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I’ve been spending weekends helping a local nonprofit register new voters, and it’s been rewarding but also costly—gas, supplies, even printing flyers. When tax season comes, I want to know: can I claim any of that? Or is it just part of the personal cost of civic engagement?
Posted : 25/08/2025 10:50 am
Can You Deduct Volunteer Work?
- Time is Not Deductible
The IRS does not assign a monetary value to your volunteer hours. Whether you volunteer 10 hours or 1,000, your labor itself isn’t deductible. - Expenses May Be Deductible
What you can deduct are out-of-pocket expenses directly tied to your volunteer activity, as long as:- You were volunteering for a qualified nonprofit (501(c)(3)), not a political campaign.
- The expense was necessary and unreimbursed.
- You kept proper documentation (receipts, mileage logs).
- Examples of Deductible Expenses
- Gas or mileage driven for nonprofit work.
- Uniforms or clothing required for volunteering (that you can’t wear elsewhere).
- Supplies purchased solely for the volunteer activity.
- Political Volunteering is Different
Any expenses for campaign volunteering—yard signs, travel to rallies, snacks for canvassing—are not deductible under U.S. tax law. The IRS excludes political organizations from the charitable deduction category.
Key Takeaway
👉 Volunteering = generous for your community, not for your taxes.
👉 Expenses tied to nonprofits = sometimes deductible.
👉 Political campaign expenses = never deductible.
Posted : 25/08/2025 10:51 am