Car Donation In Pennysylvania, PA
What You Need To Know
Car donation in Pennsylvania is a great way to provide resources to charity and a way to help yourself out come tax return time.
But before you decide to just take the car you’re not using down to the charity’s collection center, read through the laws and regulations in the state first.
Below you find all the information you need together with links to the Department of Transportation in Pennsylvania if you are thinking about making a car donation in Pennsylvania.
1. How To Maximize Your Tax Deduction?
However, if you’re savvy, you can get the most money possible for your auto donation in Pennsylvania. For instance, normally you have to wait until the charity sells your vehicle, and then you can claim the gross proceeds of the sale as your tax deduction.
Claiming Fair Market Value
If the company is going to use your vehicle for a significant period of time (for their own charitable work), give your vehicle away for free to a needy person or sell your vehicle at a price significantly below fair market value (also to someone in demonstrable need) in furtherance of the charity’s goals then you may instead claim the fair market value of the vehicle on the date you donated it.
Improve Your Vehicle
Additionally, make any material improvements (improvements that increase the sale value of the vehicle) because then the charity will be able to get a better price for it.
2. What Documents You Need In Pennsylvania?
If you are donating a boat, mobile home, all-terrain vehicle or snowmobile then you have to have the title to the vehicle before you can hand it over.
Replacement Vehicle Titles
If you don’t have your title, or if you need to get a replacement title before donating, then you will need to download and complete Form MV-38 O (Application For Duplicate Vehicle Title) from the Dept of Transport website.
This form should be completed only if any liens on the vehicle are clear. If you are the lien-holder, you should download and complete Form MV-38 L instead.
If you would like to speak to someone in person or even visit a local DMV office, you can find the physical addresses and phone numbers for DMV branch officeson the Dept of Transportation website.
3. What Can You Donate In Pennsylvania?
For instance you can donate boats, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-road vehicles, trailers, recreational vehicles, cars, trucks, RVs, SUVs and practically any other vehicle that is usable under United States law.
Ask Your Charity
If there’s ever a doubt that your charity will take the donation you have planned, just call and clear your donation with the organization before you bring it in.
4. How To Release Your Legal Liability?
Liability is the legal concept that states you are responsible, as the owner of the vehicle, for any injuries or damages that come about as a result of its use.
What You Must Do
First you should sign over the title of your vehicle to the charity, listing it as the new owner. Next you need to remove the license plates from the vehicle and turn them back in to the Department of Transportation so that your registration can be erased from the records.
You can transfer these plates to another vehicle of course, provided that the new vehicle is in the same class as the donated vehicle. Learn more about what you have to do when selling or donating a vehicle in Pennsylvania.
We also recommend looking at the excellent dmv.org website for more information about vehicle titling and registration in Pennsylvania.
5. Where Can You Donate In Pa?
However, if you want to be able to claim a tax deduction you should carefully research the organization you’re donating to and be sure that it’s a 501(c)(3) charity.
A good place to start is the list compiled by the Better Business Bureau andcharitynavigator.org. You will be able to locate good worth causes in all the main towns and cities in Pennsylvania.
- Allentown
- Altoona
- Bethlehem
- Bloomsburg
- Erie
- Harrisburg
- Johnstown
- New Castle
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburg
- Punxsutawney
- Reading
- Saint Marys
- Scranton
- State College
- Wilkes Barr
- Williamsport
- York
Once you have your charity picked out, simply call them and ask where in the state you can bring your donation to drop it off.
Donations In Other States
The IRS says that you are not limited geographically in terms of where you might donate your car. Therefore, if you identify a charitable organization in another state, you are within your rights to donate there. If you live near the state border, it could also be more convenient to find a charity in a neighboring state.
6. How To Maximize Your Charity’s Donation?
However, in order to be sure that the charity makes as much as it can while spending as little as possible there are several things you should do.
Present Your Car At Its Best
First and foremost, clean and maintain your vehicle. The reason for this is that if you don’t, then the charity will have to, and this will cost money and time.
Drop off your donation yourself; if the charity has to pay for the tow then the organization is spending money before it makes any of it back.
Where Will Your Car Be Sold?
Also, avoid charities that sell to the wholesale market when selling vehicle donations. Charities that operate private car lots for the retail market will make more money from your vehicle donation.
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