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In some cases, reenactor groups may be registered as non-profit educational organizations. The first step is to check the IRS web site to see if the organization is registered as an exempt organization, https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organizations-select-check
If the organization is tax-exempt, you may be able to deduct some expenses.
You can certainly deduct cash donated to the organization, and you can deduct mileage that you drive to charity events at the standard charity mileage rate of 14 cents per mile.
You can't deduct uniforms or gear that they buy, unless they donate those items to the organization so that the organization owns them permanently and can keep and use them even if your family members stopped attending events. If your son and father retain ownership of their uniforms etc. then they can't claim those expenses as charity donations.
Expenses for long trips are complicated. You can generally take a tax deduction for out of pocket expenses for trips you make to support a charity, including meals and lodging, but "only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel." For example, if you go to Disneyworld for a week and while you are there, spend one day working on a Habitat for Humanity house in Orlando, you can't deduct any of the expenses. (On the other hand, if you go to Orlando to work for Habitat for a week, and spend one day at Disney, you can deduct most of your general trip expenses except for the day at Disney.)
The IRS also says "The deduction for travel expenses won't be denied simply because you enjoy providing services to the charitable organization. Even if you enjoy the trip, you can take a charitable contribution deduction for your travel expenses if you are on duty in a genuine and substantial sense throughout the trip."
So regarding travel to attend a reenactment event, I don't know how the IRS would parse out the difference between personal/vacation travel and charitable service. Unlike a mission trip or religious leadership conference, it seems to me that a reenactment event blends personal pleasure and charitable service in a way that would be very difficult to separate. You would be deducting these expenses at your own risk. Most taxpayers aren't audited but if you are, you have to be prepared to show that your deductions were within the rules.
See this for more https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf
In some cases, reenactor groups may be registered as non-profit educational organizations. The first step is to check the IRS web site to see if the organization is registered as an exempt organization, https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organizations-select-check
If the organization is tax-exempt, you may be able to deduct some expenses.
You can certainly deduct cash donated to the organization, and you can deduct mileage that you drive to charity events at the standard charity mileage rate of 14 cents per mile.
You can't deduct uniforms or gear that they buy, unless they donate those items to the organization so that the organization owns them permanently and can keep and use them even if your family members stopped attending events. If your son and father retain ownership of their uniforms etc. then they can't claim those expenses as charity donations.
Expenses for long trips are complicated. You can generally take a tax deduction for out of pocket expenses for trips you make to support a charity, including meals and lodging, but "only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel." For example, if you go to Disneyworld for a week and while you are there, spend one day working on a Habitat for Humanity house in Orlando, you can't deduct any of the expenses. (On the other hand, if you go to Orlando to work for Habitat for a week, and spend one day at Disney, you can deduct most of your general trip expenses except for the day at Disney.)
The IRS also says "The deduction for travel expenses won't be denied simply because you enjoy providing services to the charitable organization. Even if you enjoy the trip, you can take a charitable contribution deduction for your travel expenses if you are on duty in a genuine and substantial sense throughout the trip."
So regarding travel to attend a reenactment event, I don't know how the IRS would parse out the difference between personal/vacation travel and charitable service. Unlike a mission trip or religious leadership conference, it seems to me that a reenactment event blends personal pleasure and charitable service in a way that would be very difficult to separate. You would be deducting these expenses at your own risk. Most taxpayers aren't audited but if you are, you have to be prepared to show that your deductions were within the rules.
See this for more https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf
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