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Advocacy Blog
Friday, September 16, 2005
IRS Katrina Guidance
From the IRS website:
Citizens seeking to make donations to
help Hurricane Katrina victims should seek out qualified charities, the
Internal Revenue Service said today.
People who have a specific charity in mind can make sure that it is a
qualified charity by searching an IRS-approved list available on the
IRS Web site. IRS.gov has an on-line search feature
that allows people to find qualified charities. Some organizations,
such as churches and governments, may be qualified even though they are
not listed.
The IRS does not endorse any charity. However, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency has urged citizens to make cash donations to
volunteer agencies with whom it is working. The government’s
official Web portal, FirstGov.gov,
also contains disaster-relief information.
In addition, the IRS has prepared Publication 3833, Disaster Relief: Providing
Assistance Through Charitable Organizations, that may be
helpful for people who want to make contributions or who want to form a
new charity.
“We encourage citizens to make sure their contributions are
put to the best use possible to help Hurricane Katrina
victims,” said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson.
“The IRS will do everything possible to assist both taxpayers
and charities in this difficult time.”
The IRS also issued these following reminders to citizens and charities:
• IRS Disaster
Relief main page
• Publication
78, lists charities with tax-exempt status, and a searchable
on-line version is available through IRS.gov
• Publication 526,
Charitable Contributions, provides information on making contributions
to charities
• Taxpayers may claim a deduction for
contributions to charitable organizations only if
they itemize deductions on Schedule A of their Form 1040. They should
retain proof of the contribution and, if the amount is $250 or more,
must obtain an acknowledgement from the charity for the amount to be
deductible.
Posted by Jennifer Lowe
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