How to Donate a Boat in Sacramento
- 1). Consult the NADA Guides website to check the fair market value of your boat before you donate it. Use the "average retail" price for your fair market value amount.
- 2). Verify that the charity you have chosen is listed as tax exempt with the IRS. Do this by searching the name of the charity on the IRS charities website. The site can also be used to identify eligible charities in the Sacramento area if you do not already have one selected. Some Sacramento charities that accept boat donations include the Sacramento Zoo, the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Sacramento Children's Home and the Assistance League of Sacramento.
- 3). Contact the Sacramento charity by phone or online to arrange for the boat to be picked up. Usually the charity will have a professional towing company from the Sacramento area pickup your boat within a week. Make sure you get a donation receipt from the tow truck driver when the boat is picked up.
- 4). Wait for the charity to auction off the boat. If it sells for more than $500, you will get a postcard in the mail within six weeks to let you know the final sales price. This is important because the IRS allows you to claim the fair market value up to the sales price of the boat if it sells for $500 or just the value up to $500 if it sells for less than $500.
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