How to Deduct Charitable Donations Without Purchase Receipts or Donation Acknowledgment

For charitable donations, documentation requirements depend on the value. For donations over $250, you need written acknowledgment from the charity. For non-cash donations over $500, you also need to file Form 8283 with your tax return. Given your situation, I'd recommend contacting the shelter to get a written acknowledgment of your donation. Most charities are familiar with providing these letters for tax purposes. The letter should include the organization's name, donation date, and description of donated items (but not the value - that's your responsibility to determine). For the missing receipts, pictures are helpful but not sufficient on their own. The IRS prefers actual receipts showing what you paid. Without receipts, you'll need to make a good faith estimate of the fair market value, but be realistic and conservative - $4,000 for 150 packages ($26.67 per package) would need some substantiation.

I was in a similar situation last year after donating a bunch of school supplies to a local education foundation. I found this awesome tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped me figure out the documentation requirements. It analyzed my situation and showed me exactly what I needed for different donation amounts and types. Their system walks you through the specific IRS requirements for charitable donations and helps you understand what documentation you need based on the value. It also gave me templates for reaching out to the charity for proper acknowledgment letters. Saved me from potential issues since I was missing some receipts too!

Just wanted to follow up that I tried taxr.ai after seeing this thread! It was super helpful for my situation. I had donated furniture to a women's shelter last month but only had vague documentation. The site walked me through creating a comprehensive donation record that included photos, comparable item values, and an itemized list. It also generated a letter template that I sent to the shelter, and they provided the acknowledgment I needed. Now I feel confident about claiming the deduction on my taxes!

If you're still trying to get acknowledgment from the shelter, you might run into issues if they're busy or understaffed. I had this problem with a food bank donation and couldn't get anyone to respond to my emails or calls. Found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to the organization when I couldn't. They have a system that can get you past phone queues. Check out how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I know it sounds strange, but it actually worked. I was able to connect with someone who could help me with the documentation I needed. Might be worth checking out if the shelter is hard to reach.

I was totally wrong about Claimyr. I decided to try it when I couldn't reach the volunteer coordinator at my local United Way for a donation acknowledgment letter I needed. I'd tried calling for two weeks with no luck - always voicemail. Used the service and got through to an actual person in about 10 minutes. They connected me with the right department and I had my acknowledgment letter emailed to me that same day. I was definitely skeptical (as you can see from my previous comment), but it actually worked really well. Saved me having to take time off work to drive there in person.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you itemize and claim charitable deductions, keep all your documentation for at least 3 years after filing! IRS loves to audit charitable deductions, especially large ones without proper documentation. Also, remember that you can only deduct charitable contributions if you itemize deductions on Schedule A. If you take the standard deduction (which most people do now with the higher standard deduction amounts), you won't benefit from charitable contribution deductions.

Been through this before! Quick tip: most charities will happily provide a donation receipt after the fact. They want you to be able to deduct your donations so you'll keep giving! Just call and explain - most have standard forms they'll fill out for tax purposes.