You can deduct your expenses related to volunteer work
I just filed my taxes yesterday, and I used Taxcut rather than one of the free tools I mentioned to get free state tax filing. I should have taken my own advice. It ended up costing me $30 to do my state forms and then they wanted another $20 to efile the state taxes. I don’t know, $50 is too much – don’t you think? The problem is that once you have already invested 3-4 hours entering in all the information, it makes it difficult to choose another option…
But anyway, I just wanted to mention as a friendly reminder, you can deduct the mileage you drive to for volunteer work. From what I read, volunteers can also deduct…
- cost of tolls
- parking fees
- cab fares
- bus fares
if they were related to the charitable service.
Options for deducting the expenses
The standard mileage rate is 14 cents a mile in 2008. If you choose you could also deduct the direct expenses by keeping track of gas used.
Recordkeeping for the IRS
A couple years ago I started a separate calendar on Google Calendar that I mark…
- The date and time I volunteered
- The location of the work
- The total number of miles driven
Then each year when tax time rolls around, I just grab a calculator and flip through the calendar adding up the total miles driven for volunteer work. Using a spreadsheet or notebook would work as well, just make sure you have it documented for the tax man!!
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We keep a small planner in each car. You know the ones that you bank or realtor hand out for free. Then mark the miles, and purpose (work, volunteering, rental property) right on the date.
I believe you can also deduct expenses for volunteering, i.e. making meals ill church members, etc. At least that’s what I remember from last year’s filing. I haven’t ventured into this years yet
Does it really count if you’re just writing it down yourself in the calendar? It seems like you would need something else to prove that you were actually volunteering. Anyone can write down mileage or that they volunteered on X date. Perhaps I’m just playing Devi’s advocate here but I wonder if IRS auditor would actually accept that.
I know I’m able to deduct some work related driving but that’s backed up by the fact that I have to sign into meetings which is kept as a record that I was actually there.
@Amy
But, from what I read a notebook documenting it counts, so you could make the same argument for that as well… So, my hope is that the tax man will be okay with it…
you know, I will let you know if I get audited