Independent Sector pushes higher mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers

Independent Sector is pressing for a higher mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers, arguing that the gap between what workers can deduct for charity driving and what business drivers can claim has become a real strain on nonprofit capacity. Under IRS rules, the charitable mileage rate remains fixed at 14 cents per mile, while the 2026 business standard mileage rate rose to 72.5 cents per mile effective Jan. 1, 2026.

That difference matters for organizations like A Simple Gesture, where volunteer drivers are not a side feature but the backbone of collection and delivery. The group says it is always in need of drivers to pick up food from donors and deliver it to pantry partners, and its Green Bag model depends on recurring neighborhood routes. In Paradise, California, the organization says the network now includes more than 1,700 food donors and numerous volunteer drivers who collect over 132,000 pounds of food each year.

Independent Sector says the charitable mileage rate has been unchanged since 1997 and can only be altered through legislation. It backs the Volunteer Driver Tax Appreciation Act, reintroduced in 2025 as S. 1177 and H.R. 1582, which would align the volunteer driver deduction with the IRS business rate. The Senate sponsors are Amy Klobuchar, Ted Budd and Tina Smith, and the House sponsors are Pete Stauber and Angie Craig.

The IRS says volunteers may use the 14-cent standard mileage rate to figure a charitable contribution deduction, and Publication 526 allows parking fees and tolls to be deducted whether a volunteer uses actual expenses or the standard mileage rate. That leaves volunteer drivers with a legal framework that still treats service driving as far less costly than ordinary work travel, even though the real expense of fuel, wear and time is often what determines whether a route stays covered.

For A Simple Gesture, the policy question is practical. Mileage reimbursement is not just recognition, it is a retention tool that affects whether drivers keep showing up, whether routes stay full, and whether staff can count on volunteers instead of scrambling to patch gaps. National RTAP’s volunteer driver toolkit says reimbursement can offset costs and help retain volunteers, a point that lines up with the nonprofit sector’s broader problem after the pandemic, when Independent Sector said recruiting and keeping volunteers became harder.

Independent Sector also put a price on that labor. On April 21, 2026, it estimated the value of a volunteer hour at $36.14. For food recovery groups built on donated time and private vehicles, the message is clear: if the goal is dependable logistics, the mileage policy has to make the experience feel financially reasonable, not just appreciated.