If you’d like to help someone in need, you can do so by donating a car or truck to Goodwill.® Not only will you be helping to fund your local charities, you’ll also receive some tax advantages. There are many Goodwill ®services and programs out there, some of which are in your own community!
You need to keep the following in mind when you donate a car:
• Look over the IRS publication called “A Donor’s Guide to Donations”. Make sure you look over the part about donating cars specifically so that you’ll know how to acquire your tax cut. Make sure you understand the process before making the donation.
• Are you ONLY donating so that you can receive a tax advantage, or because you truly want to help out? If it’s the latter, then you may want to consider arranging for the vehicle to be towed yourself rather than have the agency do it. By doing that, you’ll be helping the charity save money.
• Whatever you do, make sure you never sign your vehicle’s title over to someone or some company that you don’t know. Some scammers may try to get you to leave the “recipient” area of the title blank. Never fall for this—always write in “Goodwill®” or the company’s authorized representative on that part of the form.
In addition to these tips, you should always take a bit of time to read over all of Goodwill’s ®programs and services to find out if any will benefit your own community. You can help bring job training and educational programs to your area by choosing to donate a car.
