I have a question about donating quilts or the labor put into them
 

Ok so i love making charity quilts, but i had a very bad experience when i first started quilting where i was used in return for a thank you for about two years and when i got somebody to help that charity so i can attend to other family matters the new person got a receipt for the tax right from the first time....i was in shock and hurt to the core...
I got to know quilts for kids and i requested a kit to make and quilt and i matched with a quilt of my own (that was last year but can't remember when) and i didnt get any tax receipt.
Today i learned about the quilts beyond border?? and their website clearly states that they are tax deductible....so i am confused and need as much info on this as i can.

I love helping but after my first experience I will never be used again. I would rather knock on a poor person's door and give them a quilt than mailing randomly and not knowing what is going to happen to the quilt and i have heard numerous stories about people bringing quilts to long armers as they are going to charity and end up in their homes. I am saying that is to generalized but i really want to avoid that.

Pls help me stop my confusion ):

Thanks

Try joining a local quilt guild. We make quilts that are donated right in our area. This way we can be certain about how they are used. I am not aware that anyone gets a tax deduction for our donations.

I've not heard about donations other than monetary gifts being tax deductible. Doesn't mean they may not be, just that I've never heard anything about it or considered that it might be possible.
Of course I also have this hang up about tax deductions and giving that I won't go into further on this forum.

I make quilts for Project Linus and the lady keeps track all year of what we donate. At the end of the year she gives us a sheet that we can use for a tax deduction with all of our donations listed. It is up to us to assign a value to our work and this is fine with me. You might want to see if there is a Project Linus chapter in your area. Those quilts are donated to the hospital for sick kids locally.

I'm confused...maybe I'm misunderstanding the question, but if you donate to Goodwill/Salvation Army etc., that donation is tax deductible, if you're itemizing. If you're donating quilts to a recognized charity, you should be able to take a deduction. You can't deduct the cost of labor, but your deduction should be based on "fair market value" - what someone would be willing to pay for it. I was at Salvation Army thrift store today and they were selling quilts for $24.99.

They may not have thought about giving you a tax donation form . It is up to you to determine the value though. Not the charity. Track your costs and make up a sheet or find one on the internet. Itemize your supplies and list the charity you donated it to. Or ask them if they use a form. Live and learn. No need to be all hurt. Remember, volunteers may always be aware of these things.

Sandy

for quilts for kids, or any of (those type) of charitable foundations you may make quilts for your own paper work is a must! you can only claim the amount you put into the donation---so, keeping all materials receipts is necessary- you are not allowed to (claim) any of your time- or the market value of the quilt- only the real cost of making it-and if you are audited you need all of your receipts to back up your claims....you can include the cost of shipping the quilt (provided you have postal receipts to prove the expense)...so, good records is necessary

Are you perhaps getting upset about something that may not apply to you? Are you in that high a tax bracket that you could could use these deductions? If you are, you now know to ask.

I searched google and got hits for several charities that say they are tax deductible. I'm sure they are, as all clothing, houseware, etc are when you donate to Goodwill. I did it all the time. What you need is to take pictures of the items (proof) and get a receipt. We use Turbo Tax so I'm not sure how you'd do it otherwise, but they have a section for donations and even an itemized list of the value of things. Say, a pair of jeans are $30, top is $20, etc. You can look into it. If it's a legitimate charity then they must give you a receipt if you want it.

For now you can take your donations to Goodwill or whatever charity and ask them for a receipt. Or make one up listing what you donated and ask them to sign it. It has to be signed by whoever is receiving it. Then you can add up whatever you have in it and take it off your taxes. You better believe my taxes are high enough I get to do this. I understand that next year this may not be the case. The IRS is thinking of taking that deduction away from us. You can check IRS.gov for recent info on this.