Rev. date: 12/21/2012
Your recordkeeping and filing requirements depend on the amount of your claimed
deduction.
1) If you claim a deduction of at least $250 but not more than $500 for the car donation, you will need a written acknowledgment from the charity. The acknowledgment must be obtained by the earlier of the date you file your return for the year of the donation, or the due date of the return with extensions. The acknowledgment must include the
following:
- A detailed description of the car.
- A statement as to whether or not the charity provided any goods or services in return for the car other than intangible religious benefits and, if so, a description and good faith estimate of the value of the goods and
services.
- If the charity provides solely intangible religious benefits, a statement to that
effect.
Do not attach the written acknowledgment to your return. Instead retain it with your records to substantiate your
donation.
2) If you claim a deduction of more than $500 but not more than $5000 for the car donation, the written acknowledgment from the charity must be attached to your return and must include all of the information listed in (1) above, plus the following additional
information:
- Your name and taxpayer identification number.
- The vehicle identification number.
- The date of the contribution.
- A certification that the car was sold by the charity in an arm’s length transaction between unrelated
parties.
- The date the car was sold by the charity.
- The gross proceeds of the sale.
- A statement that the deductible amount may not exceed the amount of such gross
proceeds.
For this acknowledgement to be considered timely, generally it must be received by you within 30 days of the sale of the car. In lieu of a written acknowledgment, the charity may provide you a completed
Form 1098-C (PDF),
Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes, that contains the same information.
You must also complete Section A of
Form 8283 (PDF),
Noncash Charitable Contributions, and attach both the written acknowledgment and the Form to your
return.
3) If you claim a deduction of more than $5,000 for the car donation, you must obtain a written acknowledgment with the information described in both (1) and (2) above. You must also complete Section B of Form 8283, and attach both the written acknowledgment and the form to your return. An appraisal is not required if your deduction is limited to the gross proceeds of the
sale.
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