Donating your car before December 31 in Birmingham Metro can still count toward this year’s taxes. With Heartfelt Rides, the IRS considers the physical pickup date your donation date. That means if our licensed tow truck collects your vehicle on or before December 31, your donation is treated as made this tax year—even if the car sells later. Start with a quick online form or phone call, schedule your free pickup, sign your title at the curb, and you’re done. Your written acknowledgment or IRS Form 1098‑C will follow by mail after the sale.
Heartfelt Rides partners with Heritage for the Blind, a registered 501(c)(3), to turn your vehicle into funding for services for people who are blind or visually impaired. We serve drivers throughout the Birmingham Metro area—Downtown, Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Bessemer, Gardendale, Alabaster, and beyond. Your car does not need to run, pass inspection, or have current registration. We dispatch Monday through Saturday, and in most Birmingham Metro neighborhoods we can often arrange same‑day or next‑business‑day pickup. If you’re ready to donate, this is the fastest path: start the form now, grab a pickup slot before December 31, and secure your deduction.
Your year-end donation timeline
Start the 2-minute form or call Heartfelt Rides
2 minutesSubmit our simple online form or call Heartfelt Rides to begin your Birmingham car donation. Share your contact info, vehicle details, and the pickup address anywhere in Birmingham Metro. This is all we need to start scheduling your free tow before the December 31 tax deadline.
Get a coordinator callback to lock in pickup
Within 1–2 business hoursOn weekdays, a Heritage for the Blind donation coordinator calls you back within 1–2 hours to confirm your information and offer the earliest available pickup slots. You choose the date and time that works, including a Dec 31 curbside pickup if a slot is open in Birmingham Metro.
Free licensed tow truck picks up your vehicle
Same-day or next business day in most areasA licensed tow truck comes to your home, workplace, or storage lot in the Birmingham area—Downtown, Hoover, Homewood, Trussville, and more. In most metro neighborhoods we can arrange same-day or next-business-day pickup. The actual pickup date is what the IRS treats as your donation date.
Sign your title at pickup and hand over keys
5–10 minutes at the curbAt the truck, you sign your vehicle title over to Heritage for the Blind and hand over the keys, if you have them. Our towing partner guides you through where to sign. Your car does not have to run or have current registration to be accepted in Birmingham Metro.
Vehicle is sold and tax paperwork is mailed
Receipt mailed within 30 days of saleAfter pickup, your vehicle is transported, processed, and sold. Heritage for the Blind then mails you a written acknowledgment or IRS Form 1098‑C, typically within 30 days of the sale. You’ll use this document to substantiate your charitable deduction when you file taxes.
Year-end tax deduction facts
Dec 31 pickup = this year’s donation date
For IRS purposes, the donation date is when Heritage for the Blind takes possession of your car, not the sale date. If your vehicle is picked up on or before December 31, it generally counts as a charitable donation for this tax year.
You’ll receive IRS Form 1098‑C or acknowledgment
After your car is sold, Heritage for the Blind sends you either IRS Form 1098‑C or a written acknowledgment. This document shows the gross sale price or other required details and is your official proof of donation for the IRS.
Deduction usually equals the vehicle’s sale price
In many cases, your allowable deduction is the amount Heritage for the Blind receives when your car is sold, not a price guide estimate. Your 1098‑C or acknowledgment will state the sale amount you may generally claim if you itemize deductions.
You must itemize on Schedule A to deduct
Charitable car donations are claimed as itemized deductions on Schedule A of your federal return. If you take the standard deduction, you won’t also deduct the vehicle. Ask your tax advisor which approach makes sense for your situation.
30-day rule for your donation receipt
Heritage for the Blind typically mails your Form 1098‑C or acknowledgment within 30 days after the vehicle is sold. You don’t need this in hand by December 31; you just need your pickup completed by year-end to count for this tax year.