Mileage for Volunteers

The Idaho Nonprofit Center ​has signed onto a national letter with the National Council of Nonprofits, Independent Sector, and Meals on Wheels USA asking the Senate to take action on the charitable volunteer mileage rate. 

This rate has not been updated since it was fixed at 14 cents per mile in 1997. In that time, the business mileage rate has doubled, and the price of gasoline has tripled. Also, the IRS and some states actually impose income taxes on volunteer drivers who receive expense reimbursements from nonprofits in excess of 14 cents/mile. Changing the current rate will help volunteer drivers who give back to their communities through charitable nonprofits.

The urgency for action relates to the fact that volunteers have not returned to charitable organizations in pre-pandemic numbers due in part to very high gas prices. The lack of sufficient numbers of volunteers means nonprofits cannot keep up with current demand for services, much less cope with the steadily rising demand for support. This is a particularly egregious challenge in rural areas where driving distances are farther, and the pool of available volunteers is smaller.

​Thank you to National Council of Nonprofits and Nonprofit Association of Oregon for content and copy inspiration.