MUST HAVE REFERENCE GUIDE

Site Map or Site Search

CHURCH ACCOUNTING PACKAGE

Deductions for Church Mission Trips

A group from my congregation recently went to Kenya to help at a school. Each person was expected to pay $3000 for the trip. In return they received plane tickets, food and lodging. How much of that $3000 can be considered a charitable deduction?

Comments for Deductions for Church Mission Trips

Average Rating starstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 20, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Deductibility of Church Mission Trips
by: Lewis in NC

IRS Pub 525 (Charitable Contributions) states:

You can claim a charitable contribution deduction for travel expenses necessarily incurred while you are away from home performing services for a charitable organization only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in such travel. This applies whether you pay the expenses directly or indirectly. You are paying the expenses indirectly if you make a payment to the charitable organization and the organization pays for your travel expenses. The deduction will not be denied simply because you enjoy providing services to the charitable organization.

If a donor makes a single contribution of $250 or more in paying short-term mission trip expenses, the donor must have and the charity should provide a written acknowledgment. The acknowledgment must include:

A description of the services provided by the donor (such as the purchase of an airline ticket for the trip);

A statement of whether or not the sponsoring organization provided the donor with any goods or services to reimburse the donor for the expenses incurred;

A description and a good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services (other than intangible religious benefits) provided to reimburse the donor, and

A statement of any intangible religious benefits provided to the donor

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Contributions Q&A.



Need training on how to use QBO or Aplos effectively for a church or better yet ...need an expert in either of those accounting software to do your monthly bookkeeping and/or payroll? See more on our accounting services!

Contact Me!






Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.