Planning to Donate? Read this first.

Many donation drop-off centers accept items year around, and the busiest time is the final six days of the year. At this time, twice as many people take donations to a tax-deductible charity organization to get a last-minute tax receipt. Why? Items donated to this kind of charity before January 1 may be deductible on that years’ tax return.

Things to keep in mind when donating to a tax-deductible charity organization any time of year:

• Donors who want to claim a tax deduction should request a receipt from the attendant when dropping off donations. The IRS allows a deduction for each item, but it is up to the donor to estimate each item’s value.

• Have an inventory of your items ready before you drop them off.

• Remove all hangers from clothing before donating.

• If you have a single donation worth more than $500, you may need to complete IRS Form 8283.

• If you have a single donation worth more than $5,000, you may need a qualified written appraisal.

• Take a glance at Goodwill’s Donation Valuation Guide for the San Francisco Bay Area and compare it to the Salvation Army Valuation Guide.

Find out what organizations such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army DO and DO NOT accept.