How to Verify Tax Deductible Tax IDs
When donating money or goods to a charity, you may only claim a tax deduction on the donation if the charity has an official non-profit, or tax-exempt, status. If you are going to donate, be sure to ask for the Tax ID of the charity first, so that you can check the company out before giving your donation. You can determine whether or not a charity has a non-profit, or tax-exempt, status by checking the Tax ID of the charity with the the IRS.
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Instructions
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Ask the charity that you are inquiring about for their tax ID. If they cannot provide their tax ID, at least get the name and location of the company. If you have the Tax ID, go to the IRS website. There you will be able to enter the ID and check for tax-exempt or non-profit status.
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Enter the name and location of the company into the IRS website to find the Tax ID of the company if the company was unable to provide it. Enter the zip code and name of the company, then press "Submit" to show a list of possible matches. Click on the correct company and view their tax status. If the company is not listed then it does not have a tax-exempt status.
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Check for a revocation of tax-exempt status, using the tax ID or name of the charity. The IRS revocations link in the Resources will provide a list of companies whose tax statuses have been revoked. The list is alphabetized, and if you are having trouble scrolling through the list you can use your browser's "Search" function to find the company name. On most browsers the "Search" function is activated by holding Ctrl and pressing "f." Enter the company name or Tax ID into the search box and click "Find."
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Tips & Warnings
Checking with the IRS is enough to prove that a charity can claim tax-deductible donations, but you may want to check the charity out with the Better Business Bureau. This will allow you to see how the donations are used (see Resources).
Some charities are able to gain tax-exempt status, but later lose the status and therefore are no longer able to accept deductible donations. If you donated to a charity that lost their tax-exempt status, your donation will only be tax deductible if it was made before the revocation of the tax-exempt status. If your donation was made prior to tax status revocation, you can still deduct the value of the donation on your taxes.
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