How Much Mileage Can You Deduct on Volunteer Work?
The federal government offers an incentive for donating cash and property to charitable and nonprofit organizations by making the donations tax deductible. If you choose to volunteer your time, you can't claim a deduction for it, but you can deduct certain expenses that you incur. Among those are gas and oil costs you pay while driving your own car. You can either itemize these costs or use a standard mileage rate.
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Charitable Organizations
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You can only claim a deduction if you perform volunteer work for a qualified organization. According to IRS rules, it must be either a community chest, corporation, trust, fund or foundation, and it can be organized for a variety of reasons that range from religious to purely charitable to scientific. You can find out from the organization itself whether it qualifies for the deduction, or you can look for it on the Internet by using the online version of IRS publication 78, a searchable database of qualifying organizations.
What You Can Deduct
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Even if you donate professional services to a charitable organization, you can't deduct the market value of those services. You can, however, deduct expenses that you incur during the performance of that work, which may include supplies you buy, expenses you incur while organizing fundraisers or parties, and travel expenses. If you use your own car, you can deduct general operating expenses for which you haven't been reimbursed, but not expenses for insurance, depreciation or vehicle repair and maintenance, even if your car breaks down during the performance of your work.
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The Amount You Can Deduct
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The operating expenses that the IRS allows you to deduct include gas and oil as well as any tolls or fares you have to pay. The IRS allows you to itemize all these expenses, but if you do this, it requires you to keep a careful record, including all your receipts. If you don't want to do this, then you can claim the standard deduction of 14 cents per mile. If you use the standard deduction, you only need to keep a mileage log, and you can still itemize and deduct any tolls and fares you paid.
Other Travel Expenses
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If you do regular work for a charitable organization that requires you to drive to and from an office, you can claim a deduction based on the distance of the office from your home. If your work requires you to drive your car a significant distance from your home, you can deduct not only mileage charges, but also other expenses you incur during your trip, including meals and lodging. This deduction applies only if working for the organization is your primary activity. It includes attending conventions if you do so as a chosen member of your organization.
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References
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