you get that squared away, which expenses could be tax deductible? Here are a few major ones: Transportation/Travel: If you have to drive or take public transportation for your volunteer work, that may be tax deductible. You can keep meticulous track of your gas spending driving back and forth to where you’re volunteering or you can use the 14 cents/mile allowed by the IRS. If you have to pay for parking and it’s related to your volunteer work, then you may be able to deduct that too. Your regular car maintenance and insurance coverage, however are not tax deductible when volunteering. Uniforms: If you are required to wear a uniform for the volunteer work, you may be able to deduct that purchase as well as its’ upkeep. However, it also must not be something you can use every day (think a t-shirt with logo). Supplies: If you are providing supplies (maybe office paper for the organization’s reports or construction material for a building project), then you may be able to claim them. Just make sure they are expressly for the charity. Note: If you get reimbursed from the organization, you can not take a tax deduction. You also want to keep in mind, to claim these tax deductions you need to itemize your deductions. And as always, keep good records! Don’t worry about knowing these tax deductions. TurboTax will ask you simple questions about you and give you the tax deductions you are eligible for based on your answers. I’d love to hear from you. What causes are near and dear to your heart? How did you get started? We’ll do your taxesand find every dollaryou deserve When your Full Service expert does your taxes,they’ll only sign and file when they know it’s 100% correctand you’re getting the best outcome possible, guaranteed. Get started now Previous Post Is This Deductible? My Volunteer Work Next Post Is This Deductible? Adopting a Pet Written by Elle Martinez Elle helps families at Couple Money achieve financial freedom by sharing tips for reducing debt, increase income, and building net worth. Learn how to live on one income and have fun with the second. More from Elle Martinez Visit the website of Elle Martinez. Follow Elle Martinez on Facebook. Follow Elle Martinez on Twitter. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Browse Related Articles Tax Deductions and Credits How Does Volunteering for a Charity Affect My Taxes? Tax Deductions and Credits Is This Deductible? My Volunteer Work Tax Deductions and Credits Are You a PTA Parent? That Volunteering May Just Pay Of… Tax Deductions and Credits Deducting Travel Expenses When Doing Charitable Work Tax Deductions and Credits Are Political Contributions or Donations Tax Deductible… Tax Deductions and Credits Save with a New Tax Relief Donation Law and Holiday Giv… Tax Deductions and Credits Tax Tips if You Traveled for Charity Work This Summer Tax Deductions and Credits Here’s Tax Deductions And Credits You Can’t… Tax Deductions and Credits Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Donations and Tax Deduct… Tax Deductions and Credits 10 Commonly Overlooked Tax Deductions and Credits