Many people may be thinking of sending donations to assist in Japan’s relief efforts in the wake of the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami recently effecting the region. If you are thinking about making a donation toward Japan’s relief efforts you may want to make sure that you are donating to a charity that will allow for a tax deduction. Donations made to charities in 2011 can be claimed on your next tax filing in 2012 as long as the charity is US based and qualified by the Internal Revenue Service.
The IRS reminds donors that contributions to foreign organizations generally are not deductible.
If you know which charity you would like to donate to you can do a search of the IRS Database and make sure that the Charitable Organization is qualified. An IRS qualified organization will allow the donation to be tax deductible.
Some organizations, such as churches or governments, may be qualified even though they are not listed on IRS.gov.
If you review the list and are still unsure as to whether the donation will be tax deductible call a tax professional at 1-888-APRIL-15.
Source: IRS.gov