L.S. Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 Going on a mission trip to Jamaica next year through son's church. I will be spending out of my pocket approximately $1200 of which $600 is for the plane trip and $600 for room and board. Any of this deductible on my Sch. A charitable contributions? As a group we will be doing some "fund raisers" to try to lesson our costs so my expense may be somewhat less. We are, right now, in the middle of a huge ice/snow storm so Jamaica is sounding really really good right now. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted December 11, 2007 Report Share Posted December 11, 2007 Read Pub 526, page five "Out-of-Pocket Expenses in Giving Services". http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 >>Jamaica is sounding really really good right now<< Well, that is the problem with this complicated tax deduction. The rule for charitable travel is not that the main purpose is non-profit or that most of your time is volunteer. It is that the travel can't have ANY significant element of personal benefit. The pub kc cites has a couple of examples of non-profit travel that is not deductible. One is an archaeological dig, and the other a survey of marine life. Another limiting factor is that the work must actually be for a domestic organization, not simply sponsored by one. There's a lot of info about clergy income and expenses, but it seems the IRS and courts have shied away from defining lay religious work. It really is a study in facts & circumstances. Usually I suggest my clients take a conservative approach to such deductions. Get your rewards in heaven, and render unto Caesar--that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbbwest Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 Going on a mission trip to Jamaica next year through son's church. As a group we will be doing some "fund raisers" to try to lesson our costs so my expense may be somewhat less. We are, right now, in the middle of a huge ice/snow storm so Jamaica is sounding really really good right now. Thanks. The following is an excerpt from the web; just checking, this is where you are going to "fund raise?" lbb Jamaica: Living in Extreme Poverty While the economy of Jamaica has improved, many still live in dire poverty. For these families, every day is a new struggle for the most basic necessities. Because families can’t care for their children, they often abandon them to an inadequate and overburdened social welfare system. More than 407,000 people in Jamaica still do not meet the minimum nutritional requirements set by the United Nations Development Program. Due to the nation's heavy dependence on imports, the population spends a large amount of their incomes on basic necessities, leaving little room for savings and education, thus keeping families entrenched in the cycle of poverty. Many homes are split apart as parents search for viable incomes, often leaving children without caregivers. The work of SOS: At present there are two SOS Children's Villages in Jamaica, four SOS Youth Facilities, two SOS Kindergartens and one SOS School. As is the case around the world, SOS schools also provide education opportunities to the larger community. Take Action to Help Orphans in Jamaica! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulldogTom Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 The following is an excerpt from the web; just checking, this is where you are going to "fund raise?" lbb Jamaica: Living in Extreme Poverty While the economy of Jamaica has improved, many still live in dire poverty. For these families, every day is a new struggle for the most basic necessities. Because families can’t care for their children, they often abandon them to an inadequate and overburdened social welfare system. More than 407,000 people in Jamaica still do not meet the minimum nutritional requirements set by the United Nations Development Program. Due to the nation's heavy dependence on imports, the population spends a large amount of their incomes on basic necessities, leaving little room for savings and education, thus keeping families entrenched in the cycle of poverty. Many homes are split apart as parents search for viable incomes, often leaving children without caregivers. The work of SOS: At present there are two SOS Children's Villages in Jamaica, four SOS Youth Facilities, two SOS Kindergartens and one SOS School. As is the case around the world, SOS schools also provide education opportunities to the larger community. Take Action to Help Orphans in Jamaica! I don't think L.S. is saying his church is going to Fund Raise in Jamaica, what they are going to do is have some fundraisers in the US to offset the cost of the trip to Jamaica. Tom Lodi, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbbwest Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 Bulldog, He said it was a "mission trip" and that they were doing some fundraising. lbb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJack Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 >>Any of this deductible on my Sch. A charitable contributions?<< Of course!! But it probably is not a legit deduction and would be disallowed on audit. Maybe if the church paid all the bills with you giving to the church, but then the church knows they can't really do that since it is really for personal expenses to pay for the donor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 One of my clients who has a boat sales dealership here in Alabama went to Gatlinburg, Tenn for a vacation and said he passed out some business cards while there. He wanted to know if he could deduct the expenses for the trip as advertising. He was serious about the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAXBILLY Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Give him a serious answer ... NO! taxbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I think the answer is "YES" in part. He can deduct the cost of each business card that he handed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulldogTom Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 One of my clients who has a boat sales dealership here in Alabama went to Gatlinburg, Tenn for a vacation and said he passed out some business cards while there. He wanted to know if he could deduct the expenses for the trip as advertising. He was serious about the question. Does Tenn have income tax for businesses? If so, ask him if he has a nexus in that state, and if so, you would be happy to prepare the Tenn Non resident tax return and deduct the advertising that he did in that state. See what he wants to do then. Tom Lodi, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 I think the answer is "YES" in part. He can deduct the cost of each business card that he handed out. I like that! Wish I had thought of that. I always find a good answer after the fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 >>he could deduct the expenses for the trip as advertising<< This kind of deduction has a threshold. If the PRIMARY purpose of the trip is business, then travel expenses can be deducted except for those allocated to personal expenses. If the primary purpose is non-business, than NONE of the travel expenses are deductible, although costs of specific business activities on the trip can be claimed. The primary purpose is determined by time, not importance, and should be supported by an appointment calendar or other records. Another limitation is that deductible business costs must be reasonably proportional to the income. Scattering business cards is not a particularly effective marketing plan and doesn't lead to much expectation of sales. The question is not whether he went to Tennessee to sell a boat, but whether anyone there will go all the way to Alabama to buy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneInAlabama Posted December 20, 2007 Report Share Posted December 20, 2007 Does Tenn have income tax for businesses? If so, ask him if he has a nexus in that state, and if so, you would be happy to prepare the Tenn Non resident tax return and deduct the advertising that he did in that state. See what he wants to do then. Tom Lodi, CA I always miss the opportunity for extra business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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