If your car is picked up on or before December 31, the IRS counts your donation for this tax year—no matter when the vehicle is sold. With Twin City Wheels, you can start in under two minutes, schedule a free licensed tow truck that fits your calendar, and still secure this year’s deduction even if it’s the very end of December. Your tax receipt, based on the sale price, will follow once the vehicle is sold.
We partner with Heritage for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) charity (EIN 58-2164446), to make donating in the Twin Cities fast and straightforward. From downtown Minneapolis to Uptown, Northeast, South Minneapolis, and across the river to St. Paul, plus suburbs like Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Maple Grove, and Edina, pickup is free and easy. Your vehicle does not need to run, pass inspection, or have current registration. You simply start the form or call, answer a few basic questions, hand over the signed title at pickup, and you’re done. Donate your car before December 31 and turn it into a same-year tax deduction and vital support for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Your year-end donation timeline
Start your donation in 2 minutes
2 minutesComplete our quick online form right now or call Twin City Wheels, benefiting Heritage for the Blind. Share basic info: your contact details, vehicle location in the Twin Cities, and car details. As soon as you click submit or finish the call, your year‑end donation process is officially underway.
Get a callback to schedule free pickup
Within 1–2 business hours on weekdaysA donation coordinator calls you back within 1–2 business hours on weekdays to confirm details and set up your free tow. You choose a pickup window that works for you, including same‑day or next business day in most Minneapolis–St. Paul metro areas.
Lock in your tax year with a Dec 31 pickup
Same day or next business day in most metro areasA licensed tow truck comes to your Minneapolis‑area address—home, work, or shop—on the scheduled date. If the vehicle is physically picked up on or before December 31, the IRS counts your donation for this tax year, even if it’s sold later in January.
Sign the title and complete the handoff
5–10 minutes at pickupAt pickup, you sign your Minnesota vehicle title over and hand the keys to the driver. Your car does not need to run, pass inspection, or even have current registration. Once the tow truck leaves, your donation date is locked and your work is done.
Vehicle sale and tax receipt
Receipt within 30 days of saleYour vehicle is transported, processed, and sold. Heritage for the Blind mails your written acknowledgment or IRS Form 1098‑C within 30 days of the sale. You’ll use this document and the sale price to claim your deduction when you file your taxes.
Year-end tax deduction facts
Dec 31 pickup sets your tax year
For IRS purposes, the donation date is the day your vehicle is picked up or transferred, not the sale date. If the tow truck picks up your car on or before December 31, you can claim the deduction for that calendar tax year.
Written acknowledgment / Form 1098-C
After your vehicle sells, Heritage for the Blind sends you a written acknowledgment or IRS Form 1098‑C within 30 days of the sale. This document shows the gross sale price the IRS expects you to use in claiming your deduction.
Deduction usually equals sale price
In most cases, the maximum deduction is the gross sale price of your donated vehicle. You’ll report this amount when you itemize deductions on Schedule A of your federal tax return, using the value from your acknowledgment or Form 1098‑C.
Schedule A itemized deduction
Vehicle donations are charitable contributions. To use the deduction, you generally need to itemize on Schedule A instead of taking the standard deduction. Your acknowledgment or Form 1098‑C supports the amount you claim if the IRS ever asks.
Non-running and unregistered cars qualify
The IRS does not require your car to run, pass inspection, or have current plates to qualify as a donation. As long as you own the vehicle and sign over a valid title, your non-running or unregistered car can still be donated and deducted.