By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The end of the year draws near and there is still time to make those last minute charitable donations.
IRS spokesman Michael Devine says now is the time to make those donations to eligible charities to help get a little bit of a break on this year's taxes.
"The key is, this is a chance if you haven't been making donations to your favorite charity, that you can do one before the end of the year, and then when you file your tax return be able to get a deduction for that money that you were so generous to share," Devine tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Devine says only donations made by check, credit card or debit card are what is eligible, and adds that those that are single could earn up to $300 and $600 if you're married.
Devine says there are other things you can do as well to earn some tax breaks, including itemizing some of those things that you can deduct from this years taxes.
"So if you've got, you know, a lot of property taxes, or you've got a lot of medical bills, things that you could deduct that can get you over that threshold to itemize, then now would be a good time to do that before the end of the year," Devine says. "Most people don't, most people use the standard deduction, and that's why the charitable donation before the end of the year can get you a special deduction."
Devine does remind everyone though to get those things done before the end of the year, because anything done on January 1st will go towards next years taxes.
Devine says that a great tool to help you determine the priority of how to itemize those things, is those tax experts in your area
"Give them a call and say here's my circumstance, you did my taxes last year so you know what my situation is, it didn't change much, is there anything that I should do that will have an effect on my taxes for 2021 that I can still do?" Devine explains.
Devine says it is always best to check with those professionals that you trust to determine what is best for you and your taxes.
For more information you can visit the IRS website HERE.