We took two trips to Louisiana to do Katrina relief work - cleaning houses, ripping out sheetrock, shoveling mud, etc.
On one trip we helped our daughter exclusively, who had been flooded.
On a second trip, we worked for strangers, taking assignments from a local church and worked some for a charitable animal shelter.
Are either of these trips deductible as charitable work? What is deductible - plane fares, car rental and/or meals? Lodging in both cases was with friends.
I think its wonderful that you donated your time and effort to help the Katrina victims. My thoughts are with you and your family.
In order to claim a deduction, you must itemize. There are specific tax laws made this year for the help of Katrina victims. Volunteer work itself does not produce a tax deduction. You can however deduct driving expenses. You can take a standard deduction of 14 cents per mile on your tax return. Now, on September 1st, the IRS increased the mileage you are able to deduct to 34 cents per mile.
Contributions to a specific individual or the cost of meals while you're volunteering are NOT deductible.
The IRS publication 526 defines which items are tax deductible.
