Vehicle donations
Whatever it is, one process and one phone number
Giving Center accepts far more than cars. If it has a title, a serial plate or a hitch, there is a good chance we can haul it away, sell it and send you the paperwork. Start with your category below, or use the form if you would rather not guess.
- Towing, transport and title work covered by Giving Center.
- Pickup nationwide, from a driveway, a jobsite, a field or a marina.
- A straight answer about your deduction before you commit to anything.
Not sure where yours fits? Call (888) 228-7320.
Choose your category and get answers written for that machine
Each page covers the transport, the paperwork, the value drivers and the tax treatment for that class specifically.
Cars→
Sedans, SUVs, minivans, hybrids and EVs. Running or not, towed free anywhere in the country.
Trucks→
Pickups, box trucks, dump trucks, flatbeds and work trucks. Driven or hauled at our expense.
Construction equipment→
Excavators, boom lifts, skid steers, telehandlers. Lowboy transport, no title required.
Farm and ag equipment→
Tractors, combines, balers and implements. Estate and retirement clearances welcome.
Commercial and fleet→
Vans, buses, ambulances, apparatus, food trucks. Several units in one coordinated pickup.
Trailers→
Boat, cargo, utility, flatbed, lowboy, livestock and grain trailers. Hitched and gone.
RVs and campers→
Motorhomes, fifth wheels, travel trailers, pop-ups. Any age, running or not.
Motorcycles→
Cruisers, touring bikes, projects and scooters. Loaded onto a truck, never ridden away.
Off-road vehicles→
ATVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, golf carts. No title needed in most states.
Collector cars→
Classics, muscle, antiques and projects. Sold to collectors, enclosed transport available.
Boats→
Powerboats, sailboats and personal watercraft. Haul-out and transport arranged, trailer included if you have one.
Yachts→
Cruising yachts and larger vessels. Documented-vessel transfer, yard coordination and delivery handled.
Aircraft→
Single engine, twin, experimental and project airframes. Detail on aircraftdonation.org.
Something else→
Golf carts, forklifts, generators, shipping containers, mobility vehicles. If it has a serial plate, ask us.
Why the kind of vehicle you have changes everything about the process
A sedan and an excavator are both donations, and almost nothing else about them is the same. The sedan is titled, tows on a flatbed, sells at a regional auction and usually lands below the $5,000 appraisal threshold. The excavator has no title at all, needs a lowboy and possibly permits, sells to an operator or a specialist auction, and nearly always clears that threshold.
A boat may have a yard lien attached to it. An aircraft has a federally recorded lien history and logbooks that carry real value. A trailer may never have been titled in your state. A fleet of vans needs one coordinated visit and a receipt made out to the business. Treating all of these as "vehicle donation" is how donors end up surprised.
That is why each category has its own page rather than one generic form and a promise. What you read there is what applies to the thing sitting in your driveway, your yard or your hangar.
Questions that apply whatever you are donating
More answers on the FAQ page.
Do you really take all of these?
Yes, and more besides. The category pages list what each one covers, and the also-accepted paragraph on each page names the less common items. If you have something unusual, call and ask; the answer is more often yes than people expect.
What does it cost me?
Towing, transport, title work and the IRS filing are covered by Giving Center. The one expense that can fall to you is a qualified appraisal when your claim exceeds $5,000, which the IRS requires you to obtain so the appraiser is independent of us.
How quickly does this happen?
Most road vehicles are picked up within a few business days. Equipment, boats and aircraft take longer because transport has to be arranged, and we give you the timeline before anything is booked.
What will my deduction be?
In most cases the gross proceeds when Giving Center sells the item, reported on Form 1098-C. Under $500 it is the lesser of fair market value or $500. The tax benefits page works through every case.
Where does the money actually go?
To Giving Center's programs. We invest in outcomes, not ad campaigns, so there is no media budget to recover from the proceeds. See where the money goes.
What if my vehicle is at scrap value?
We will tell you. Every cost falls on Giving Center once the vehicle is turned over, so a donation that loses money on the tow helps nobody. In that case a local yard usually pays cash, and donating that cash is welcome and receipted.
Not sure which category yours is?
Describe it on the form or over the phone. We will put it in the right place and tell you what to expect.
Related: how it works · tax benefits · donate vs. sell
Giving Center does not provide tax, legal or financial advice. Donations are deductible to the extent allowed by law. See IRS Publication 526, Publication 561 and Publication 4303, and consult a tax professional.