Charitable Deductions: How To Save on Your Taxes by Giving Back

by
Soo Lee, CPA
Updated 
September 28, 2024
January 19, 2023
Icon check
Reviewed by
Tax guide
Charitable Deductions: How To Save on Your Taxes by Giving Back
Summary:
Donating to charity can help you save on taxes, but you need to itemize deductions to claim them. For 2023, you can generally deduct up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) for cash donations and up to 50% for noncash donations. To claim these deductions, you must fill out Schedule A and keep proper records, especially for donations over $250. Remember, not all nonprofits qualify, so ensure the organization has 501(c)(3) status.
Videos on this topic

Contents

Most people know that donating to charity can help them save on their income taxes. But the actual rules for charitable deductions can get complicated.

Charitable contributions are a type of personal itemized deduction. Like medical expenses and mortgage interest, you can only deduct them if you skip the standard deduction.

Here's what else you need to know about saving money by giving back.

How do you claim a charitable tax deduction?

To claim a tax break for your gifts to charity, you'll fill out your donations in lines 11-14 of Schedule A. That’s the part of the form that deals with “Gifts to Charity”.

Lines 11-14 of Form Schedule A, where taxpayers enter their gifts to charity

You don’t have to donate money to claim a deduction — other kinds of gifts also qualify. If you make contributions "other than by cash or check," you’ll have to estimate the dollar value of what you're donating. We’ll explain how to do that in a bit!

As mentioned, there’s one key requirement for writing off your gifts to charity: you have to itemize.

Claiming charitable donations as an itemized deduction

You can only deduct your charitable gifts if you choose to itemize instead of claiming the standard deduction. Here are the current amounts:

Filing Status Standard deduction amount (2022)
Single $12,950
Married, filing separately $12,950
Head of household $19,400
Married, filing jointly $25,900

To get any benefit from itemizing, your deductible personal expenses have to be greater than your standard deduction amount. A single person, for example, would have to spend more than $12,950 on these types of expenses.

As you can imagine, most taxpayers don't spend enough on charitable giving and other itemized expenses to exceed their standard deduction amount. That's why nearly 90% of taxpayers take the standard deduction.

Side note: If you have any expenses from working a freelance or independent contracting job, you can always write those off on top of the standard deduction! Don't get these business write-offs confused with personal deductions like donations.

{write_off_block}

How much can you deduct for donations?

For the 2023 tax year, you can generally deduct up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) in monetary gifts.

In 2021, the IRS temporarily allowed taxpayers to deduct up to 100% of their AGI in charitable gifts. But this special allowance has since expired.

How much can you deduct for noncash gifts?

If you’re not donating cash, the AGI limit caps out at 50% and may be as low as 20%. For example, there’s a:

  • 50% AGI limit for most noncash donations
  • 30% AGI limit for capital gain property (assets like stocks, bonds, or even collectibles that have appreciated by the time you’re donating them)
  • 20-40% AGI limit for noncash donations that are held in a trust, instead of given to an organization directly (an arrangement the IRS calls contributions “for the use of” a charity”)

What organizations can you donate to for a tax deduction?

Not all donations are tax-deductible. The IRS has special rules about the kinds of organizations you can contribute to, as well as the sorts of contributions you can make. 

If you want to deduct it on your tax return, your donation has to go to a qualified charitable organization with 501(c)(3) status — a mouthful that essentially means it's tax-exempt.

Keep in mind: Not all nonprofits have 501(c)(3) status. Some veterans groups and political groups for instance, don't. As a result, donations to them won't always give you tax benefits, even though you’re contributing to a nonprofit.

Want to know if an organization qualifies? You can find out for sure with the IRS's Tax Exempt Organization Search tool. You can also use Charity Navigator to look up an organization's tax status.

Examples of qualifying organizations

Luckily, a wide range of charitable groups are tax-exempt. You can even look beyond the usual private foundations and public charity programs (like the ones affiliated with hospitals and educational institutions).

According to the IRS, the following types of groups can count:

  • Charitable organizations, like the Red Cross and United Way
  • Religious communities, like your church, synagogue, temple, or mosque
  • Scientific institutions, like the the Association for Women in Science
  • Literary organizations, like the National Book Foundation
  • Educational nonprofits, like Girl Scouts of America
  • Amateur sports organizations. like the US Olympic & Paralympic Foundation
  • Child advocacy groups, like RAINN
  • Animal rights organizations, like PETA
  • Some government organizations (as long as the gift is earmarked for charitable purposes)

Note that church tithing counts as a charitable donation, so it’s tax-deductible.

What types of charitable gifts are tax-deductible?

As long as you're supporting a 501(3)(c) organization, various kinds of contributions can help you lower your tax bill. 

Here are the rules for donating money, items, and even your time.

Cash contributions

By cash, we mean any kind of dollar-amount contribution, whether it's made through:

  • 💵 Actual cash
  • 💳 Credit card or debit card
  • ✍️ A check
  • 🏦 Electronic fund transfer electronic (EFT)
  • 📱 An online payment service like PayPal or Venmo
  • 🎁 A gift card

However, stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments don't count. They go in the next category.

Noncash donations

What if your charitable giving isn't in monetary form?

This is especially common for patrons of food banks and organizations like Goodwill. (Big-ticket donors will even offer luxury items, like paintings!)

Here are some noncash goods that might be donated:

  • 📈 Stocks and bonds
  • 🥫 Food
  • 👚 Clothing
  • 👞 Shoes
  • 🛋️ Furniture
  • 📺 Appliances
  • 🚗 Cars
  • 💎 Jewelry
  • 🖼️ Art
  • 🕰️ Antiques

The IRS allows taxpayers to deduct the fair market value of any goods they donated — meaning, the amount they would sell for on the open market. 

Figuring out the value of noncash gifts

Pro tip: Instead of searching for a trained appraiser right away, look for a valuation guide. 

“Taxpayers can use one of the online donation guides provided by charitable organizations to estimate the value of noncash gifts,” says Bill Hampton, a tax strategist based in Georgia. 

Here are some valuation guides for popular charities:

These guides are useful because they typically focus on the items most commonly donated items. 

Goodwill, for example, lists clothing items and home goods. Habitat for Humanity, on the other hand, emphasizes construction supplies.

Local organizations will sometimes provide guides as well.

Volunteering expenses

You can donate expenses that stem directly from your charity work. These might include things like: 

  • ⛽ Car expenses for drives over
  • 🚌 Public transport to and from the site
  • 👕 Uniforms to wear as a volunteer
  • 📦 Supplies you use while volunteering
  • 🍔 Meals, but only if you had to travel overnight

Note that, for car expenses, you can take a standard mileage rate for every mile you drive for charity. For the 2023 tax year, that’s $0.14. (That’s much lower than the standard mileage rate for work-related driving!) 

These have to be out-of-pocket expenses — not reimbursed by the charity. And you'll need to keep records for everything you spent.

How volunteer expenses compare to work expenses

In a nutshell, these tax-deductible volunteer expenses are similar to the business write-offs you can take when you do freelance work. Instead of paying for them so you can do an independent contracting job, you're buying these things in order to volunteer your time. 

If you have business write-offs, use Keeper to keep track of them automatically. Our app will scan your accounts and write off anything you bought for work.

{upsell_block}

It won't track your charitable donations, but the app will deduct them for you if you file your taxes with Keeper.

Can you write off donated time?

No, volunteer time is never directly tax-deductible. 

Taxpayers often assume that, if they donate their time, they can write off its fair market value based on how much they earn when they're working. Unfortunately, that isn't true. 

You also can’t deduct the expenses associated with spending your time on a charity, like the cost of childcare.

When it comes to volunteering your time, the only possible tax break is for direct volunteer expenses.

What records should you keep for qualified charitable contributions?

You'll have to keep records for your donations. Here's what's acceptable to the IRS: 

  • Bank statements
  • Credit card statements
  • Donation receipts
  • Cleared checks
  • Pledge cards

Just like keeping receipts for business write-offs, hoarding paper copies of your donation records isn't actually necessary. Digital proof, like a credit card statement that says "Greenpeace," is totally fine.

However, make sure your documentation shows the following information, whether it's paper or digital:

  • The organization you donated to
  • Donation date
  • Donation amount

Donations over certain limits have special requirements for recordkeeping. Let’s dive into those next.

​For donations over $250

For donations worth over $250 you'll need a "contemporaneous written acknowledgement" from the charity you contributed to. (To count as "contemporaneous," you'll need to get this by the time you file your return.)

Basically, this is written proof from the charity. Their statement will need to include:

  • The amount of money you donated (if it was a cash donation)
  • A description if your donation (if it was a non-cash gift)
  • An explanation of whether the charity gave you something in return

How to handle quid pro quo contributions

Sometimes, you might get a gift in exchange for your gift — say, concert tickets or a bottle of wine. In that case, the organization will have to describe what they gave you and estimate how much it's worth. 

These are called quid pro quo contributions: “this for that,” meaning the donor gets something in return. For these, the IRS requires you to subtract the value of that thank-you gift from the donation you made when you claim your deduction.

{email_capture}

For noncash donations over $500

If you make enough non-monetary gifts, you'll have to fill out Form 8283, for "Noncash Charitable Contributions." 

The top of Form 8283, showing up to Box A of Part !

For noncash donations over $5,000

Donated something worth over $5,000 — say, fine art or a car? You'll have to attach a qualified appraisal to your Form 8283. Section B of the form deals with these big-ticket donations.

Section B of Form 8283, for information on donated property

Whether you’re donating cash, canned goods, or even antiques, your generosity makes the community stronger. Now that you know how to deduct your gifts, it can make your finances stronger too.

Keep giving back, and enjoy those tax breaks!

Soo Lee, CPA

Soo Lee, CPA

websitetwitter-link

Soo has over 10 years of experience at publicly traded companies and public accounting firms offering tax, accounting, payroll and advisory services to clients in diverse industries, including manufacturing, wholesale and retail, construction, real estate development, banking, finance, and professional and legal consulting. At Pricewaterhouse Cooper, she worked with many foreign-owned companies and advised clients on a broad range of issues, including federal and state tax minimization, determining the optimal structure for new foreign investments, and restructuring and reorganization for existing operations.

Estimate tax saving

Over 1M freelancers trust Keeper with their taxes

Keeper is the top-rated all-in-one business expense tracker, tax filing service, and personal accountant.

Charitable Deductions: How To Save on Your Taxes by Giving Back
Charitable Deductions: How To Save on Your Taxes by Giving Back

Over 1M freelancers trust Keeper with their taxes

Keeper is the top-rated all-in-one business expense tracker, tax filing service, and personal accountant.

Charitable Deductions: How To Save on Your Taxes by Giving Back
Charitable Deductions: How To Save on Your Taxes by Giving Back

Over 1M freelancers trust Keeper with their taxes

Keeper is the top-rated all-in-one business expense tracker, tax filing service, and personal accountant.

Expense tracking has never been easier

Keeper is the top-rated all-in-one business expense tracker, tax filing service, and personal accountant.

Get started
Free Resource
I’m a self-employed ...
Real estate agent
Lyft / Uber driver
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Actor
Adult entertainer
Airbnb host
Amazon Flex driver
Artist
Athlete
Attorney
Audio engineer
Beekeeper
Blogger
Brewer
Car rental provider
Caterer
Chauffeur
Chef
Childcare provider
Chiropractor
Cleaner / housekeeper
Commercial painter
Community manager
Computer technician
Construction contractor
Consultant
Content creator
Costume / fashion designer
Customer support specialist
Delivery driver
Dentist
Designer
Dog walker
Doula
Electrician
EMT
Esthetician
Event planner
Exterminator
Farmer
Financial advisor
Firefighter
Florist
Hairstylist
HVAC technician
Insurance agent
Interior designer
Ironworker
Janitor / custodian
Lab technician
Landscaper
Lifeguard
Loan officer
Lyft / Uber driver
Machinist
Makeup artist
Marketer
Massage therapist
Mechanic
Medical biller / coder
Model
Mover
Musician
Nail tech
Notary / signing agent
Nutritionist / dietitian
Oil / gas contractor
Online seller
Personal concierge
Personal trainer
Pharmacy technician
Photographer
Physician
Plumber
Pressure washer owner
Property owner / real estate investor
Railroad contractor
Real estate agent
Recruiter
Referee
Salesperson
Security guard
Social worker
Sommelier
Streamer
Sports coach
Tattoo artist
Teacher / tutor
Therapist
Trader
Travel nurse
Translator / interpreter
Truck driver
Veterinarian
Virtual assistant
Web developer
Wedding planner
Welder
Writer
Yoga teacher
Real estate agent
Text Link
Actor

At Keeper, we’re on a mission to help people overcome the complexity of taxes. We’ve provided this information for educational purposes, and it does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice. If you would like a tax expert to clarify it for you, feel free to sign up for Keeper. You may also email support@keepertax.com with your questions.