Car Donation
The car donation process is simple. All you need to do is call the charity and someone will come and pick up your vehicle, or tell you where to bring it. However, with so many charities to choose from and so many people trying to scam the innocent, picking the right organization is not always easy.
On this page you'll find some general tips you can use when you are trying to decide where and how to donate your vehicle.
First Steps to Take When Donating a Car
Before you donate your car to charity, the IRS advises that you:
- Research the charity or organization you plan to donate to.
- See if you will receive a tax benefit for your donation. (The charity/organization you donate to must be qualified. 501(c)(3) organizations are common types that make you eligible for a tax deduction.)
- Look up the value of your car (however, you can only deduct the actual amount the charity sells your car for).
- Ask if you, as a donor, have any other responsibilities in the process.
In addition, you may want to consider:
- How your car will be used and where it will go.
- If the money from the sale of your car will be used locally or outside of your community.
- Which programs or services within the charity will receive funding from the sale.
- What the efficiency rating of the charity is. (A lower rating means more of your donation goes toward administrative costs, not to the programs and services you want to support.)
