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I've noticed that there are several new companies advertising that they collect blood donations. I asked a friend who is an ER doctor why, and his response was that blood donations are quite valuable, and several hospital systems have started collecting blood directly because they don't want to pay so much for the blood that they use. Fair enough.

What is the fair market value of a blood donation? Should I be able to write that value off on my taxes if I am giving it to a 501(c)(3) like the Red Cross?

Edit: Is it the fact that the blood is being drawn on-site? Would I be able to write it off if I had the blood drawn by a third party and then I gave the whole blood donation to the Red Cross?

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1 Answers1

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What is the fair market value of a blood donation?

Hospitals pay $130-150 for a pint of blood. They charge their customers more, perhaps, but it's only worth $150 to the Red Cross.

Should I be able to write that value off on my taxes if I am giving it to a 501(c)(3) like the Red Cross?

According to the IRS, no, blood donations are considered part of the category of time and services donated to charity which cannot be deducted.

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