What Is Proof of Charitable Contributions?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires proof of charitable contributions for a taxpayer to claim a donation of money, property, or financial assets as an itemized deduction on their federal 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:tax return. Proof can be provided in the form of an official receipt or invoice from the receiving 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:qualified charitable organization, but it can also be provided via credit card statements or other financial records detailing the d🉐onation.

The following qualify as itemized deductions: charitable donations, state and local income or sales taxes, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:real estate taxes, personal property taxes, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:mortgage interest, disaster losses, and medical and dental expenses.

When Do I 🎐Need P꧙roof of Charitable Contributions?

Qualified charitable deductions 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:o𒈔ffer a good way to reduceꦏ your tax bill. The specifics of when and what proof of said donations is required by the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Internal Revenue Service (IRS) vary depending on how much and what is donated. Both cash and non-cash contributions are allowed, but they have different rules.

Cash Donations Under $250

For cash contributions under $250, the IRS requires a bank record or written receipt from the charitable organization with the name of the organization, the date, and the amount of the contribution. A bank record can be any one of the following:

• A canceled check
• A bank or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:credit union statement
• A credit card statement
• An electronic fund transfer receipt
• A scanned image of both sides of a canceled check obtained from a bank or credit union website

Also, if you give an organization a payment of more than $75 that is partly a donation and partly a payment for goods and services, it must provide you with a written statement acknowledging as much.

Cash Donations of $250 or More

For cash contributions of $250 or more, the IRS requires you to provide “a contemporaneous written acknowledgment of your contribution from the qualified organization or certain payroll deduction records.” The documentation must specify whether the organization provided the donor with any goods or services in exchange for the gift.

For the proof to be considered contemporaneous, you must receive it on or before the earlier of:

• The date you file your return for the year when you make the contribution
• The due date, including extensions, for filing the return

Non-Cash Donations Under $250

For non-cash donations under $250, you generally need a receipt from the charitable organization that includes all of the following:

1. The name and address of the qualified organization you contributed to
2. The date and location of the charitable contribution
3. A description of the property in sufficient detail under the circumstances (taking into account the value of the property) for a person not generally familiar with the type of property to understand that the description is of the contributed property
4. For a security, the name of the issuer, the type of security, and whether it is publicly traded as of the date of the contribution

If it's not possible to get such a receipt, the IRS will accept your own written records if they include:

• The information in (1), (2), (3), and (4) above
• For clothing or a household item, a description of its condition
• The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:fair market value of the property at the time of the contribution and how you figured it

Taxpayers can consult IRS Publication 561 to help determine the value of the donated property.

Non-Cash Donations of $250 to $500

For non-cash donations of $250 to $500, you need a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the organization for each donation that includes all of the following:

• A description (but not necessarily the value) of any property you contributed
• Whether the qualified organization gave you any goods or services as a result of your contribution (other than certain token items and membership benefits)
• A description and good-faith estimate of the value of any goods or services you received

Non-Cash Donations of $501 to $5,000

You must have the contemporaneous written acknowledgment described above and fill out 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:IRS Form 8283. The information required on the form includes all of the following:

• Your name and 澳洲⛎幸运5开奖号码历史查询:taxpayer identification number (TIN), which is usually your Social Security number
• The name and address of the qualified organization
• The date of the charitable contribution
• A description of the property in sufficient detail under the circumstances (taking into account the value of the property) for a person not generally familiar with the type of property to understand that the description is of the contributed property
• The fair market value of the property on the contribution date and the method used in figuring the fair market value
• In the case of real or tangible property, its condition
• In the case of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:tangible personal property, whether the donation recipient has certified it for use related to the purpose or function constituting the donation recipient’s basis for exemption under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code or, in the case of a governmental unit, an exclusively public purpose
• In the case of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:securities, the name of the issuer, the type of securities, and whether they were publicly traded as of the date of the contribution
• How you got the property—for example, by purchase, gift, bequest, inheritance, or exchange
• The approximate date when you got the property or, if created, produced, or manufactured by or for you, the approximate date when the property was substantially completed
• The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cost basis (or other basis), and any adjustments to the basis, of property held less than 12 months and, if available, the cost or other basis of property held 12 months or more (does not apply to publicly traded securities)
  

Non-Cash Donations of More Than $5,000

In addition to satisfying all of the requirements for non-cash donations of $500 to $5,000, non-cash donations of items valued at more than $5,000 must also come with an expert 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:appraisal of the item. If you claim a deduction of more than $5,000, you must attach a copy of that appraisal to your Form 8283.

Example of Proof of Charitable Contributions

Vic, a transgender activist, decides that they want to give $1,500 in cash to Treatment Action Group (TAG), a small international nonprofit headquartered in New York City that describes itself as “an independent, activist, and community-based research and policy think tank committed to racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equity; social justice; and liberation, fighting to end HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).” Vic decides to do so via TAG’s online giving portal, which can be accessed via a link on the TAG website.

To make the donation this way requires a charge card, which Vic has and uses. This automatically generates an email acknowledgment from TAG to Vic. Shortly thereafter, Vic also received an acknowledgment letter via mail from TAG thanking 🌺them for the donation, which wa🅘s personally signed by TAG's executive director. This is standard procedure for TAG, which believes in supporter outreach, according to TAG's former Administrator, .

Ultimately, Vic will have three proofs of charitable contribution: the charge card transaction reco꧟rd, the email from TAG, and the physical letter sent by TAG. However, only the last two satisfy the IRS definition of “contﷺemporaneous,” which the size of the donation dictates as necessary. If Vic’s donation had been under $250, then all three proofs would be valid.

Tax Laws and Charitable Donations

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:made many changes to allowable tax deduction༒s while nearly doubling the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:standard deduction, which is the amount taxpayers can subtract from their income if they don’t list itemized deductions on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Schedule A. The standard deduction for single filers is $14,600 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025, while for married couples filing jointly, it is $29,200 in 2024 and $30,000 in 2025.

A taxpayer’s deductions now need to be significantly higher than before the TCJA went into effect to benefit from itemizing them. However, charitable donors still interested in itemizing have options. One would be to bunch donations, allowing t�🗹�he total to exceed the higher standard deduction in a single year—which would mean only itemizing a return every few years.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Donor-advised funds could also be an avenue for itemizing charitable donations. These funds allow donors to bundle smaller gifts into one large amount and take a deduction in the year of the gift. The donor then is able to designate charities as recipients at a later date. In the meantime, the assets can be invested and grow tax-free. It’s worth noting that donor-advised accounts have fees. 

A third itemizing option for donors targets those who are ages 70½ and older. These filers can utilize their 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:iꦉndividual retirement accounts (IR๊As) to make charitable donations of up to $100,000.

The Bottom Line

Whether for charitable reasons or tax reasons, taxpayers frequently use the charitable contributions deduction when itemizing their returns to reduce their 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:tax liability. Howev✱er, this deduction is subject to IRS policies and may be subject to an audit.

To ens🎉ure the deduction is taken correctly, maintain adequate documentation, secure an appraisal where appropriate, and understand the tax reporting differences b🥃etween cash and non-cash donations.