Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Charitable Giving Tool

To help with charitable giving decisions, the IRS recently launched a new online search tool called Exempt Organizations Select Check.  Among other things, this tool allows taxpayers to see if an organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.  Users can search by various criteria including city, state, organization name, employer identification number (EIN) or deductibility status.  We would encourage you to visit this site prior to making gifts to your favorite charities. 

You may access the site from this link:  http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=249767,00.html

It’s important to note that some entities eligible to receive tax deductible contributions are not part of this list.  For example, many churches which are included in group exemption letters may not be found.  Contributions to subordinate units of such organizations are often tax deductible under the central organization’s group exemption letter.  More information can be found in IRS Publication 4573.