Charitable tax deductions - Check the organizations to which you donate
If you have been donating to charity you should let the tax agencies know, and avail the charitable tax deduction that becomes legitimately due to you. Your contributions to charitable organizations can add up to a sizeable deduction if you itemize them on IRS Form 1040, Schedule A.
But before you make the donations you must carry out a few checks. You must remember that only donations made to organizations that are recognized by tax agencies are eligible for tax deduction. You can refer to Publication 78 brought out by the IRS that lists all such organizations. This list is available online and in several public libraries too.
You cannot get tax benefits on donations to individuals, political organizations or political leaders nor can you claim benefits for spending time raising money for organizations by holding raffles, bingo or any game of chance.
