December 2022 Client Profile

Vince owns a construction company, and during the holidays, he lets employees volunteer at their favorite charity and pays them for their time. Can he deduct these employee payments from his business tax return?

Although Vince is serving his community by encouraging his staff to contribute their time or skills to charity, the payment he makes to his employees doesn’t qualify as a charitable deduction. Instead, he should pay his employees if they volunteer during regular working hours, which would be recorded as payroll expenses.

However, if he incurs direct, non-payroll expenses on behalf of his employees’ volunteer efforts, he generally can deduct those as a charitable contribution. For example, if he supplies building materials for his employees to serve with Habitat for Humanity building homes, the construction materials he provides will be tax deductible. He needs to keep receipts for all donated materials and may need a written acknowledgment for amounts over $250.

Client Profile is based on a hypothetical situation. The solutions discussed may or may not be appropriate for you.