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.

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.

This is really helpful advice, especially about the consistency factor! I hadn't thought about the IRS being more concerned with inconsistent valuation methods than slightly conservative estimates. That makes me feel better about potentially switching systems mid-year. Quick question about the photo documentation - do you store the actual donation receipts or also take photos of the items before donating? I've been wondering if having pictures of the donated items themselves would help if there's ever a question about condition or fair market value assessment. Also, thanks for mentioning those thresholds for Form 8283 and professional appraisals. With $2,800 in donations last year, I'm definitely in that middle range where I need to be extra careful about documentation but don't need formal appraisals yet.

Great question about photo documentation! I actually do both - I take photos of the donation receipts (obviously) but also snap a few pics of larger or more valuable items before I drop them off. This has been super helpful the one time I was questioned about a furniture donation's condition assessment. For clothing donations, I don't usually photograph individual items unless they're designer pieces or in particularly good condition that might justify a higher valuation. But for furniture, electronics, or household appliances, having that visual record of the actual condition when donated has given me peace of mind. The key thing my tax preparer emphasized is that the photos should show the condition clearly - so if something has wear or damage that affects value, make sure that's visible in the photo. It actually helps you be more honest about condition when assigning values too. @Ashley Adams - sounds like you re'in a similar donation range to me. One tip: I set up my spreadsheet to automatically flag when I m'approaching those threshold amounts so I can plan accordingly for the additional documentation requirements.

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.

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.