last night i spent $500 (parts only. no labor)to fix a monk's car. I didn't ask for him to pay for anything. and when he asked me how much it costed i refused to tell him. i just can't bring myself to allow him to pay for anything.

i looked up tax deductions for donations to church/temple and it is allowed but in my case i donated parts/supplies. not exactly money. am i still allowed to write this off as a charitable donation? i have the recipt. what other info do i need to write this off if it is deductable?

my mom also spends huge amounts of money on ingredients and supplies when the temple has bake sales. and she has never kept track of how much it really costs her because she doesn't think that she can deduck those expenses.

 

picture of yourself please

 

so you wouldn't take his money, but you want to write it off?

why not take solace in the fact that there will be a spot for you on the happy side of the afterlife solely because you fixed a monk's car that one time

 

<----- kinda like that but with less yellow.

 

are you saying that i'm a jerk/thief/ass/crook/scumbag for wanting money back for charity work?
yes, i want to write it off. steal from the rich, give to the poor. except i'm not stealing from the rich. just asking for money back that the rich says i'm allowed to have back.
i dont make a lot of money. i'm not greedy. $500 (actually a bit more) really huts my pocket book. and it's not the first time i've done free work for the local temple monks. i don't belive in an afterlife. And if i did care about my afterlife, "that one time" wont cut it.

i'm not trying to rip off the government by claiming more money then i actually spent. just recoup some expenses. something that is perfectly legal.

 

ur sweet for that gesture........double high-5 to you

if you've not already seen this particular link.........might it help? it says "yes" to property. looks like there is a form for over $500 in 'non-cash' too. short read:

http://taxes.about.com/od/deductions...tyDonation.htm

 

I believe you can claim it but you'll need a receipt from the monk and a receipt for the payments on the part.

 

Do you itemize your deductions or take the standard.

 

Is the car owned by the monk or a monastery? If it's owned by the monk, I doubt you can deduct it. He's an individual, not a charitable organization. As for the bake sale stuff... I'd say that's a maybe. If you're not sure, you should read the relevant tax forms or see a qualified professional. The advice you'll get here is questionable, at best.

 

thanks everyone. i don't expect definitive answers from OT. just looking for a lil' help to find my goal. i've found that OT has a collective well rounded knowledge of everything (at least most things) one can think of.