Best ItsDeductable alternatives for valuing charitable donations after discontinuation?

Do you know if the values in those guides are updated regularly to account for inflation? Also, if I use one of those tax prep alternatives, would I need to subscribe to their full tax filing service or can I just use the donation tracker part?

Yes, both Salvation Army and Goodwill typically update their valuation guides annually to reflect current fair market values, though the changes are usually modest year to year. For the tax prep software alternatives, it varies by company. TaxSlayer's donation tracker is integrated into their paid products, but you don't need to file through them to use it throughout the year. H&R Block's DeductionPro is similar - it's included with their paid versions, but you can track donations year-round and then export the data if you decide to file elsewhere.

Does it have mobile functionality? I usually take pictures of my donation receipts on my phone right after dropping stuff off. Would be awesome if I could just upload directly from there instead of transferring to my computer first.

How accurate is their valuation system? My biggest concern is using something that overvalues items and triggers an audit. With ItsDeductable I always felt safe because TurboTax seemed to use pretty conservative values.

Yes, it works great on mobile! They have both a website and app version, so you can snap pics and upload right from your phone when you're at the donation center. Super convenient compared to my old process. Their valuation system seems to be right in line with IRS expectations - maybe slightly more conservative than ItsDeductable was. They reference multiple valuation guides (including Salvation Army and Goodwill) and then suggest values in the middle range. You can adjust if needed, but I've found their suggestions to be pretty reasonable.

How does this actually work? Do they just call the IRS for you or something? Seems kinda weird that a third party could get through when regular people can't.

Yeah right. No way this actually works. I've tried calling the IRS dozens of times over the years and it's basically impossible. They probably just connect you to some random call center pretending to be the IRS. I'm extremely skeptical that any service could magically get through when millions of people can't.

They use a combination of technology and timing to navigate the IRS phone system for you. Once they get through the queue, they call you and connect you directly to the actual IRS representative. It's the real IRS - they're just handling the hold time and menu navigation. It works because they have systems that can stay on hold and dial repeatedly during optimal times when call volumes are lowest. Once they get through, they connect you directly to the agent. I was skeptical too, but the person I spoke with was definitely a real IRS employee who accessed my tax records and everything.

@Zoe Walker you have to remember that the trump administration has fired thousands of govt. workers, esp at the IRS. They want you to get upset so they can do away with all govt agencies. They don t'have enough workers to service calls properly.

I did this last year! Works pretty well but you definitely need to manually update the values each year. I downloaded Salvation Army's guide as a starting point and then customized it. I created columns for date, description, condition, quantity, value per item, and total value. The downside is you have to look up values and enter them manually, but it's free and you have complete control.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That sounds pretty manageable. Did you add any special features like a running total or separate sheets for different donation locations? I'm thinking about adding a section that automatically calculates the total value for tax purposes at the end of the year. I wonder if there's a way to import the Salvation Army guide directly rather than manually entering all those values. Might save some setup time.

That sounds like a rumor. I haven't seen any news reports or official statements about ItsDeductable selling user data. The official announcement from TurboTax just mentioned they're discontinuing the service, likely as part of cost-cutting since Intuit (TurboTax parent company) has been streamlining their product offerings. Always smart to be careful with your data, but I wouldn't avoid alternatives based on unverified claims.

@Natalie Chen There s'no indication that Intuit is selling your data. You can request a copy of it following the instructions in this thread here: https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/access-manage-personal-data-intuit-account/L8nCbA0px_US_en_US And you can also ask them to delete it, which they must honor. As for alternatives, please check us out: https://deductibleduck.com and click on Privacy to see how we will and (absolutely WON T'use) your data. Tl;dr: Your data is yours, we won t'sell it, ever.

This is really helpful! I hadn't heard of TaxAct's DeductionPro before. The fact that you can use their donation tracker year-round without committing to filing through them is exactly what I was looking for. How does their mobile receipt scanning compare to the other solutions mentioned here? I'm trying to decide between TaxAct, that taxr.ai service Jacob mentioned, or just going with the DIY spreadsheet approach. The 10-15% variance with Salvation Army values sounds pretty reasonable - that kind of consistency would definitely give me peace of mind. Also curious about the user interface - is it pretty intuitive to navigate, or does it feel clunky like some of the older tax software tools? With ItsDeductable, I really appreciated how clean and simple the interface was for quickly entering donations.

I've been using TaxAct's DeductionPro for about two months now, and I can definitely answer your questions! The mobile receipt scanning is actually quite good - probably on par with what Jacob mentioned about taxr.ai. You just point your camera at the receipt and it captures the key info pretty accurately. I'd say it gets the date, organization, and basic details right about 90% of the time, though you sometimes need to manually adjust item descriptions. The user interface is surprisingly clean and modern - much better than I expected from traditional tax software. It's not quite as sleek as ItsDeductable was, but it's definitely intuitive. The main screen shows your year-to-date donation total, recent entries, and has quick-add buttons for common donation types. Navigation between sections is straightforward. One thing I really like is that you can set up custom categories for your regular donation spots (like "Goodwill - clothing" vs "Habitat ReStore - furniture") which makes tracking patterns easier. The valuation suggestions pop up as you enter items, so the workflow feels pretty smooth overall. @Demi Hall - if you re'trying to decide between options, I d'honestly recommend trying both TaxAct and taxr.ai since they likely offer free trials. That way you can see which interface clicks better for your workflow before committing.

I've been using TaxAct's DeductionPro for about two months now, and the mobile scanning is actually pretty solid. It's not quite as polished as some dedicated receipt apps, but it gets the job done well. The OCR (text recognition) picks up most of the key info from donation receipts accurately - organization name, date, and any itemized details if you have them. The interface is definitely more intuitive than I expected from traditional tax software. It's not as sleek as ItsDeductable was, but it's much cleaner than the main TaxAct tax prep interface. Adding donations is straightforward - you can either scan receipts, manually enter items, or do a combination of both. One thing I really like is that you can create donation "batches" for each trip, which helps with organization. So if you drop off clothes at Goodwill and then furniture at Salvation Army on the same day, you can keep those separate while still tracking everything chronologically. @Demi Hall - If you re'choosing between the options mentioned, I d'say try TaxAct if you want something more automated, or go with the spreadsheet approach if you prefer full control and don t'mind the manual entry. The taxr.ai option Jacob mentioned sounds promising too, especially if receipt photo processing is a priority for you.

The TaxAct mobile app is surprisingly user-friendly! I was skeptical at first because some tax software feels really dated, but their donation tracker interface is clean and straightforward - probably the closest I've found to ItsDeductable's simplicity. The receipt scanning works well - you just point your camera at the receipt and it automatically captures the organization name, date, and any itemized details if they're listed. Then you can add your own item descriptions and it suggests values based on their database. Takes maybe 2-3 minutes per donation trip. Between TaxAct and taxr.ai, I'd say TaxAct has a slight edge on valuation accuracy (since they reference multiple guides), but taxr.ai might be better if you want something purpose-built just for donation tracking rather than being part of a larger tax platform. Both are solid choices though - way better than trying to recreate everything in a spreadsheet from scratch. @Demi Hall - if you re'coming from ItsDeductable, I think you d'adapt to either one pretty quickly. The workflow is very similar to what you re'used to.

Some folks are REALLY misinformed. First of all, TaxAct's charitable deduction feature is called "Donation Assistant", not "DeductionPro". The latter is a feature of H&R Block's tax prep software. Next, TaxAct's Donation Assistant is not available in the Basic version.....you need to buy a higher, more expensive version to get that feature. Finally, I could find NO INDICATION that either Donation Assistant nor DeductionPro could be used through the year. For example, you enter your donated items for the tax year you're preparing the return for, not the current year's donations.

Thanks for the correction! You're absolutely right about the naming confusion - I should have double-checked that before posting. I appreciate you clarifying the differences between TaxAct's Donation Assistant and H&R Block's DeductionPro. That's also a really important point about needing the higher-tier versions to access these features. For someone like the original poster who's looking for a cost-effective ItsDeductable replacement, having to pay for premium tax software just to get donation tracking might not be the best solution. Given these limitations with the tax software options, it sounds like the DIY spreadsheet approach using Salvation Army/Goodwill guides, or dedicated services like the taxr.ai that Jacob mentioned, might be more practical alternatives. At least with those you know exactly what you're getting and can use them year-round without being locked into a specific tax filing service.

Thanks for the correction! You're absolutely right about the naming confusion - I was mixing up the features between different tax software companies. I appreciate you clarifying that it's "Donation Assistant" for TaxAct and "DeductionPro" for H&R Block. Your point about the year-round access is also important. I think I was conflating some of the features I'd read about online. It sounds like most of these tax software donation tools are really designed for when you're actually preparing your return, not for ongoing tracking throughout the year. This actually makes the standalone options like the Salvation Army/Goodwill guides or that taxr.ai service Jacob mentioned more appealing for people who want to track donations as they happen rather than trying to reconstruct everything at tax time. The DIY spreadsheet approach is starting to look pretty good too - at least you know exactly what you're getting and there's no confusion about features or pricing tiers.

Thanks for the correction! You're absolutely right about the naming confusion - I definitely mixed up TaxAct's "Donation Assistant" with H&R Block's "DeductionPro." And you make a good point about the availability and pricing tiers. This actually highlights why it's so important to do your own research when evaluating these alternatives to ItsDeductable. I should have verified those details before posting. The year-round access question is particularly important since that was one of the key benefits people are trying to replace. It sounds like for truly year-round donation tracking that doesn't require purchasing full tax software, we might be better off with either the dedicated services like taxr.ai that Jacob mentioned, or going the DIY route with spreadsheets and the free Salvation Army/Goodwill valuation guides that Chloe suggested earlier. @Caesar Grant - would be curious to hear if you ve'actually verified the year-round access for TaxAct s'Donation Assistant, since that seems to be a key point of confusion.

Thanks for the correction! You're absolutely right about the naming - I got confused between the different tax software features. I appreciate you setting the record straight about TaxAct's "Donation Assistant" vs H&R Block's "DeductionPro" and the version requirements. That's disappointing to hear that these features aren't available year-round for tracking current donations. I was really hoping to find something that would let me log donations as they happen throughout 2025, similar to how ItsDeductable worked. This makes the standalone solutions like taxr.ai that @Jacob Lee mentioned, or the DIY spreadsheet approach that @Hunter Brighton and others discussed, seem more practical for ongoing donation tracking. At least with those you can actually record donations when they happen rather than trying to remember everything at tax time. Does anyone know of other tax software that actually allows year-round donation tracking, or are we pretty much limited to third-party tools and manual methods now that ItsDeductable is going away?

Thanks for the corrections! You're absolutely right about the naming confusion - I was mixing up the different tax software features. Appreciate you clarifying that it's "Donation Assistant" for TaxAct and "DeductionPro" for H&R Block. That's disappointing to hear that these features aren't available for year-round tracking like I thought. It sounds like they're only accessible when you're actually preparing your tax return, which doesn't really solve the problem of replacing ItsDeductable for ongoing donation tracking throughout the year. This makes the standalone solutions like the Salvation Army/Goodwill guides, DIY spreadsheets, or that taxr.ai service seem more practical for people who want to track donations as they make them rather than trying to remember everything at tax time. @Caesar Grant - might want to double-check your experience with TaxAct s'year-round availability? Based on what Un Tyming found, it sounds like the feature might work differently than expected.

You're spot on about the year-round tracking issue! That's exactly what made ItsDeductable so useful - being able to log donations immediately rather than trying to remember everything months later. From what I've gathered in this thread, it seems like the standalone options are really the way to go. The taxr.ai service that Jacob mentioned sounds promising since it's specifically designed for donation tracking rather than being a tax season add-on feature. And the DIY spreadsheet approach with the Salvation Army guide gives you complete control and availability whenever you need it. I'm personally leaning toward trying the spreadsheet method first since it's free and I can customize it exactly how I want. If that becomes too cumbersome, then maybe exploring taxr.ai or similar dedicated donation tracking services. At least with a spreadsheet, I know I'll have access to it 365 days a year without worrying about subscription limitations or software discontinuations. Thanks for keeping everyone honest about the tax software capabilities - it's easy to get confused with all these different platforms and their various features!

@Fatima Al-Mansour Happy to help! and (I didn t'get notified of your reply, so apologies on the delay here We) use the same database of FMV items that you used before in ItsDeductible, so the values will be very familiar to you. We are planning to expand that this month to add even more data and source it from solid marketplace data. We are also planning to release a mobile version of DeductibleDuck soon, too. Expect to see that here in January as well. We don t'yet have photo receipt tracking--that s'on the roadmap after we get these other things out the door. Check us out in the meantime: https://deductibleduck.com