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How to Donate a Car in Colorado

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If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to unload an unwanted motor vehicle, consider donating it to a charity for a sizeable tax deduction. In
Colorado
, there are a number of charities that will gladly accept your old car.
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How to donate a car in Colorado

Aside from saving money during tax season, one of the biggest advantages of donating your vehicle is the sheer convenience. Luckily, making this charitable Colorado car donation is fairly simple once you know how.
  • Find a reputable charity. As vehicle donations have become a more common way to help nonprofits, there has been a rise in scammers taking advantage of people’s goodwill. Make sure the charity you’re interested in donating to is a legitimate organization.
  • Check the Pub. 78 data. The IRS has an
    online search tool
    available that will help you find out if the charity you’re interested in can accept a tax-deductible car donation.
  • Get your paperwork in order. Most nonprofits will need a signed car title before accepting your vehicle donation. You may also need to have the
    vehicle’s Colorado registration
    , make/model, vehicle identification number (VIN), and current mileage on hand.
  • Determine the vehicle’s fair market value. This will let you know how much of a tax deduction you’ll receive for donating your car. Services like
    Kelley Blue Book
    are great means for finding this information quickly.
  • Set a pickup date and time. When you’re ready, contact the organization or fill out a donation form to schedule when your vehicle can be collected.
  • Save your receipt. You’ll need this to claim your tax deduction. Also, if the charity sells your old car, be sure to find out the sale price—this will let you know how much you’re eligible to claim as well.
If you’re looking to donate your motorcycle, ATV, or other vehicle types, it’ll be much of the same steps. As long as you’re prepared with the correct documentation and research done, it should be a pretty seamless process!

How do taxes work when donating a car?

For vehicle donors in Colorado, the amount of your tax deduction will depend on whether the organization intends to sell the vehicle, as well as the sale price, if applicable.
  • If they keep your car, you can claim the fair market value of the vehicle.
  • If they sell your car for less than $500, you can claim up to $500.
  • If they sell your car for more than $500, you can claim the sale price.
Don’t forget—if you want to claim your old vehicle on your taxes, only donate to organizations that accept tax-deductible donations. Giving your vehicle to a place such as a trade school, while generous, is not eligible for a tax deduction.
Key Takeaway Research prospective charities before donating your vehicle to be sure you’ll receive a tax deduction and not be fooled by scammers.  

Where to donate a car in Colorado

Interested in donating your old car, but unsure of who to give it to? Whether you live in Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, or anywhere else in the state, there are several car donation programs accessible to you.
Below are just a few great vehicle donation programs in Colorado that will be more than happy to take that clunker off your hands. 

Cars for Prostate Cancer

Want an incredibly easy, hassle-free donation process while helping to fight cancer?
Cars for Prostate Cancer
will handle all the DMV paperwork while providing you with the documentation you’ll need to claim your donation on your taxes. Their website has an online donation form that makes starting the process super straightforward.
They have bilingual staff available to answer all your questions and provide updates on your car donation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Wheels for Wishes

Wheels for Wishes
will take the proceeds from your donated vehicle to fund Make-A-Wish chapters nationwide. Help a sick child’s dreams come true and save money on your taxes all at once! They offer free pickup and towing for cars, trucks trailers, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and even motorhomes.
Check out their Denver site
here
for more info about donating.

Goodwill Car Donation

Interested in helping disadvantaged people get back on their feet?
Goodwill Car Donation
will turn your old vehicle into employment services, job training, and other desperately needed community-support services across the country.

Cars2Charities

Unsure of which charity to support, but want to get the largest tax deduction possible?
Cars2Charities
is a service used by several nonprofit organizations to handle car donations and maximize the value of each vehicle that’s given away.

Vehicles for Veterans

Vehicles for Veterans is a nonprofit program where vehicle donors can help veterans and their families build better lives. Whether the vehicle runs or not, Vehicles for Veterans will accept your donated car, truck, boat, camper, ATV, or motorcycle. 
They also provide free pickup and free towing throughout Colorado, including Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Boulder, and Fort Collins.
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