Let’s face it: most entrepreneurs go into business for themselves so they can play by their own rules, including whether or not they donate their services to a cause or for the good of the public — aka do Pro Bono work.

The term “pro bono” is generally associated with donated legal services, but lawyers definitely don’t have exclusive rights to this type of good deed. Accountants, dentists, doctors and even plumbers, to name a few, can waive their fees and donate their services and talents to help improve a community or a cause.

If you’ve “paid it forward” through pro bono work over the last year and are wondering how and where to file these donations on your taxes, wonder no more! These five tips will save you not only money, but time as well.

1. According to the IRS, pro bono work and volunteering are opposite sides of the same coin. While pro bono gives away services which normally come with a fee, volunteering is donating time and skills you wouldn’t charge for — like working at a pet adoption on a Saturday afternoon.

2. Fees such as hourly rates and time incurred cannot be deducted on your taxes.

3. Pro bono deductions need to meet two IRS qualifications:

a) The expense must be incurred as a requirement in order to perform the service for the organization (i.e. supplies, travel expenses and other specific expenses); and

b) The services must primarily benefit the charity and not the taxpayer (even though both can reap the benefit).

4. The onus is on you, the donor, to prove the donation was made, so be sure to save all the receipts associated with the services and/or expenses for each pro bono job.

5. If you claim income for the value of the pro bono job(s) you did, even though you didn’t get paid, you might be able to deduct a percentage of what would have been charged.

Deductions and itemizations of fees, services, and expenses can be sticky when it comes to filing your businesses taxes. Rather than risk deciphering the rules and codes on your own, let us help. It’s kind of what we do best.