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The area of charitable contributions has changed significantly in the last few years because of abuse. Taxpayers were overstating the value of contributed property, inflating cash contributions, etc. So the IRS put into place strict rules governing the requirements for claiming a charitable contribution deduction.

For example, you now need receipts for everything. That may be a receipt from the recipient, a cancelled check, a sales receipt, etc. For items of clothing,furniture and other household goods, the items must be in "good" condition or
better to qualify for a deduction. If you're donating a car, not only will you need a receipt but you'll also have to find out how much the charity sold the car for to earn a deduction. And, you deduction will be for the amount for
which the car sold. When it comes to valuing items of property, I highly recommend relying upon the values published by ItsDeductible. This is included with TurboTax and provides "fair market values" of thousands of items.

ItsDeductible will provide much higher deductible valuations than those provided by Goodwill or Salvation Army because ItsDeductible uses current selling prices for
millions of auctions from the eBay site. My final point is this... these are all generic rules so pay attention to the details.

This is my first year in business. For personal taxes it gets confusing when it comes to deductions for medical/health expenses. Always scrambling for receipts. How does Turbo Tax help me sort this out for my business expenses paid for employee health benefits?

In closing, there are two weeks left before April 15. My advise to you is as follows:

1. Start now. Tax filers who wait until the last minute tend to make more errors. Starting now also allows you to identify and documents you may be missing.
2. Go Online. I mentioned this above. It's easy and convenient, and for many filers it is free.
3. File Electronically. Other than the fast refund you get by efiling your return, you don't have to print, copy, sign, staples W-2s and run down to the post office. Plus, most tax software services offer free federal electronic filing. It's a great deal and will greatly reduce the frustration of mailing your return.
4. File an Extension. If you can't make the April 15 deadline, file an extension. The extension gives you a 6 month "grace" period in which to file your return. However, it does NOT give you an extension of time to pay. If you owe the IRS (or state), you need to pay that on or before April 15. Again, tax software will help you identify whether you have a liability and file the necessary form for the extension (Form 4868). Don't forget that you may also need to file an extension for your state. Each state has different rules so I can't generalize other than to say most states honor the IRS extension (but you'll have to pay the state if you owe them).

Good luck and I hope you get a big refund.