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I itemize my deductions and in the near future would like to donate 6 big bags of clothing all is very good condition to an IRS registered charity. Do I have to write down the description of each article on clothing in each bag on the receipt or can I just write down 6 large bags of clothing on the receipt the charity provides? Do I need to take a picture of the clothes? Is $50 a fair amount to deduct for 6 large bags of shirt, shorts, pants and sweatshirts?
Best way is to write down the number of items of each type, such as 4 mens dress shirts, 2 ladies blouses, 5 pairs of mens casual pants, etc. Here is a Salvation Army guide to value of items:
I itemize my deductions and in the near future would like to donate 6 big bags of clothing all is very good condition to an IRS registered charity. Do I have to write down the description of each article on clothing in each bag on the receipt or can I just write down 6 large bags of clothing on the receipt the charity provides? Do I need to take a picture of the clothes? Is $50 a fair amount to deduct for 6 large bags of shirt, shorts, pants and sweatshirts?
You need to to whatever you need to do.
If you get audited, and the IRS says prove to us what you donated, the quality of the donations and the value of the donations... what will you show them?
We got audited on taxable donations, and we were asked just that.
My YWCA Thrift Shop does all that for me. They keep track of the donations; they keep track of what the items actually sold for; they provide an IRS-approved form at the end of each year.
Best way is to write down the number of items of each type, such as 4 mens dress shirts, 2 ladies blouses, 5 pairs of mens casual pants, etc. Here is a Salvation Army guide to value of items:
I think that's a good suggestion. The Salvation Army's online donation form for truck pickup has pre-set options like clothing--bags/boxes and you enter the number of bags/boxes. Same thing with other categories. It's kind of generic as to brand or other details. From my experience with other items, the receipt the driver gives you will just say something to the effect of Dishwasher-1 or Queen Mattress-1, with no other details about brand, etc to help determine value.
Should I on a separate sheet of paper keep a written and photographic record of the items donated to support to substantiate what's in each bag of clothes or that the couch I am donating for example is an expensive brand vs an inexpensive one?
I itemize my deductions and in the near future would like to donate 6 big bags of clothing all is very good condition to an IRS registered charity. Do I have to write down the description of each article on clothing in each bag on the receipt or can I just write down 6 large bags of clothing on the receipt the charity provides? Do I need to take a picture of the clothes? Is $50 a fair amount to deduct for 6 large bags of shirt, shorts, pants and sweatshirts?
You donate by making a itemized list. Then you put a reasonable value price. You deduct a percentage of that
You donate by making a itemized list. Then you put a reasonable value price. You deduct a percentage of that
Makes perfect sense, but what if the pre-printed computerized receipt simply indicates "six bags of clothes"? Should I keep a separate list of each item for my own records or attach it to the pre-printed receipt?
I keep my own list, backed up by receipt from where I donate, and use TurboTax where I input my items with condition and they get assigned a value individually. It's a bit laborious when I've donated a lot during the year, but straightforward.
Once I had a major donation from a brutal purge, and we drove up to Salvation Army with one of those old VW vans so stuffed we could barely drive it. I had a sorta-list, but took my camera and took pics as everything was unloading. Glad I didn't get audited on an item-by-item basis that year!
All that's required for under $250 is this.
In the op's case, 6 bags of clothing would probably enough of a description for $50 but something like 8 shirts, 6 pair of pants, etc is easy enough to keep track of while you're packing them.
Is everybody really that paranoid about an audit for things this minor?
"To deduct a noncash donation worth less than $250, you need a receipt with:
the charitable organization’s name
the date and location of the contribution, and
a description of the property (in just enough detail to identify the items)."
Ummm... I actually DID get audited.
And it was far more than $250.
That's the point. You'd better have damn good proof of donations of $250 and over.
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