How to claim tax deductions for charity donations made through Amazon wishlist?

When it comes to charitable donations, documentation is crucial for tax deductions. The IRS requires you to have written acknowledgment from the charity for any donation of $250 or more. For donations under $250, you should still have a bank record, receipt, or other reliable written record. In your specific situation, I would recommend reaching out directly to the charity and asking them to provide you with an acknowledgment letter that includes: - The charity's name - The date of your donations - Description of the donated items - Statement that no goods or services were provided in exchange for your donation Most legitimate charities are used to providing these letters and should be able to accommodate your request quickly. They may even have records of the specific items you've donated through their Amazon wishlist. Keep records of your Amazon purchase confirmations as supporting documentation, but the acknowledgment from the charity itself is what you'll need for a proper deduction.

After dealing with similar donation documentation issues, I started using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to help organize and validate my charitable contributions. Last year I had a mix of direct donations, Amazon wishlist purchases for charities, and donated items that were hard to track. The tool analyzed my Amazon purchase history, matched it against the shipping addresses of registered charities, and helped me properly document everything for tax purposes. It even generated the appropriate documentation I needed to attach to my return. Super helpful for these non-traditional donations that don't come with the usual paper receipts.

I was skeptical about taxr.ai at first, but I decided to try it after struggling with documenting my own charity donations. I volunteer with an animal shelter and frequently buy supplies from their Amazon wishlist. Used the tool yesterday and it actually worked incredibly well! It pulled my Amazon purchase history, identified which items were shipped to the shelter's address, and compiled everything into a proper donation record. It even prompted me to request the acknowledgment letter from the charity and provided a template email I could send them. Saved me hours of manually going through old Amazon orders and trying to match them up with donations.

If you're having trouble reaching the charity directly, I recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get in touch with the IRS to verify if your documentation is sufficient. I was in a similar situation last year with Amazon charity purchases and was worried about getting audited. I wasted days trying to call the IRS directly with no luck, but Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent walked me through exactly what documentation I needed for Amazon wishlist donations and confirmed I was doing it correctly. They explained that bank statements plus order confirmations showing the charity's address were acceptable for small donations under $250.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it since I also had charity documentation questions that needed answering before the filing deadline. It actually worked exactly as promised. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes who confirmed that for Amazon wishlist donations under $250, I needed: 1) the Amazon order confirmation showing the charity's address, 2) bank/credit card statement showing the payment, and 3) ideally some kind of acknowledgment from the charity but not absolutely required for smaller donations. Saved me from potentially claiming deductions incorrectly. Sometimes being proven wrong is actually a good thing!

Another option I've used: take screenshots of the Amazon order confirmations showing the charity's shipping address, then combine those with your bank statements. Keep email confirmations from Amazon too. I've done this for the past 3 years with my donations to a local shelter and haven't had any issues. Just make sure you're only claiming the actual cost of the items, not shipping or handling if that's separate.

Don't forget there's a $300 above-the-line deduction for charitable donations even if you take the standard deduction! So even if the total of your Amazon wishlist donations is small, it's still worth documenting properly.

Just wanted to add that you should also check if the charity has a donor portal or online account system where you can view your donation history. Many nonprofits now track Amazon wishlist donations automatically and can provide you with a year-end summary report that includes all your purchases. I discovered this with my local food bank - they had a donor dashboard where I could log in and see every Amazon wishlist item I'd purchased throughout the year, along with the dates and values. They were even able to generate an official acknowledgment letter directly from their system that included everything the IRS requires. This might be easier than trying to piece together Amazon order confirmations and bank statements, especially if you've been donating regularly over a long period. Worth checking their website or calling to ask if they offer this service.

I went through this exact situation last year and learned a few things that might help. First, Amazon actually does keep detailed records of wishlist purchases in your account that show the charity's name and address as the shipping destination - you just need to know where to look. Go to "Your Orders" in your Amazon account, then use the search/filter options to narrow down to the date ranges when you made donations. When you click on each order, it will show the full shipping details including the charity's name and address. Take screenshots of these order details pages - they serve as good documentation. Also, many charities are required to send acknowledgment letters for donations over $250, but they're often happy to provide them for smaller amounts too if you ask. Since you've been donating regularly, they probably have you in their donor database already. One more tip: if you paid with a credit card, your monthly statements will show the Amazon charges with dates, which helps tie everything together. The combination of Amazon order details + credit card statements + a letter from the charity should give you rock-solid documentation for your deductions.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is keeping digital records organized from the start for future donations. I learned this the hard way after scrambling to find documentation like you're doing now. Going forward, I'd suggest creating a simple spreadsheet or folder system where you save screenshots of each Amazon wishlist donation right after you make it. Include columns for date, charity name, item description, amount, and a link to the screenshot. This makes tax time so much easier. Also, some charities will automatically send you email thank-you messages when items are delivered through their wishlist - don't delete these! They serve as additional confirmation that your donation was received. I keep a dedicated email folder just for charity confirmations. For your current situation, definitely follow the advice others gave about contacting the charity directly for an acknowledgment letter. Most are very responsive to these requests, especially during tax season when they know donors need documentation.

Great question about Amazon wishlist donations! I've been doing something similar and found a few practical approaches that work well. The key is creating a paper trail that clearly shows your purchase was intended as a charitable donation. Here's what I do: 1. **Screenshot everything immediately**: Right after making an Amazon wishlist purchase, I take screenshots of the order confirmation page showing the charity's name and address as the shipping destination. 2. **Email the charity**: I send a quick email to the charity right after each donation mentioning what I purchased and when. This creates a timestamp and often they'll reply with a thank you, which serves as additional documentation. 3. **Use your credit card statements**: These show the Amazon charges with dates that correspond to your donation screenshots. For tax purposes, since you're making regular smaller donations (sounds like under $250 each), you don't technically need formal acknowledgment letters from the charity, but getting one year-end summary letter definitely strengthens your position if you're ever questioned. The combination of Amazon order details + payment records + some form of charity communication should give you solid documentation. Don't stress too much - the IRS recognizes that modern charitable giving doesn't always come with traditional paper receipts, as long as you can demonstrate the charitable intent and have reasonable documentation.