Donations are a terrific way to give to a worthy charity, and they also give back in the form of a tax deduction. Unfortunately, charitable donations are under scrutiny by the IRS, and many donations without suitable documentation are rejected. Here are six things you need to do to make sure your charitable donation will be tax-deductible.

1. Make sure your charity is eligible. Only donations to qualified charitable organizations registered with the IRS are tax-deductible. You can confirm an organization qualifies by calling the IRS at (877) 829-5500 or visiting the IRS website.
2. Itemize. You have to itemize your deductions using Schedule A in order to take a deduction for a donation. If you're going to itemize your return to make the most of charitable deductions, it also makes sense to look for other itemized deductions. These include state and local taxes, real estate taxes, home mortgage interest, and eligible medical expenses over a certain threshold.
3. Get receipts. Get receipts for your deductible donations. Receipts won’t be filed with your tax return but must be kept with your tax records. You must get the receipt at the time of the donation. Otherwise the IRS may not allow the deduction.
4. Pay attention to the calendar. Donations are deductible in the year they are made. To be deductible in 2017, donations must be made by Dec. 31, although there is an exception. Donations made by credit card are deductible even if you don't pay off the charge until the following year, if the donation is reported on your credit card statement by Dec. 31. Similarly, donation checks written before Dec. 31 are deductible in the year written, even if the check is not cashed until the next year.
5. Take extra steps for noncash donations. You can donate clothing or items around your home you no longer use. If you decide to make one of these noncash donations, it is up to you to figure out the value of the donation. Many charities offer a donation guide to help you determine the value. Your donated items must be in good or better condition and you should receive a receipt from the charitable organization for your donations. If your noncash donations are greater than $500, you must file a Form 8283 to provide added information to the IRS. For noncash donations greater than $5,000, you must also get an independent appraisal to certify the worth of the items.
6. Keep track of mileage. If you drive for charitable purposes, this mileage can be deductible as well. For example, miles driven to deliver meals to the elderly, to be a volunteer coach or to transport others to and from a charitable event, can be deducted at 14 cents per mile. A contemporaneous log of the mileage must be kept to substantiate your charitable driving.

Remember, charitable giving can be a valuable tax deduction — but only if you take the right steps.

As the year comes to an end, there are several tax-saving ideas you should take into consideration. Use this checklist to ensure you don't miss an opportunity before the year is over.
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• Retirement distributions and contributions. Make final contributions to your qualified retirement plan, and take any required minimum distributions from your retirement accounts. The penalty for not taking minimum distributions can be high.​
• Investment management. Rebalance your investment portfolio, and take any final investment gains and losses. You can use capital losses to net against your capital gains. You can also take up to $3,000 of capital losses in excess of capital gains each year and use it to lower your taxable ordinary income.
• Last-minute charitable giving. Make a late-year charitable donation. Even better, make the donation with appreciated stock you've owned more than a year. You frequently can make a larger donation and get a bigger deduction without paying capital gains taxes.
• Noncash donation opportunity. Gather up noncash items for donation, document the items, and give those in good condition to your favorite charity. Make certain you obtain a receipt from the charity, and take a photo of the items donated.
• Gifts to dependents and others. You may give gifts to an individual of up to $14,000 per year in total. Remember that all gifts given (birthdays, holidays, etc.) count toward the annual total.
• Organize records now. Start collecting and organizing your end-of-year tax records. Estimate your tax liability and make any required estimated tax payments.

With U.S. equity valuations near historically high levels, now may be an opportune time to take advantage of the tax benefits of donating long-term appreciated stock to a qualified charity. Directly donating a winning stock you've held for at least one year provides greater tax benefits than writing a check to your favorite cause.

Higher deduction. Your charitable gift deduction will be equal to the market value of the stock on the date of your donation, rather than what you originally paid for it.

No capital gains tax. You avoid paying capital gains tax on the unrealized gains of the stock, because it is transferred directly to the charity rather than sold. That also means the charity gets a bigger gift.

Example: John Diaz bought 50 Wonka Industries shares two years ago at $100.00 a share, and its shares have appreciated since then to $150.00 a share, giving him a long-term capital gain of $2,500 if he were to sell today. Instead, John avoids the capital gains tax by donating the shares to the Red Cross, and he deducts the full market value of $7,500 as an itemized deduction on his tax return.

Some tips to keep in mind:

• To maximize your charitable donations, donate only long-term appreciated stock (stock you've held for one year or longer). That way you can deduct the full market value of the stock, rather than its cost basis (what you originally paid for it).
• If it's a losing stock, it's usually better to sell it first instead of donating directly. That's because selling a losing stock will allow you to take a capital loss deduction on your return. Certain limits apply.

Tips on Making Charitable Contributions:

• Be wary of charities with names that are similar to familiar or nationally known organizations. Some fake charities use names or websites that sound or look like those of respected, valid organizations. Legitimate charities will make available their Employer Identification Number (EIN), if requested, which can be used to verify their legitimacy through the IRS.
• Don’t give out personal financial information, such as Social Security numbers or passwords, to anyone who solicits a contribution. Scam artists may use this information to steal identities and money from victims. Donors often use credit cards to make donations. Be cautious when disclosing credit card numbers. Confirm that those soliciting a donation are calling from a legitimate charity.
• Don’t give or send cash. For security and tax record purposes, contribute by check or credit card or another way that provides a receipt of the gift.

Another long-standing type of deception involves scams that happen in the wake of natural disasters.

Following major disasters, it’s common for scam artists to impersonate charities to get money or private information from well-intentioned donors. Scam artists use a variety of strategies. Some scammers operating bogus charities may contact people by telephone or email to ask for money or financial information.

Before you give, utilize Select Check on the IRS website to determine if a non-profit is real or not.

The time to file taxes is growing closer. Don't just sit and wait for the inevitable. There are things you can do now to prepare.

Last Minute Deductible Donations
If you're like most taxpayers, December 31st is the final day to take actions that will affect your 2016 taxes. For instance, charitable donations are deductible in the year they were contributed. Donations charged to a credit card prior to the end of 2016 count for the 2016 tax year, even if the bill isn’t paid until 2017. If you write a check, it will count for 2016 as long you mail it by the last day of the year.

Retirement Accounts
If you are over the age of 70 ½, you are usually required to take payments from your individual retirement accounts and workplace retirement plans by the end of 2016. Most workplace retirement account contributions should be made by the end of the year, but you can make 2016 IRA contributions until April 18, 2017. For 2016, the limit for a 401(k) is $18,000. For traditional and Roth IRAs, the limit is $6,500 if age 50 or above and up to $15,500 for a Simple IRA if you are 50 or older.

Did You Move?
If you moved during 2016, make sure to tell the IRS. To do this, send IRS Form 8822 (the “Change of Address” form) to the address included in the form’s instructions.

Did Your Name Change?
If you were married or divorced in 2016 and your name changed, let the Social Security Administration (SSA) know so the new name will match in IRS and SSA records. Do the same for any name changes of your dependents.  A mismatch between the name on your tax return and the name the SSA has on file for you can result in issues processing your return, and might actually slow down your refund.
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Make Sure You're Saving Copies of Your Tax Returns
If you haven’t kept copies of your tax returns in the past, you’ll want to start doing that now. The IRS is making changes to help guard taxpayers and validate their identities. For example, you might need to know your adjusted gross income amount from a previous tax return to confirm your identity.

As tax filing season approaches, it's important to remember that taxpayers who give money or goods to a charity by Dec. 31, 2016, may be able to claim a deduction on their 2016 federal income tax return and reduce their taxes.
 
Only donations to eligible organizations are tax-deductible. IRS Select Check on IRS.gov is a searchable online tool that lists most eligible charitable organizations. Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and government agencies are eligible to receive deductible donations even if they are not listed in this database.
 
Claiming Charitable Donations
Only taxpayers who itemize using Form 1040 Schedule A can claim deductions for charitable contributions. Charitable deductions are not available to individuals who choose the standard deduction or file Form 1040A or 1040EZ. Most tax software will alert taxpayers about the tax savings available if their itemized deductions, such as mortgage interest, charitable contributions, state and local taxes, exceed the standard deduction.
 
Monetary Donations
A bank record or a written statement from the charity is needed to prove the amount of any donation of money. Bank records include canceled checks, and bank, credit union and credit card statements. Donations of money include by check, electronic funds transfer, credit card and payroll deduction. For payroll deductions, the taxpayer should retain a pay stub, a Form W-2 wage statement or other document furnished by the employer showing the total amount withheld for charity, along with the pledge card showing the name of the charity.
 
Donating Property
For donations of clothing and other household items the deduction amount is normally limited to the item’s fair market value. Household items include furniture, furnishings, electronics, appliances and linens. Clothing and household items must be in good or better condition to be tax-deductible. A clothing or household item for which a taxpayer claims a deduction of over $500 does not have to meet this standard if the taxpayer includes a qualified appraisal of the item with the return.
 
Donors must get a written acknowledgement from the charity for all gifts worth $250 or more. It must include, among other things, a description of the items contributed. Special rules apply to cars, boats and other types of property donations.
 
Benefit in Return
Donors who receive something in return for their donation may have to reduce their deduction. Examples of benefits include merchandise, meals, tickets to an event or other goods and services.
 
Older IRA Owners Have a Different Way to Give
IRA owners, age 70½ or older, can transfer up to $100,000 per year to an eligible charity tax-free. Funds must be transferred directly by the IRA trustee to the eligible charity. For details, see Publication 590-B.
 
Good Records
The type of records a taxpayer needs to keep depends on the amount and type of the donation. An additional reporting form is required for many property donations and an appraisal is often required for larger donations of property.