If you are eligible to deduct charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes and you want to claim a deduction for donating your car to charity, then you should make certain that the charity is a qualified organization. Otherwise, your donation will not be tax deductible.
The most common types of qualified organizations are section 501(c)(3) organizations, such

as charitable, educational, or religious organizations. This publication refers to section 501(c)(3) organizations generally as “charities.”


To verify that an organization is a charity qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions, see IRS Publication 78, 'Cumulative List of Organizations, an annual list of most charities. Publication 78 is available online at www.irs.gov/eo (under the Search for Charities topic) and at many public libraries. You may also verify an organization’s status by calling the IRS Customer Account Services division for Tax Exempt and Government Entities at (877) 829-5500 (toll-free). Be sure to have the charity’s correct name. It is also helpful to know the charity’s address.


Not all qualified organizations are listed in Publication 78. For example, churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques are not required to apply to the IRS for recognition of
exemption in order to be qualified organizations and are frequently not listed. If you have questions, call Customer Account Services at the above number.