We donated to our local school system to help raise money for mobile hotspots for students during COVID. Are donations to public school systems tax deductible?

[AlanT222 · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can deduct charitable donations, if you make them to qualified organizations (which includes the local school system) and you itemize deductions. You're even allowed to deduct expenses directly related to charity work, such as mileage or parking. Keep your receipts or other documentation for all of your charitable donations with your tax records.

For this year, even if you don’t itemize, you may take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions made in 2020 to qualified organizations.

You're not allowed to deduct cash or property given directly to another person, family, or group that isn't a qualified organization.

The amount you can deduct is usually limited, depending on what you donate and the type of charity. Some of these rules have been suspended for 2020 due to coronavirus tax relief measures. We'll figure it out after you import your donations from ItsDeductible or manually enter them. If you can't deduct all of your donations this year, we'll see if the remainder can be carried forward to next year.

[Mike9241]

the IRS rules for charitable contributions.  different rules apply if property is contributed

1) a donor must have a bank record or written communication from a charity for any monetary contribution before the donor can claim a charitable contribution on his/her federal income tax return.
2) a donor is responsible for obtaining a written acknowledgment from a charity for any single contribution of $250 or more before a donor can claim a charitable contribution on his/her federal income tax return.
3) a charitable organization is required to provide a written disclosure to a donor who receives good or services in exchange for a single payment in excess of $75.