Fostering and Tax Deductions

• January 15, 2013
• lscalercio
• Uncategorized

Did you know…your fostering expenses along with donations to SAPA! are tax deductible!

We all know that any items you donate to a charity (like SAPA!) are tax deductible, but did you know the work you do with SAPA!’s fosters is also tax deductible?  These animals belong to SAPA! until they are adopted.  If you buy the foster animals any toys and supplies, it’s tax deductible.   Here are a some tax deductions to keep in mind:

1.  Toys for the strict use of fosters especially if the toys are sent with the animal to its adoptive home.
2. Beds used strictly for fosters.
3. Food.  If you feed your pet from that food, be sure to consider that when calculating your deduction.  I have two cats that get 1 can of food twice daily.  If that case lasts me 4 days, I know that 8 cans went to pets while 16 cans went to fosters.  16 divided by 24 is 66.67%.  I multiply that by the cost of the case for my deduction amount.
4. Collars and dog coats for the strict use of the fosters.
5. Medical supplies.  All of the antifungal creams and sprays we buy to combat ringworm, the coconut oil, the pumpkin to alleviate diarrhea, flea preventative, heating pads.
6. Medical procedures.  I took a 4 week old foster to Angel of Mercy Animal Emergency in the middle of the night once.  I paid for that service out of my own pocket.  That is an allowable deduction.
7. SAPA! Chipin donations.  You get an email response from the chipin after your donation.  That is your receipt for the tax deductible donation.
8. Boarding fees when you’re on vacation.
9. Mileage at 14 cents per mile.  Your travel is for all ROUND trips involving your foster animals.  This includes trips to SAPA!, to the Marbach Kitten Ward, to adoption events, to transport animals to other fosters, to pick up animals from fosters, to transport animals from AES to SAPA!, to meet and greets with potential adopters, to home visits, to pick up or drop off supplies, every trip that supports the work of SAPA!.  The easiest way to keep track of this is to keep a small spiral notebook in your car.  When you get ready to leave, make a note in the spiral of the date and purpose of the trip.  Then note the starting odometer reading.  When you return home, note the ending odometer reading.  This will give you your mileage.  Your spiral notebook becomes your written evidence of the deduction.  Another method is to make a note in a calendar of where you went on a particular day and why.  You can then use mapquest to calculate the mileage for that day.  Write this mileage down on the calendar for that day.  This becomes your written evidence.

These items should get you thinking of what all is deductible.  The bottom line is any time you spend money in support of SAPA! or your foster animals, it’s tax deductible.  All of these items with the exception of the monetary donations (chipins) are deducted on line 17 of the Schedule A Itemized Deductions.  If your total deductions are over $500, you will need to complete a Form 8283 Noncash Charitable Contributions.  Monetary donations are deducted on line 16 of the Schedule A.  All deductions should have written evidence, i.e. a receipt, a letter of acknowledgement, etc.  If you have any specific questions, please visit www.irs.gov.

Submitted by: Venita York