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Step 1
Look through the Yellow Pages or ask people you know if they are aware of any charity that takes donated cars.
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Step 2
Contact the particular charity to confirm they do accept car donations and that they have some sort of service that will pick it up for you. Most charities will offer some sort of pickup service.
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Step 3
Inform the charity of your make, model and year of the car you want to donate to be sure they will accept it as a donation. Also be sure to let them know if there are any significant defects or issues with the car. Let them know what overall condition the vehicle is in. Some charities won't accept a jalopy while others will use it for the parts.
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Step 4
Go to the Internal Revenue Service's website to download the form you will need to make a tax-deduction for the donated car. You will need to fill out federal IRS Form No. 8283 if the donated car is worth more than $500. The value of the federal deduction will depend on the value of your car and will function as if you had written a check to a charity. Also, if you are donating in Louisiana you need to download a few more forms at the Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicle's website. Fill out these forms once you have downloaded and keep them to give to the charity. If you are donating the car in Texas, you will also need to download and fill out some forms from the Texas Motor Vehicle Department's website to release yourself from being held liable for the donated car.
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Step 5
Arrange a pickup time with the charity and be sure to have your title papers. You will need to give these documents along with the car to the charity when they come to pick it up. However, in Louisiana there is no requirement to hand over the title documents if you are donating a snowmobile or a boat. If you are donating the car in Texas, you will need your title papers. If you don't have your title papers you can still donate but you need to first fill out forms from the Texas Motor Vehicle Department's website. There is no requirement for title papers in Texas if you are donating a snowmobile.
