IRS Tools Help Taxpayers Research Charities Before Making Donations

It’s the season of giving—it’s also the end of the year, and many U.S. taxpayers are considering year-end donations to various tax-exempt organizations, which will also allow them to deduct all or a portion of their contribution on their tax return. To assist taxpayers as they are deciding where to make their donations, the IRS has a new tool that may help. Tax Exempt Organization Search on IRS.gov is a tool that allows users to search for charities. It provides information about an organization’s federal tax status and filings.

Search the IRS for Tax-exempt organizations:  https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits

Here are four facts about the Tax Exempt Organization Search tool:

-Donors can use it to confirm an organization is tax-exempt and eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.

-Users can find out if an organization had its tax-exempt status revoked. A common reason for revocation is when an organization does not file its Form 990-series return for three consecutive years.

-EO Select Check does not list certain organizations that may be eligible to receive tax-deductible donations, including churches, organizations in a group ruling, and governmental entities.

-Organizations are listed under the legal name or a “doing business as” name on file with the IRS. No separate listing of common or popular names is searchable.

Taxpayers can also use the Interactive Tax Assistant, Can I Deduct My Charitable Contributions? to help determine if a charitable contribution is deductible.

Taxpayers may also want to decide now if they’ll itemize their deductions when they file next year. Last year’s tax reform legislation made changes to the standard deductions and itemized deductions. Many individuals who formerly itemized may now find it more beneficial to take the standard deduction. So, taxpayers should check their 2017 itemized deductions to make sure they understand what these changes mean to their tax situation for 2018. More information about these changes is on IRS.gov/taxreform.