Pet Fostering is Tax Deductible!
If you’re a pet foster parent, good news for you as tax season rolls around again: you can write off those expenses you’ve racked up for the animals you’ve been fostering. That includes vet bills, food, and even the gas needed to transport the pets to appointments and to meet potential adopters. In June 2011, Jan Van Dusen, a volunteer at Oakland-based Fix Our Ferals won a court battle against the IRS, setting a precedent for tax deductions for fostering.
Hopefully, the tax breaks will encourage some new foster moms and dads, who might otherwise be afraid of the costs!
If you are a foster and want to make sure to get credited for the expenses you’ve incurred, Rachel Hirschfeld, a pet trust lawyer, has a few helpful tips:
- Keep all your receipts associated with foster care
- Write a note on the receipts to specify what was item was bought and for what purpose.
- As of now, the only tax-deductible purchases are for foster pets, not resident pets
Image via: Taekwonweirdo
A colony established itself in my yard…and it costs me a FORTUNE to feed and care for them! Can I claim a deduction for their food and care?
I have a small bunny/parrot rescue. I do not adopt out — once they are here, they’re here for life. I don’t get any help from anyone. This is all out-of-pocket. We incur a LOT of expense taking care of our rescue, not to mention I have two dogs (not rescues) that are both almost 11 yrs. old. One (our Schi-tzu/Pekingese) has cataracts and can’t see, and the other (our Yorkie) is totally blind in one eye, sees only shadows with the other eye, and has diabetes (we have to give him insulin shots twice a day when he eats). Our financial struggles are so many here that the smallest break would be considered a great blessing.
So…….would my rescue be considered tax deductible?
Thanks in advance for your response.
I live in Okla. and I have supported over 130 cats and 14 dogs for the last 14 years. I am down to 60 cats and 1 dog. I have vet bills and I pay for spay and nueturing. My food cost is around $600 a month. I am not a rescue group. I live in the country and animals are dumped on me. I have given animals to rescue groups and have fostered for them until my cat colony got so large. Several rescue groups have quit, ran out of money. I haven’t had any help, would I qualify for deduction? What is the name of the form to fill out?
From what I can tell, in order to receive a tax break for fostering, your unreimbursed expenses must be directly connected with (and solely attributable) to the rendition of services to a qualified 501(c)(3) organization. If you’re just taking care of animals on your own, it doesn’t look like you can qualify. But I’d recommend contacting a pet trust lawyer or other tax expert who may know otherwise (or other tricks that might help you out!)