Tax Experts
Writing Off Weekly Donations to Chruch
By Kevin McCormally, Editorial Director, Kiplinger.com
April 1, 2008
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Q: If you made weekly cash donations to your church can you deduct them without a receipt? -- J. Throne
Kevin's Answer:
New rules that when into effect for 2007 make it much tougher to deduct cash contributions. Here's how IRS describes the new law:
"New recordkeeping requirements for cash contributions. You cannot deduct a cash contribution, regardless of the amount, unless you keep as a record of the contribution a bank record (such as a canceled check, a bank copy of a canceled check, or a bank statement containing the name of the charity, the date, and the amount) or a written communication from the charity. The written communication must include the name of the charity, date of the contribution, and amount of the contribution."
So, in order to meet the new documentation requirements for cash donations to a church, you need a statement acknowledging each donation, by its size and date given.
If you claim the deduction and are audited, the IRS will deny the write-off unless you have the required documentation.
Going forward, your best bet would be to make those weekly contributions via checks.
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