To qualify as a tax deduction, your charitable contribution needs to be given to a 503(c) organization. Use Form 8283 to report information about noncash charitable contributions.Do not use Form 8283 to report out-of-pocket expenses for volunteer work. Enter the total of your voluntary contributions from TC-40, page 3, Part 4. The contributions will add to your tax due or reduce your refund. As mentioned above, to claim a charitable donation, you need to itemize your deductions using Form 1040, Schedule A as part of your tax preparation. To facilitate a large development, developers often donate land to a state or municipality. The amount you can deduct is equal to the value of all cash and property you donate to the school district programs. Regardless of the nature of the asset gifted, a donor must take a deduction for a gift of real property in the year the gift was made. You can also claim a tax credit for adding insulation on your federal tax return.