Is volunteer work tax deductible?

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.

Nope. Your time isn’t tax deductible, even if you worked 200 hours knocking on doors. The IRS doesn’t put a dollar value on donated labor. But what is deductible are certain expenses tied to your volunteer work—like mileage, uniforms you had to buy, or supplies you personally purchased. So, don’t expect a tax break for the hours, but keep those receipts.

Even if your hours aren’t deductible, don’t underestimate the impact. The tax code may not reward your time, but society does. Still, track the money you spend—gas, snacks for canvassing groups, printing flyers. If it was for a recognized nonprofit (like a 501(c)(3)), you can usually deduct those costs. For political campaigns though, sadly, no deductions apply.