Girl Scouts load cookies for annual sale
Coleman American Moving Service workers Clarence Trammell and Jermaine Wilson load up Girl Scout cookies for the Mobile and outlying areas Tuesday afternoon in Tillmans Corner.(Press-Register/John David Mercer) METRO BALDWIN
(JOHN DAVID MERCER Mercer, John David)
We all know those Thin Mints and Samoas are delicious but are Girl Scout Cookies tax deductible, too?
The answer is yes. And no.
It all depends on what you are buying those cookies for.
According to the organization, Girl Scout cookies aren't tax deductible if you are purchasing them for yourself to eat.
In that case, the cookies have been bought at fair market value, so there's nothing that can be written off. That's different than making a $100 donation to a museum fundraising drive and receiving a $50 book in return. In that case, you can write off the $50 difference in your donation and the fair market value of the book. No such luck with Girl Scout Cookies.
However, if you purchase the cookies and leave them with the Scouts as a donation, then you can count them as a charitable contribution. Girl Scouts often ask customers to pay for a box or two of cookies to benefit service projects for shelters or to be sent to military personnel.
"Customers not receiving Girl Scout Cookies don't benefit directly from paying for them, so those individuals may treat the purchase price of the donated cookies as a charitable contribution," Girl Scouts said.
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The cookies may also be tax deductible if you purchase them from a Girl Scout and then donate them to another organization, depending on how that organization is structured.
As with all donations, you will need a receipt showing the name of the organization, amount and date of contribution, the IRS said. If your contribution is $250 or more (about 63 boxes worth if you are buying them in Alabama) you have to have written acknowledgement from the organization indicating the amount donated and the description of the property or cash.
Even if you're not getting a tax deduction, you will still be enjoying some delicious cookies. According to Girl Scouts, the top selling ones each year are Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs. Do-si-dos and Shortbread.
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