[Chicago] Open Source Time Donation?

[Carl Karsten]

Peter A. Harkins wrote:
>> So, if my company agrees to let me work on the sprint for a day, can
>> they write that off?
> 
> They can write off the costs of your transportation or materials you spend
> while doing the work, but not the cost of your time, no. In general you
> have to donate specific tangible things for a deduction, not time or a
> service.
> 
> I'd hazard a guess that this is so folks don't donate an hour to their
> favorite non-profit at the low, low billable rate of $8,300,000 and thus
> get a really sweet deduction come tax time. If you were the IRS, would you
> want to have to determine a reasonable rate for every possible donated
> service? Or worse, enforce it?

I concur.

I have been supporting a payroll app for 15 years.  that doesn't make me an 
expert, but I have talked to about 100, and some of it rubs off.

One of the more memorable support calls: "an employee got hit by a train and 
died.  Should I still enter his time card?"  wow.

Carl K