About Salvation Army Auto Donations

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By Nicole Hoelscher
eHow Contributing Writer

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With the Salvation Army auto donation program, you can get a hefty tax write off for a vehicle, and help a worthwhile charity in the process.

Significance

By donating a used car to the Salvation Army, you receive a large tax deduction. Because the Salvation Army is a nonprofit organization, your donation is completely tax-deductible. Your car will be sold at auction to help the Salvation Army's charitable efforts. Specifically, the Salvation Army uses the proceeds from donated cars to fund its drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs throughout the country. Donating your car to the Salvation Army is a way that you can avoid the hassle of selling it and receive some compensation while helping the community.

If you have a car or other vehicle that you wish to donate to the Salvation Army, you will need to call 1-888-999-ARMY to set up a pickup time and location. If your vehicle needs to be towed, the Salvation Army will cover the towing expenses. If you live near a Salvation Army location, you may be able to drop off the vehicle at the center rather than waiting for it to be picked up.

You can write your donation off on your taxes as a charitable giving tax deduction. If the car sells for less than $500 at auction, you can write off the fair market value. If the auto is worth more than $500 when sold at auction, you can claim up to the gross proceeds that the Salvation Army receives at auction. In order to verify the amount, the Salvation Army will provide you with the documents you need to show how much you are allowed to take for your tax deduction. You will also be provided with the forms you need when you do your taxes.

The Salvation Army will accept any working vehicles, and sometimes nonworking vehicles as well. The types of vehicles accepted by the Salvation Army auto donation program include cars, trucks, vans, boats on trailers, RVs, trailers and small airplanes. The only stipulation on the vehicles is that you must have clear title to the vehicle. The charity will not accept any vehicles that do not have titles. If you have lost the title, you can get one through your state's Department of Motor Vehicles.

Most Salvation Army branches are able to arrange pickup of the vehicles within 2 to 5 days of the first phone call. You do not have to be present to donate your vehicle. If you need to have someone else surrender the vehicle for you, inform the Salvation Army auto donations representative of this fact, and give the keys and title to the person you wish to have surrender the vehicle. If your vehicle does not run, you can probably still donate it, provided it has not been damaged so severely that the parts cannot be salvaged.