You should likely report your expenses as charitable donation. Expenses related to volunteer work, such as purchasing a safety helmet, are considered charitable contributions because they are made to support a qualified charitable organization (e.g., a volunteer fire department).
To report your expenses for supporting the volunteer fire department in TurboTax, follow these steps:
- Eligible Expenses: You can deduct out-of-pocket expenses directly related to your volunteer work, such as the cost of the safety helmet, uniforms, and supplies.
- Qualified Organization: Ensure the fire department is a qualified charitable organization under IRS rules.
- Itemize Deductions: You must itemize your deductions on Schedule A of your tax return.
To enter your donations into TurboTax
- Open or continue your return. Be sure you are signed into TurboTax for the link in Step 2 to work.
- Go to donations to charitable organizations.
- Select the Yes button to answer the question: Did you make any donations to charity in 2024 ?
- If you have an account with ItsDeductible, select Yes to begin the process of importing your donation information; if you select No, continue to the next step.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to finish entering your donations
