November 27th, 2017 by WCBC Radio

Giving Tuesday is an annual event celebrated the week after Thanksgiving to kick off the season of charitable giving. Taxpayers making donations may be able to deduct them on their tax return. As they decide where to make their donations, the IRS has a tool that may help.

Exempt Organizations Select Check on IRS.gov is a tool that allows users to search for charities. It provides information about an organization's federal tax status and filings. Here are four facts about EO Select Check:

• Donors can use it to confirm an organization is tax exempt and eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.  
• Users can find out if an organization had its tax-exempt status revoked. A common reason for this is that the organization did not file its Form 990 or notices annually as required.  
• EO Select Check does not list certain organizations that may be eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. This includes churches, organizations in a group ruling and governmental entities.  
• An organization's "doing business as" name is not searchable. Search using an organization's legal name instead.

Taxpayers can also use the Interactive Tax Assistant, Can I Deduct my Charitable Contributions? to help determine if a charitable contribution is deductible.

For more information, visit: 

• Exempt Organizations Select Check – Search Tips
• Exempt Organizations Select Check Frequently Asked Questions.