By Stacie Clifford Kitts, CPA

The IRS today issued a reminder for individuals, businesses and charitable organization that wish to provide assistance to the victims of Japan’s devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake.

Its important to remember, if you make charitable contributions to qualified U.S. charities that provide assistance to foreign country’s, your contribution is tax deductible.  Making contributions to an organization or individual that is not a qualified U.S. organization will not get you a tax deduction.

Many individuals, businesses and charitable organizations wish to provide assistance to the victims of Japan’s recent earthquake. Consult Disaster Relief Resources for Charities and Donors on IRS.gov to get information about how to provide assistance to victims through a charitable organization.

Contributions to domestic tax-exempt, charitable organizations that provide assistance to individuals in foreign lands qualify as tax-deductible contributions for federal income tax purposes, provided that the U.S. organization has control and discretion over the use of funds. Donors should ensure that they make contributions to qualified charities. Use the Search for Charities function on IRS.gov to see if the charity you intend to support is a qualified charity listed in Pub. 78.  Certain organizations, such as churches or governmental organizations, may be qualified to accept charitable contributions, even though they are not listed in Pub. 78.

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• 8.9 earthquake in Japan: Tsunami watch; preparedness reminder (westseattleblog.com)
• How Can I Help Japan? Donate To 2011 Tsunami-Earthquake Relief (nowpublic.com)