What Can You Deduct For Volunteering?

Volunteer work is common all around the world and there are numerous charity organizations that are solely run and managed by volunteers only. Their amazing work is appreciated all over the globe. Since they are willingly doing volunteer work, they do not get any payment for the work that they do as it is purely on volunteer basis. 

However, we also need to keep this fact in our minds that just because they do not get paid for the work they do, it does not mean they should not get any tax deductions for their other expenses that are out of their pockets. 

Below we will mention a few things which atleast the volunteers can get back for some of their work: 

What you can deduct?

• If you are a volunteer, you can deduct the petrol or gas charges from your origin place till your work destination and from there till back home. Parking fees as well as the tolls can be deducted. However, apart from this any other charges should not be deducted. 
• You can also deduct the charges of the mode of transportation that you use in order to get to your volunteer work place. It can be bus, taxi or metro. You should deduct only those charges which you use from your home till the volunteer work place and nothing else.
• If ever you are sent on long distance trips that are related to your volunteer work, then you can also deduct meal expenses. Apart from that, if you have to stay in a hotel until your work requires, then you can also deduct the total expense of the hotel and the travelling charges from one place to another that come within. 
• You might ignore some of the deductions that you paid out of your pocket and then by the end of the month be short of money. Some of the deductions that you ignore include photocopying some papers for the volunteer work, or some hygiene items someone asked you to bring, some snacks you were asked to bring, or any other money that you paid out of your pocket for the volunteer work. You have to deduct all these charges. 
• Apart from this, if your charity organization requires you to wear a particular uniform to work, then you have to deduct that money as well. Any other outfit required to wear on special occasions even that is deductible.

So, these were the charges that you should deduct and come under the heading of deductible expenses. 

What should you do to deduct these expenses?

There are many cases heard about volunteers paying money from their pockets and then never getting any money reimbursed and that leaves them in despair. This should not happen specially because of the reason that volunteer work is done for the good of mankind. 

However, a person should be smart enough and do volunteer work for only a charity which is recognized and approved by the IRS. Those which are approved by the IRS have the approval for tax exemptions. 

Apart from that, keep all the receipts with you that you get when you pay related to the volunteer work. This is due to the fact that these receipts will act as full proof when you will submit them everyone will see the date and the amount of money you have paid out of your pocket. Make sure that you do not loose these receipts.

Do not take deduction for the time that you have spent at the volunteer organization because that is volunteer work and this is what you have to do for free. Any other charges that relate to the volunteer organization must however be deducted. 

Conclusion

So, this was all that there was all about the volunteer tax deductions. Volunteer work is done for the good of mankind, to help humans and for the help of people. But people should keep in mind that there are specific charges which should be tax deductible as it is not their responsibility to pay from their personal pockets. That money should be reimbursed from the organization to the volunteer worker. If they do not reimburse, that wont be fair on the workers part.