Are business donations to charities deductible?

If my business makes a donation to charity that is completely unrelated to my business, is that tax deductible? I understand that if your donation gives you some advertising, then you can deduct a portion of it. But if the charity just take your money with a simple thank you, is there anything you can deduct from that as a business expense?

Reply to
Mr. Nonsense
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In many cases, yes. How it is reported depends on the type of entity. If you are an individual reporting business activity on a Schedule C, your donation is reported on your Schedule A, just as if it were an individual donation. If your business is a corporation, it is reported on your corporate tax return form 1120, line 19, and is limited to 10% of adjusted taxable income.

(So taking the above into account, the owner of a closely held corp might often want to make an individual donation instead a corporate donation.)

Now is a very good time to be giving money to charities -- they really need it in this economy.

Steve

Reply to
Steve Pope

Are you a sole proprietor, who files a schedule C? If so, charitable contributions are reported on Schedule A not Schedule C.

If you have another form of business, please add those details.

Reply to
Arthur Kamlet

First of all, you need to distingquish between a marketing or advertising expense and a charitable donation. Presuming that you are talking about a donation of cash (check) as opposed to a donation of inventory or other property, it is generally deductible. Where it gets reported and limitations that may apply depend on the form of your business. A sole proprietorship, partnership, S corp or c corp will report these deductions differently and different limitations can be applicable. You should consult your own CPA/tax advisor to find out how it applies to your situation.

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Reply to
Benjamin Yazersky CPA

You can deduct the value of the advertising you get from it as a business expense for advertising, and the rest as a charitable contribution (subject to the usual limitations).

Seth

Reply to
Seth

Correct, I am a sole proprietor. Since my itemized deductions never exceed the standard deduction, then my charitable donations ( from either personal or business funds ) are not going to impact my bottom line...

Reply to
Mr. Nonsense

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