Tax-Exempt Status

The national PTA organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency. In addition, a school PTA chapter can register independently as a 501(c)(3) agency. Cash and property donated to a 501(c)(3) organization is generally tax-exempt. To find out if your local PTA is registered as a 501(c)(3) agency, you can ask the PTA executives at your school, or go to IRS.gov and search the list of registered charities.

Who Benefits?

In order for your donation to be tax-deductible, it must benefit the organization as a whole, not just your own child. For example, if you donate bikes to an after-school biking program that many children participate in, you can deduct the cost of the bikes. If you buy your child a bike so he or she can participate in the biking program, you cannot deduct that cost.

What is the Value?

If you receive something of value in exchange for your donation, you cannot deduct the donation. For example, if you pay $100 for a basket of goodies at your school's annual silent auction, you cannot automatically deduct $100 from your taxes. Instead, you need to determine the value of the goodies you bought. If they are worth $200, you made a great deal -- but you cannot deduct anything from your taxes. If they are worth $50, you can deduct the remaining $50 from your taxes.

Recordkeeping

You need to keep written receipts for all charitable contributions. Ask the PTA to give you a receipt listing the date and amount of the donation and a statement noting whether you received anything of value in exchange for the contribution. If you donate property valued at $,5000 or more, the IRS requires a qualified written appraisal.

Mileage and Out-of-Pocket Expenses

You can deduct mileage and out-of-pocket expenses. For mileage, you can use either the IRS standard mileage rate for charities or actual auto expenses. If you want to use the IRS standard mileage rate for charities, you need to record the date you drove, the purpose of your trip and the number of miles. If you choose to use actual auto expenses instead, you also need to record operating expenses. For out-of-pocket expenses, you need to keep receipts showing what you paid for items donated to the PTA.