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Deductions for Cultural Exchanges?

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
June 5, 2019
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In November 2016, I participated in a people to people exchange to Cuba. Some of the folks I traveled with believe the cost of our trip can be deducted, but I can't find anything on TurboTax to confirm or deny. Please advise.

TurboTax Deluxe Online

Best answer by RichardG

According to the IRS, "Generally, you can claim a charitable contribution deduction for travel expenses necessarily incurred while you are away from home performing services for a charitable organization only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure." These are typically missionary trips or similar trips to perform work for a qualified charity. A cultural exchange program does not appear to meet this requirement.

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RichardGAnswer

Employee

According to the IRS, "Generally, you can claim a charitable contribution deduction for travel expenses necessarily incurred while you are away from home performing services for a charitable organization only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure." These are typically missionary trips or similar trips to perform work for a qualified charity. A cultural exchange program does not appear to meet this requirement.