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Form 1098-C - Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes

**The information below has not been verified for the 2020 tax year as the IRS Form 1098-C instructions have not yet been released by the IRS.**

If you donate a qualified vehicle to a qualified organization, you must send the IRS Form 1098-C Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes.

Per IRS Instructions for Form 1098-C Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes, on page 1:

Who Must File

A donee organization must file a separate Form 1098-C, Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes, with the IRS for each contribution of a qualified vehicle that has a claimed value of more than $500. A qualified vehicle is any motor vehicle manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways; a boat; or an airplane. However, property held by the donor primarily for sale to customers, such as inventory of a car dealer, is not a qualified vehicle.

If you e-file your return, you must:

  • Attach Copy B of Form 1098-C to Form 8453, U.S. Individual Income Tax Transmittal for an IRS e-file Return, and mail the forms to the IRS; or
  • Include Copy B of Form 1098-C as a PDF attachment if your software program allows it.

If you don't attach Form 1098-C (or other statement), you can't deduct your contribution.

You must get Form 1098-C (or other statement) within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle. But if exception 1 or 2 (described later) applies, you must get Form 1098-C (or other statement) within 30 days of your donation.

Attaching Documentation in TaxAct

If you need to submit supporting documentation and would like to electronically file your return, you must mail the documents to the IRS along with Form 8453.

To enter the information from Form 1098-C in the TaxAct program:

  1. From within your TaxAct return (Online or Desktop), click Federal. On smaller devices, click in the upper left-hand corner, then click Federal.
  2. Click Itemized or Standard Deductions in the Federal Quick Q&A Topics menu to expand, click Charitable contributions, then click Yes.
  3. Continue with the interview process to enter all of the appropriate information.
  4. On the screen titled Did you make any noncash contributions?, click Yes.
  5. Click Donation Assistant to open a Donations Events window, click Enter Myself to enter your noncash contributions, or click Skip This.

If you provide information for the contribution of a vehicle, you will be prompted to print Form 8453 in the filing steps. Attach the supporting documentation to Form 8453 and mail this information to the IRS, as directed in the Federal Electronic Filing Instructions (which can be viewed or printed later in the e-file screens).

Form 8453 and the required forms or supporting documents must be mailed to the IRS within three business days after receiving acknowledgement that your return was accepted. An electronically transmitted return will not be considered complete until a Form 8453 is received by the IRS.

Note that any link in the information above is updated each year automatically and will take you to the most recent version of the document at the time it is accessed.

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