I volunteer to help seniors with their chores. I sometimes take them out to eat and always use my own car. Can I deduct anything?

I volunteer to help seniors with their chores. I sometimes take them out to eat and always use my own car. Can I deduct anything?

Being a good person and helping others is its own reward. If, however, you're providing help to seniors through an IRS-recognized nonprofit organization (such as Meals on Wheels), you then can deduct your out-of-pocket costs. Car expenses can be deducted in one of two ways: your actual costs for gasoline and the like, or reliance on a fixed mileage rate of 14 cents per mile. Either way, you'll need to keep a record of your driving on behalf of the charity.