If a pick up a person to take to church - can I claim that on my income taxes as charitable mileage?

Question

My boyfriend and I drive the church van - about every 3rd Sunday. Normally - we only have to pick up 1 gentleman. It is usually easier ( as far as time wise ) for us to pick him up in my Tahoe. My question is - can I claim that on my taxes as charitable mileage - as a deduction? The guy lives about 8 miles from the church. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

It is possible to claim this as deductible mileage for charitable purposes. You are using your personal vehicle for the purpose of performing a service for a charitable organization. The current standard mileage rate for charitable purposes is $.14 per mile - nowhere near the $.485 you get for business.
You can take the mileage between his house and the church, not from your home. To take the deduction, you would add the mileage amount in on the Schedule A (Itemized Deductions) as a charitable contribution. If you cannot itemize your deductions, there is no place where you can deduct this type of expense.

Answer 2

Your boyfriend (and/or you) is hired to drive, or has access to the church van, and the church has him pick up people and take them to church. There is no deduction for you in this, unless your boyfriend has out of pocket expenses like filling the gas tank occasionally or paying a toll from your own money.

By substituting your own vehicle for the church van, this does not create a deduction for you. You are using your own vehicle for your own convenience, not the convenience of the charity. The charitable activity related to the church is that the church has you drive its van (either as a volunteer or paid driver) for the benefit of its members.

In addition, if you have an accident in your vehicle and the passenger sues, he will sue you and the church will say that you were acting on your own since they provided you with an insured vehicle to use for that purpose and you decided on your own not to use the vehicle.

Another question I have is...is your boyfriend (or you) paid to drive the church van? If so, then he most definitely should not be substituting your vehicle for the church van, and then deducting expenses as a charitable contribution.

So, no deduction. Use the church vehicle for transporting church members.

Answer 3

It's a good thing to do, but no it isn't tax deductible. Anything you give to or do for an individual can't be deducted, only donations to a egistered charity.

If you were putting the gas into the church van, you might be able to deduct that. But miles on your own personal car, no.

Answer 4

The status isn't one created via the non-earnings, yet via governments that prefer to inspire human beings to donate to the businesses so that they might do quite a few the works that the governments have been too busy to handle. I paintings for a no longer for income, and the only benefit is a few tax breaks, yet we are based on investment that is going up and down, and it particularly is often the government that reasons that. If the governments make certain to eliminate that tax ruin, they understand that quite a few the investment might dry up, because many supply to non-earnings for "tax applications" quite than "worrying". France desperate that the donations given to Jehovah's Witnesses could be taxed. grew to become into it slightly? No, they needed 60 % of the donations. (No different faith grew to become into being taxed for their donations). This subject is up till now the ecu fee courtroom magnificent now. My opinion on taxing religions is that in case you tax one, you tax all. As you may think of in France, the Catholic Church may be their best aim.

Answer 5

You can try, but you would have to have done it a certain amount of miles for the entire year. I think we should be able to claim everything we do since we get taxed on everything we do. If they can tax us, then we should be able to claim everything we get taxed on.... Fuel too.

Answer 6

if its the church van, then yes.

if its your car then id say no