We applaud any and all efforts to assist the recovery in Haiti, and the IRS is also doing its part to ease the burden on taxpayers and organizations that want to help.

In fact, the IRS recently announced that the Haiti earthquake is designated for “Qualified Disaster Relief,” and is making exceptions in several areas:

1. Recipients of qualified funds can exclude those payments from income on their tax returns.

2. The guidance also allows “employer-sponsored private foundations to assist victims in areas affected by the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti without affecting their tax-exempt status. These payments generally include amounts to cover necessary personal, family, living or funeral expenses that were not covered by insurance.”  For more, please read the official IRS announcement.

3. The IRS is also highlighting tax tips related to Haiti donations.  They point to this as a special case that allows individuals to make cash donations to qualified charities helping in Haiti and deduct them on their 2009 tax returns, as long as the donations are made by February 28.  The below video walks through a complete picture of the opportunity and the stipulations: