The St. Vincent de Paul Society is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit charitable organization. If you itemize deductions on your tax return, you may claim a deduction for your vehicle donation. Generally, donors who itemize their tax deductions can deduct the fair market value of any donated vehicle. For more complete information, see: IRS Publication 4303, A Donor’s Guide to Vehicle Donations at the IRS website. See additional links below.
Reporting requirements
SVDP’s Responsibility: Auto Donation Program will provide a tax receipt for each
car, truck, boat or RV donated. For a car, truck, boat or RV donation auctioned for $500 or more we
will also provide the donor an IRS form 1098-C if the donor has provided us with a social security number.
For a vehicle auctioned for more than $5,000 will also sign the donors Form 8283, Section B, part IV.
Donor’s Responsibility: If your car, truck, boat or RV donation was auctioned
for $500 or more you will have to complete Form 8283 and include Form 1098-C with your IRS filing which
itemizes deductions. Complete Form 8283 Part A for vehicles which sold for $500 but less than $5,000.
Complete Form 8283 Part B for vehicles which sold for more than $5,000. Form 8283 Part B will require
an appraisal (SVDP has information on appraisers) and a signature of a SVDP representative.
Good Questions to Ask Before Donating
Is the organization qualified?
SVDP is an IRS qualified 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Taxpayers can make certain that they have donated their vehicle to an eligible organization by calling IRS Tax Exempt /Government Entities Customer Service at 1-877-829-5500 or go here and download Publication 78 which is a list of all IRS recognized charitable organizations.
Is the charity worthy?
Legitimate charities are worthy of your donation but you can look deeper into their financial practices. Taxpayers can view any charitable (except churches) organization’s state financial filings. Information like the percentage of revenue the charity spent on charitable programs versus the percentage spent on administrative costs is useful in determining the worthiness of a charity. For California charities, click here then click on Charities Search and input the name of the charity.
Who am I dealing with?
Ask those soliciting for your vehicle donation, who’s their employer. Do they work for the charity itself or a private fundraiser acting on the charity's behalf. If it is a private fundraiser, what percentage of the Gross Revenue is given to the charity? You can verify this information for California here
Will I get a good deduction for my vehicle?
St. Vincent de Paul tries its best to maximize the value of your car, truck, boat or RV donation. We
specialize in selling the donated cars in retail, instead of wholesale settings, to maximize your deduction
and your charitable donation.
IRS links
The IRS website links for fast access to IRS regulations concerning vehicle and real property donations. Adobe Acrobat Reader required - download Acrobat here
For information about determining the Fair Market Value of a vehicle you can read Publication 526 Charitable Contributions here. Another IRS publication "Publication 561. Determining the Value of Donated Property" can be read here
Form 8283, IRS tax form for filing taxes can be found here. For instructions on this form go here. |
