My church doesn't give receipts.
2007-01-25 08:48:35 · 5 answers · asked by Daniel L 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Taxes ➔ United States
There is no magic number that triggers an audit. But there are rules on being able to deduct a contribution to a qualified charity.
For cash gifts, you should have a canceled check or a receipt from the donee. In addition,
If you gave the church at any one time a single payment of $250 or more, they should give you an "acknowledgement" and the acknowledgment MUST say that you received no goods or services in exchange for the contribution. You must have the acknowledgement in hand and dated prior to filing your tax return.
While many organizations may take the responsibility of providing aan acknowledgement, the tax law actually places the responsibility of getting an acknowledgment on the donor.
Though this requirement has been in place for years, there are a lot of churches, both large and small, that still do not issue acknowledgements unless the donor asks for one.
I've never encountered a client asking for an acknowledgement and the church denying to issue one, but if this did happen I would call the IRS and ask for the audit department and then ask them how to proceed.
2007-01-25 11:21:13 · answer #1 · answered by T G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as you have receipts to support you donations, don't worry about an audit. There is an overall limit of 50% of AGI for your total deduction.
bostonianinmo said he's never heard of a legitimate church that would not give a receipt unless they did not recognize you as a parishioner. I've never heard of one that would refuse to give a receipt for any reason.
2007-01-25 18:05:37 · answer #2 · answered by STEVEN F 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That depends upon your income.
If your church refuses to give receipts, it may not be eligible to receive deductible donations from the parishioners -- in other words it's not recognized as a real church but is probably a tax scam. In nearly 40 years of tax work I've never heard of a church that wouldn't provide a receipt upon request -- unless of course they didn't recognize you as one of their parishioners.
2007-01-25 16:57:54 · answer #3 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You can deduct whatever you gave.
If audited a cancelled check will suffice for any donations under $250. If you happened to give over $250 you will need a receipt.
2007-01-25 17:14:11 · answer #4 · answered by Wayne Z 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
you might have a problem w/o a receipt. if you have a receipt claim everything - don't worry about limits for an audit. if you donated it, you deserve the deduction
2007-01-25 17:03:44 · answer #5 · answered by Dizney 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋