Verifying the Authenticity of a Supposedly Authorized Vehicle Donation Center

Giving your vehicle to a vehicle donation center is adonation center at all.
gesture of good will and generosity that helps theOver 95% of transactions that take place at
charity of your choice to make a difference in the lifeauthorized vehicle donation centers, are done as a
of people and families in need. A car donation center"for-profit" business venture. The donation center must
usually does business through a 'middle' agent betweenfollow certain rules of conduct with regards to how
you (the donor) and the charity you wish to help (theyou may be enticed into vehicle donation. There also
recipient of your donation). Car Donations are quickexists a register of organizations that are not allowed
and easily handled utilizing charity vehicle donationto do business in the state.
programs. You can donate cars, trucks, vans, boats,One very important function of an authorized vehicle
planes, even lots and real estate.donation centers is helping you determine a fair
When one has a car that is a good candidate fordonation value for your donated car, truck, boat or RV
automotive donation, there are very often timeto be reported to the IRS. This is not the so-called
constraints that don't allow for a great deal of"blue book" value but, instead, its value on the market.
shopping around for the most needy individuals in theBear in mind, this market may be wholesale rather than
community, much less, repairing and making thatretail.
vehicle a useful donation. An authorized vehicleMost often, the value you'll be given a receipt for is the
donation center, that is recognized by charitablevalue the charity ultimately receives for the car. If you
organizations and the IRS, will be able to take care ofdon't receive a receipt suitable for tax purposes right
your vehicle, find the best and most effective use foraway, that's o.k., but if you receive no word in a few
the vehicle and give you a verifiable receipt for yourmonths, you should start making phone calls to the
tax forms.authorized vehicle donation center's offices in question.
But, how do you know your vehicle is being used forIf the car is being repaired before sale, it could take
the charitable purposes the supposedly authorizedsome time. Even though authorized vehicle donation
vehicle donation center claims to support? There arecenters very rarely do that, preferring the wholesale
several signs, especially when you're looking online forand scrap methods.
such a service or responding to solicitation, that you'reThis is especially true in the case of vehicles that are
dealing with a non-authorized vehicle donation center.not currently running. However, there is still money to
A quick check with just a few, even as little as one orbe made, and most legitimate and authorized vehicle
two of the charitable organizations (preferably onesdonation centers will be happy to come and haul your
you've heard of before), should yield anold car, truck or boat away for free. You should be
acknowledgement of the authorized vehicle donationsuspicious of any supposedly authorized vehicle
center's association as a qualified agent of that charity.donation center that would require you to pay for
Any legitimately authorized vehicle donation center willtowing services and ask.
be able to provide you with a list of charities it brokersIf the fair value of your car is less than $250, there is
deals for.no reason to bother with a form of donation from your
Though very few authorized vehicle donation centerschosen charity or a third-party organization such as an
are registered with the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) non-profitauthorized vehicle donation center. However, for
organization, the charity you donate to must be.anything over that amount, you will need a receipt in
Without this badge of approval from the taxwriting. If you receive more than $5,000 for your
authorities, you'll not be allowed to legally take thevehicle, you will be require to fill out an additional form
deduction. Even worse, this can set you up for an audit(Form 8283, section B) to be signed by a
and no one wants to mess with that kind of attention.representative of the authorized vehicle donation
A truly legitimate authorized vehicle donation center willcenter in question AND an independent appraisal.
be able to provide you with their tax ID number so youThough there are certainly charlatans out there who
may confirm it on the IRS website.would take advantage of charitable giving to line their
Several states additionally certify authorized vehicleown pockets, the IRS and state governments take this
donation centers on their own. If your state is one ofvery seriously. The state Attorney General's office will
these, you can easily check with the state attorneyhave a list of known scammers to avoid. Once you
general's office to see if the donation center you'reknow the authorized vehicle donation center you've
considering is listed on the state non-profit rolls. If not,chosen is on the up and up, you can donate with
you may not be dealing with an authorized vehiclepeace of mind.