Get the app that makes your AARP membership truly mobile!

Content starts here

AARP Backs Bill to Ease Tax Burden on Volunteer Drivers

Volunteers provide rides to millions of older adults who don’t drive

Natalie Missakian,

AARP

En español

Published July 19, 2024

An older man buckling his seatbelt in the back seat of a vehicle driven by an older woman, with a gas gauge showing 14 cents and 67 cents

AARP (Source: Getty (2))

More than 6 million Americans 65 and older don’t drive, and many rely on volunteers to get to their doctor appointments or the grocery store.

AARP endorsed federal legislation this week that would help alleviate the financial impact on volunteer drivers working on behalf of nonprofits by increasing the amount they can deduct for mileage on their federal taxes.

More Ways to Benefit

View All

Related Benefit 1
Related Benefit 2
Related Benefit 3
Related Benefit 4
Related Benefit 5

The bipartisan Volunteer Driver Tax Appreciation Act of 2023, introduced in the U.S. House and Senate, would increase the charitable mileage reimbursement rate from 14 cents a mile to the current IRS business mileage rate of 67 cents a mile.

Learn How AARP is Working for You

AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Read more about how we’re fighting for you every day in Congress and across the country.

The bill “would encourage more volunteers, many older adults themselves, to give back by serving other community members without incurring unreasonable personal expenses,” wrote Bill Sweeney, AARP senior vice president for government affairs, in letters to congressional lawmakers.

“Volunteer driver programs provide millions of rides each year, helping to fill the gaps in public transportation, particularly in rural and outer suburban areas,” he wrote. “These programs provide critical door-to-door and door-through-door assistance for older, more frail individuals and those with disabilities.”

Join Our Effort to Improve Transportation

AARP has long worked to improve transportation options to help older adults live independently and remain in their homes and communities as they age.

Read our letters to House and Senate lawmakers and learn more about AARP’s work to make communities more livable for older adults.

Natalie Missakian covers federal and state policy and writes AARP’s Fighting for You Every Day blog. She previously worked as a reporter for the New Haven Register and daily newspapers in Ohio. She has also written for the AARP Bulletin, the Hartford Business Journal and other publications.