does a gift reduce my deductions?

Gift cards are considered the same as cash. Volunteers are generally treated the same as employees when it comes to compensation, gifts, awards and reimbursement for expenses. As such, I can find nothing in the law that would exempt the $25 card from being treated as taxable income. The statement from the organization that it was "to offset travel expenses" does not make it a reimbursable expense that one can exclude from income because there is no accountable plan. As there is no accounting by the volunteer for the expense, the payment is taxable and the volunteer can deduct the cost of travel at 14 cents per mile if the taxpayer elects to itemize deductions.

As a side note, when some us volunteer for IRS VITA/TCE or any of the Partner Programs (e.g., AARP Taxaide), there is an accounting for travel and any any reimbursement is tax exempt. What is interesting about this, is that the partner organizations reimburse at the business mileage rate and the volunteer is not required to declare as income the difference between the business mileage rate and the charity mileage rate.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Alan) posted: [unnecessary material elided]

True, although the charity mileage rate is a Schedule A deduction limit, for inclusion along with other cash or (non-cash) material contributions. And it's a tragic oversight that the rate has been maintained at a puny 14 cents per mile, compared with the 2008 50.5 cents for business use.

When one considers the service provided by those who drive the poor or disabled for medical care, for example, the deduction should more reasonably reflect the true cost.

Bill

That's rotten, but since I seem to be in the 0% tax bracket, it doesn't actually matter.

Had they given it to wife, who has no connection to them, would it have been taxable? How about if whoever donated it to them gave it to me directly. Taxable? The Red Cross is giving out a pound of coffee for blood donations. Is that taxable? Four years ago I won somesort of lottery for donors and got a $50 gift card. Was that taxable?

Cash or items equivalent to cash would generally be income.

if there is quid pro quo, I'd call this taxable.

If you worked hard all day volunteering and they brought in pizza for everyone, that would probably nontaxable.

Probably yes, but I can;t believe the IRS would crack down on a red cross gift of coffee.

Yes. If you had won $600 they would have had to issue a tax form showing that prize - probably form 1099-Misc box 3. Just because they are not required to issue a tax ofrm for below $600, does not mean it isn't taxable.

of coffee.

I've sometimes got T shirts or cloth grocery bags for volunteering, and once even a meal. You think these are taxable?

gift of coffee.

Not taxable.

or cloth grocery bags Not taxable. for volunteering,

Not taxable. You think these are taxable?

Reason: They are nominal gifts having minimal dollar value. As such, they fall under the de minimis fringe benefits rules.

Do these fringe benefits apply only to employers? I found a write up on fringe benefit rules at

See my earlier post about volunteers being treated the same as employees when it comes to compensation.

Let's go back to the Booster Clubs being audited in Kentucky. If a parent or a student put in a two hour shift and was given a chit for the equivalent value of a pound of coffee, then there would be a similarity to the Red Cross. The distinction, however, is that the Red Cross then sells your blood to hospitals and records the revenue on their books to use for expenditures NOT directly benefiting the contributors.

If, for example, the Booster Club distributed its revenues to reduce the cost of band instruments to everyone by 25% and those who had chits were allowed to pay with them, the only problem the Booster club would have is issuing 1099's to every family with a combined chit total over $600 (I would advise over $100).

I do not know how often one can donate blood, but it seems appropriate that someone who donates enough to run up around $100 in de minumus cash, coffee, or chits should be getting a 1099.

Dick - whose blood is loaded with pain killers

And you are right, too.

On Dec 28 2008, 12:05?pm, an_ordinary_guy snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Bill) wrote: :

What is interesting here is that the volunteers in the sister org VITA around Dayton have not havd a rich pockets sponser such as AARP tax Aides, and do not received mileage reimbursements or liability in- surance.

Bill Patch Hilliard Ohio VITA Volunteer Fairborn OH 2006-2008

As to liability insurance, the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 provides liability insurance for a volunteer who is acting within the scope of the program. As to mileage reimbursement, I thought everyone had access to the nominal flat fee reimbursement.. but I could be wrong.

Bill

I attended a VITA briefing in Columbus in November, and received

• an order form
• an IRS Taxpayer Advocate ball point pen, dried up so no ink supply
• a keychain flashlight saying IRS Volunteers Make It Happen.

When the Columbus program was run out of Cincinnati a few years ago, we also had a luncheon after tax season, altough we all kicked in the money for that luncheon, it was still nice to have.

Not quite the same thing as filling out a form and having AARP make reimbursements.

Several years ago we (AARP/TCE) received a cute little calculator, with a tiny display and minuscule buttons. Just the thing that our aging volunteers needed.

Actually this season the IRS gave out really nice canvas tote bags with their SPEC logo at the "train-the-trainers" regional meeting.

Come and join us in Upstate NY. More snow, better gifts, and fewer MFJ/MFS problems.