By Dunia Noseda-Bonokoski

What if you got a tax receipt for $200.00  from the favorite charity that you donated your vehicle to, only to find out that they didn’t really get $200.00  but only got $40.00 dollars worth of the $200.00.  Wouldn’t that be a bit of a puzzle to figure out?

Well it happens a lot and it can be a bit misleading if you don’t know that it is happening.

We want you to know that Donate a Car Canada does NOT operate this way.

Unfortunately, here is a scenario that may occur with some Canadian car donation programs:

1. The charity receives a cheque for $200.00   from the sale of your vehicle from the car donation program.
2. The charity writes you out a tax receipt for $200.00. 
3. The charity receives a towing fee invoice from the car donation program. For example, let’s say the towing invoice is for $160.00.
4. The charity pays the towing fee of $160.00 and is now left with a net of $40.00 for their charity.
5. In summary, you get a tax receipt for $200.00 and the charity gets $40.00.

(It’s a bit of a surprise isn’t it?) 

At Donate a Car Canada we feel that the charities have enough demands on their time and overhead, and we don’t want them to have to go to the trouble, time and expense of writing out cheques, using up their envelopes and stamps, and re-balancing their bank account. When the charity gets a donation from you through Donate a Car Canada the cheque they receive and your tax receipt are the same amount. There are never any charges to the charity through Donate a Car Canada.

It has always been our mandate to make it easy for our donors to donate their vehicle and to keep it simple for the charity to receive that donation.

With the option to donate to ANY Canadian charity, we know that you will be able to share your generous donation with the charity that speaks to your heart.

Ready to donate? Just click here! 

The post The Surprising Difference! Tax Receipt vs Donation Amount appeared first on Donate A Car.

How much is my car donation tax receipt?

The short story: car donation tax receipt outcomes vary from province to province, and even city to city. This is because all donated vehicles are assessed on their own merits. We have seen re-sale donation outcomes as high as $66,850.00! A few years back, Prostate Cancer Canada received a Mercedes donation of $27,000.00! Although these results are not typical, it is not uncommon for us to send thousands of dollars to receiving charities for auctioned vehicles.

Recycle-ready car donation outcomes are as varied as the cars, donors, and provinces they represent! In some cities we see outcomes as high as $600.00 for a scrap-ready car!

Car donation tax receipt: here’s the breakdown

Donate A Car Canada has three possible sale procedures that maximize the donation outcome for our charities. Here’s how we work:

1. Many donated cars are ready for the recycle process: This applies to vehicles that are ready to come off the road. The donation amount for each varies. Dollar outcomes depend on your donation location, and what the market will pay for the year/make/model. The vehicle will be picked up by our towing agent at no cost to you.
2. We always assess: is a vehicle suitable for sale at auction? Several factors go into qualifying a vehicle for auction. Drivability, mechanical condition, age, visual appearance, and mileage all impact this decision.
   Vehicles sold at auction are sold ‘as is’ and ‘unreserved’. Sales are to the highest bidder, as a full and final sale. Outcome at auction varies. As such, we cannot guarantee a specific sale result.
3. Our third option applies to vehicles that may not perform well at auction, but that are not ready for recycling. Our re-sale/recycle process begins with the free tow. Once our agent has it on their yard they will assess your vehicle to determine if it should be recycled or re-sold. This will be based on the current market. If they determine that they will not find interested buyers, they will recycle your car. If they see re-sale value in your vehicle, they will advertise it to their own buyer base. They will send us the net proceeds from the re-sale price.

Will this cost me anything?

There is no cost to either donor or charity for this process. Donate a Car and their cooperating agents (we serve from coast-to-coast!) do have costs.

We keep our own overhead to a minimum. This is done in several ways, not the least of which is our work from home staff. Having the team work from home has been one of Donate a Car’s cost-saving measures from day one! Furthermore, keeping our staffing numbers lean cuts the bills, too. It does mean that we each work at a clip! And it means we care (so personally) about each donor. Moreover, we strive to keep our environmental footprint small: we are almost entirely paperless. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Our agents mirror our mission: they often cut their own fees dramatically to accommodate complicated tows. They work overtime for our donors, too. Additionally, they boost the amounts they’re willing to pay per vehicle whenever they can.

Any costs to the process are taken from the final sale amount on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis.

Works for me! How do I go ahead?

Just click the big red button right here! The donation form you find there will get you set-up in just a few minutes. Next? Await a call from our supporting tow agent. Then, it’s a free tow. A tax receipt will land in your inbox within a week of our disbursing your donation to your charity of choice.

A consideration: some of our agents will offer a small bump in the sale outcome of the vehicle if it is dropped off at their property. This doesn’t always apply, but do ask if that’s an option for you!

You are also invited to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. There you will be able to keep up-to-date on posts that showcase amazing donors and charities in every province in Canada!

We look forward to serving you and your charity of choice!

The post How Much is My Car Donation Tax Receipt? appeared first on Donate A Car.

One of the things many of us don’t know but should, is that Canada is one of the best places in the world to donate to charity when it comes to tax credits. Did you know you can claim up to 75% of your net income as charitable donations (of course with your Official Tax Receipts!), benefiting your tax return? Crazy hey? There aren’t a whole lot of us who fit in that category, but the message is clear: Canadians who give reap the rewards!

Tax credits: more exciting than you think!

Not too many of us get excited about doing our taxes every year, however it is up to us to educate ourselves and be knowledgeable as far as what we can and can’t claim. We don’t have to be experts but it sure helps to have understanding throughout the year. Be savvy when you’re deciding what receipts to keep, where to file them, and how they affect year end!

The Canadian Revenue Agency has some great resources to learn how charitable giving impacts your tax return. Furthermore, they offer tips on what to watch for when donating. They have a charitable organization listing so you know that you’re giving to a recognized charity. Not only that, they note the rules around how to work it all out on your return. Webinars make it easy to learn more about charitable giving. Find the details here: Charities Webinar Registration.

More helpful bits & bobs from the CRA

You can find another valuable resource here: Claiming Charitable Tax Credits. It answers questions like: 1) Is a charity required to issue an official donation receipt? 2) If the charitable status of a charity to which I have recently made a donation has been revoked, can I still claim my tax credit? 3) Do I have to claim donations the same  year I make them? And several more often asked questions.

The CBC does a great job every year of providing answers to our tax questions. Here is their latest article called 10 Myths About Taxes that Mislead Canadians.

One more place you can get good information is at http://www.taxtips.ca.

Ready to boost your tax credits for 2023?

Our generosity is clearly acknowledged by our Canadian government. If they see the value in charity and reward us accordingly, that’s a good thing for our country all around!

Donate a Car Canada makes giving to the charity you love so easy! First, you can choose any charity in Canada. That’s right! ANY charity. The tow is always free. And we don’t just scrap your donated car, truck, van, or SUV. No way! If our agents see re-sale value in the vehicle they will try-try-try again to get the highest sale outcome possible. This ensures the strongest donation possible. And that benefits you and your tax credits while helping the cause you love!

Not quite ready to donate? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! There you will get an overall feel for how we care for each other and our charities. This is a caring community, here to serve you.

Ready to bump those tax credits? Click on…

The post 10 Myths About Tax Credits appeared first on Donate A Car.

How much Canadians give annually to charities?

In 2010 we donated over $10 billion to various charities across the globe!

Where Canada fits on the world scale of how much we donate to charity?

Canadians loooove their charities!

In 2012, Canadians raised the most funds worldwide during Movember! This is a campaign originating in Australia to raise awareness for men’s health issues. Click here to read the McLean’s report.

CBC filed a revealing report last week showing that although we are among the most generous in the world, more and more of our funds are being directed to international causes. The article covers many aspects of charitable giving with some very interesting statistics and considerations. This is a good read for regular charity donors!

In 2010 we were 14^th of 23 OCED (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) in funds directed to foreign aid. The Government however, stresses that the quality of life improvement for recipients far outweighs the dollar amounts they send. If you would like to read more about foreign aid, go here to read The Globe & Mail article.

Why Canadians are passionate about giving to charities?

It only makes sense that we give to causes we’re passionate about! Furthermore, we give to organizations whose values we align ourselves with. Canadians receive one of the highest tax benefits in the world for their donations. Naturally, that impacts the amount of charitable donations we extend to Canadian charities.

According to this CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) study, there are many reasons we are motivated to give. The way in which we are approached in the process matters. The CRA encourages Canadian charities to read through this information to evaluate their processes and activities.

How much of your donation dollars actually go towards the charity programs?

Donating money represents part of your life. You’ve worked for that income and are trading some of the hours spent earning it to give to others. There are many, many charities that recognize and appreciate that aspect of your giving. Unfortunately, others aren’t so cognizant of this fact. How can you find out what percentage of your donation dollars are actually at work for your favourite cause? Charity Focus, an organization dedicated to educating Canadians about the charities we support! They provide a service in breaking down the income vs expenses and where the money goes for Canadian charities. Check out their website to gain insight on those you already support or are considering sending some of your hard earned income to.

The many unique ways you can support your cause without actually providing cash out of pocket?

Charities know that there are so many ways you can give, whether it’s a cash donation, volunteering, estate planning, gift in kind, wish list items, etc. If you haven’t considered other opportunities besides a cash donation, check out what other options are available to you with your charity of choice.

Donate A Car Canada is happy to provide one such program for our donors. Giving a vehicle away is a big deal, but it’s also a responsible venue to ensure unnecessary carbon footprints are not soaked into our environment. Whether a vehicle is recycled or auctioned, you can be assured we work hard to make the most of each donation, and even though we are not a charitable organization ourselves, we try to keep our overhead at a minimum so that the lion’s share of your generosity goes to work for the charity you’ve chosen to support.

Donate today!

You are also invited to contact and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! From there, you’ll be able to keep up to date on our program as well as see posts that showcase our amazing donors and charities across the country!

The post Canadian Charities: Something to Think About appeared first on Donate A Car.