Donate RV
Every year, millions of Americans get a tax deduction by donating to charities. Here’s a primer for those who want to donate an RV.
The first question many people have is whether they can donate an RV and get a deduction. The tax code notes that “vehicles” can be donated, not just cars. This means an RV, motor home, camper and so on can be donated in exchange for a tax deduction.
When donating your RV, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, the donation is only tax deductible if the charity is a 501c3 entity. This number designation refers to the section of the tax code controlling non-profit charities. If the party you are donating to does not have such a classification, you will not be able to claim a deduction. Many taxpayers made this mistake when donating to the Tsunami relief effort. Ask the charity to show you the designation or look for it on the paperwork. Most charities will make their certification very prominent.
Once you donate the RV to charity, what can you deduct? Under new tax regulations, you can no longer deduct the fair market value. Instead, you must deduct the actual sales price the charity is able to obtain when it sells your former RV to a third party. The charity will have a procedure in place for sending you a written receipt of the actual sales price. If they do not, donate the RV to another charity that does.
There are a couple of exceptions to the actual sales price tax deduction rules. The IRS will allow you to deduct the fair market value of the RV if the charity ends up using it for a “significant” amount of time for charity business. A second exception also occurs if the charity makes material improvements to the RV before selling it off. In both cases, you can claim the fair market value of the RV if it was being sold to a private party.
The tax rules for donating to charities are more restrictive then they used to be. Still, donate an RV and you’ll be able to claim a fairly sizeable tax deduction.