Make-a-wish and tax/income?

[awoogala]

I am friends with a family that has a child with disabilities. They are interested in Make a Wish (her child's only wish is to go to Disney).
She asked if I knew anything about how it would affect her income reporting. Does anyone know any details? I attempted to read the Make a wish site for info, but I just can't seem to find anything.
Basically, she is afraid it would affect SSI and other benefits, since their income is affected by anything considered an income, or gift, etc.
She could not afford to pay taxes on a trip, so she is afraid to try and apply.
Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Lisa71]

You can be gifted up to 14,000 without paying taxes on it. Many people on ******** get tons in donations..but as long as no individual gives more than 14000 you are ok.

 

[Lisa71]

This is for anyone!! My nephew was dx with a brain tumor last year and our tax person researched it.

 

[Michigan]

If the child only has a disability they probably won't qualify to make a wish.

 

[buffettgirl]

If the child only has a disability they probably won't qualify to make a wish.

What? Care to explain that?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

did not affect daughter's or her sons SSi when she made 2 MAW trips. 2 of her boys each got a wish. so it was 2 trips to Disney and in fact both were in the same year

 

[Michigan]

What? Care to explain that?

Sure, My oldest dd has spina bifida, hydrocephalus and epilepsy. Also prior to turning 18 she had 7 surgeries and was in the hospital every other month for 2 years and was told by Make a Wish Michigan she didn't qualify.

Youngest daughter is 16 has spina bifida, hydrocephalus, had her right kidney removed at the age of 3 to reverse extremely high blood pressure caused by the kidney. Had bacterial meningitis in 2011 which included 3 brain surgeries in a week and a collapsed lung after the last surgery that week and 2 weeks in ICU. 2012 she had 2 titanium rods, 4 hooks and 13 screws put in her back from T4 to the pelvis. Last Thursday she had her 16th surgery to remove part of the titanium rod and a screw that broke. She too has been told by Make a Wish that she doesn't qualify.

Both times Make a Wish position has been that they have a disability not life threatening disease

 

[SueM in MN]

The last time I checked on the Make A Wish website, it just said "life threatening illness," but it now says this (my bold)

A child with a life-threatening medical condition who has reached the age of 2½ and is younger than 18 at the time of referral is potentially eligible for a wish.

After a child is referred, Make-A-Wish® will work with the treating physician to determine the child's eligibility for a wish, i.e suffering from a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition currently placing the child's life in jeopardy.

Our vision is to grant one wish to every eligible child. While more than 14,000 wishes were granted across the United States last year alone, this reached only half of the eligible children diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition.
http://wish.org/refer-a-child/who-is-eligible

I don't know when the bolded part was added, but they may have added it for clarification to make it more consistent between the local chapters.
I know from talking to people that some chapters were pretty strictly interpreting according to the bolded part. Others would have considered my DD with cerebral palsy and epilepsy to qualify.

 

[SueM in MN]

Posts that were deleted had nothing to do with MAW rules or taxes.

 

[Unas]

You can be gifted up to 14,000 without paying taxes on it. Many people on ******** get tons in donations..but as long as no individual gives more than 14000 you are ok.

Not really.

Donations are gifts, gifts are either unearned income or in-kind support and maintenence, there are limits to how much income an SSI recipient can get without having their benefits reduced.

$14,000 is the exclusion from gift tax that applies to the person making the gift.

 

[buffettgirl]

Sure, My oldest dd has spina bifida, hydrocephalus and epilepsy. Also prior to turning 18 she had 7 surgeries and was in the hospital every other month for 2 years and was told by Make a Wish Michigan she didn't qualify.

Youngest daughter is 16 has spina bifida, hydrocephalus, had her right kidney removed at the age of 3 to reverse extremely high blood pressure caused by the kidney. Had bacterial meningitis in 2011 which included 3 brain surgeries in a week and a collapsed lung after the last surgery that week and 2 weeks in ICU. 2012 she had 2 titanium rods, 4 hooks and 13 screws put in her back from T4 to the pelvis. Last Thursday she had her 16th surgery to remove part of the titanium rod and a screw that broke. She too has been told by Make a Wish that she doesn't qualify.

Both times Make a Wish position has been that they have a disability not life threatening disease

Sorry about your experiences. It seems quite contrary to what others have heard, or experienced.

I just would caution about the use of blanket statements. Some disabilities are life threatening, some are not, some will qualify for MAW, some will not. No two children that "only have a disability" are the same.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

As a previous Make-A-Wish Board Member, and current Give-Kids-The-World Volunteer Coordinator . . .


1) This is my tax latest info.
. . . do not take the tax info for current law, as I am not a tax adviser
. . . but, contact your Tax Expert

Non-Taxable Gifts:
Some gifts will not be taxable at all. If the value of the gift is less than $13,000 in any one calendar year, gift tax is not due. Gift tax is also not due if a direct gift occurs to a provider for tuition or medical expenses, and transfer of money between spouses is not taxable.

Taxable Gifts:
The recipient of a taxable gift has no duty or responsibility to pay any tax due on the gift. There are specific rules that the person making the gift must follow, which includes filing gift tax return Form 709 and paying any tax due. The recipient of a gift may enter into a special arrangement with the grantor of the gift to pay the tax, but this is unusual and only if the recipient wants to pay the tax.​

2) As for the OP requesting a MAW Wish
. . . anyone can petition for any child over 2½ and under 18 years of age
. . . the local foundation determines eligibility
. . . in most cases, the child's condition must be "Life Threatening"
. . . typically, disabilities that are not life threatening do not get approved
. . . this is not a final statement, but a general rule
. . . their are simply too many children with dire illnesses to approve everyone
. . . and, any charity does not have infinite funds
. . . however, there are MANY Make-A-Wish-type charities and wish-grantors

 

[Mrsjvb]

What? Care to explain that?

MaW is for medically fragile terminal children. I do not/did not qualify as a kid as although I have a disability it is NOT life threatening. my cousin was eligible for one as she was born with a butt ton of medical issues that meant she has been on 5 day a week dialysis all her life, needs a kidney transplant and is generally at death's door all the time.

she never got her Wish as she kept being refused permission by her doctors to go anywhere.

 

[awoogala]

Thanks everyone for the info. I'll let her know. I know MAW had once been for terminal only, and had changed to life threatening. I don't feel comfortable discussing someone else's child's specific medical issues (nor do I know all the details).
The Mom seems to feel her medical issues would qualify her, so we just wondered if she were accepted, whether she would need to pay any taxes/affect her income reporting.. since then it would be useless to even apply.

 

[buffettgirl]

MaW is for medically fragile terminal children. I do not/did not qualify as a kid as although I have a disability it is NOT life threatening. my cousin was eligible for one as she was born with a butt ton of medical issues that meant she has been on 5 day a week dialysis all her life, needs a kidney transplant and is generally at death's door all the time.

she never got her Wish as she kept being refused permission by her doctors to go anywhere.

No, it's not. MAW's own website (which I've quoted below) says nothing about medically fragile or terminal. Life threatening is a much different thing, and can be a very broad category.

http://wish.org/refer-a-child/who-is-eligible

A child with a life-threatening medical condition who has reached the age of 2½ and is younger than 18 at the time of referral is potentially eligible for a wish.

After a child is referred, Make-A-Wish® will work with the treating physician to determine the child's eligibility for a wish, i.e suffering from a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition currently placing the child's life in jeopardy

 

[SueM in MN]

I think this thread is ready to close.

Make a Wish, together with the doctor, determines whether or not a child qualifies. They will decide whether that child's individual condition is left threatening or not.

I am not a tax expert (and don't play one on TV). I do think if Make a Wish trips were considered taxable income, there would be more information (i.e. People would be posting about it).

My suggestion would be for the parent to contact their local MAW chapter. She can say that she thinks her child would qualify, but has some questions about taxes and how receiving a wish might impact the child's eligibility for services he is currently receiving.
My guess is that this won't be the first time they have heard the question.