Some expenses may be deductible
A landmark court case ruled in favor of Jan Van Dusen against the IRS. Van Dusen claimed many deductions on her 2004 tax return for expenditures she had for 70 stray and feral cats she had fostered, as part of her volunteer work with Fix Our Ferals, a non-profit California charity.In 2009, a judge finally ruled that because her expenses were used toward a charitable organization, she was legally allowed to claim them. See QuickTip for Individuals #3 in top right section of this page for more details.
Make sure you claim yours:
- Retain all receipts associated with foster pet purchases.
- Write notes on all receipts and be specific (ie, if you go to a hardware store and buy cat litter or lights for the room the dogs are kept in, circle the items on the receipt and write a note about the purpose of the item)
- If expenses add up to more than $250 for the year, a letter is required from the charitable organization that confirms your foster or volunteer status. An approved charity is one that is recognized by the IRS with the 501(c)(3) designation as a Not-for-Profit organization.
- As of right now, the only tax deductible purchases are for foster pets, not resident pets.