< Back To Article List

Can I make charitable contributions from my IRA in 2016?

Yes, if you qualify. The law authorizing qualified charitable distributions, or QCDs, has recently been made permanent by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015.

You simply instruct your IRA trustee to make a distribution directly from your IRA (other than a SEP or SIMPLE) to a qualified charity. You must be 70½ or older, and the distribution must be one that would otherwise be taxable to you. You can exclude up to $100,000 of QCDs from your gross income in 2016. And if you file a joint return, your spouse (if 70½ or older) can exclude an additional $100,000 of QCDs. But you can’t also deduct these QCDs as a charitable contribution on your federal income tax return–that would be double dipping.

QCDs count toward satisfying any required minimum distributions (RMDs) that you would otherwise have to take from your IRA in 2016, just as if you had received an actual distribution from the plan. However, distributions (including RMDs) that you actually receive from your IRA and subsequently transfer to a charity cannot qualify as QCDs.

For example, assume that your RMD for 2016 is $25,000. In June 2016, you make a $15,000 QCD to Qualified Charity A. You exclude the $15,000 QCD from your 2016 gross income. Your $15,000 QCD satisfies $15,000 of your $25,000 RMD. You’ll need to withdraw another $10,000 (or make an additional QCD) by December 31, 2016, to avoid a penalty.

You could instead take a distribution from your IRA and then donate the proceeds to a charity yourself, but this would be a bit more cumbersome and possibly more expensive. You’d include the distribution in gross income and then take a corresponding income tax deduction for the charitable contribution. But the additional tax from the distribution may be more than the charitable deduction due to IRS limits. QCDs avoid all this by providing an exclusion from income for the amount paid directly from your IRA to the charity–you don’t report the IRA distribution in your gross income, and you don’t take a deduction for the QCD. The exclusion from gross income for QCDs also provides a tax-effective way for taxpayers who don’t itemize deductions to make charitable contributions.

 

Have questions?

We’re here to help.  Please fill out the form below and we will call you to discuss your needs.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Disclaimer of Liability Our firm provides the information in this newsletter, on its website, and related free information distributed via email for general guidance only, and it does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation.

Tax articles in this newsletter, on the Firm website, and those distributed through emails are not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The information is provided “as is,” with no assurance or guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose

Although Hoyle, CPA, PLLC has made every reasonable effort to ensure that the information provided is accurate, Hoyle, CPA, PLLC, and its owner and staff, make no warranties, expressed or implied, on the information provided. The participant accepts the information as is and assumes all responsibility for the use of such information.

This communication is strictly intended for individuals residing in the state(s) of AL, AK, AZ, AR, AA, AE, AP, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VI, VA, WA, WV, WI and WY. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident outside the specific states referenced.

Prepared by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. Copyright 2017.

DISCLAIMER: Information provided by Hoyle, CPA, PLLC on social media, on its website, and related free information distributed via email is intended for reference only. The information is designed solely to provide guidance and is not intended to be a substitute for someone seeking personalized professional advice based on specific factual situations. Responding to such inquiries does NOT create a professional relationship between Hoyle, CPA, PLLC and participant and should not be interpreted as such. Although Hoyle, CPA, PLLC has made every reasonable effort to ensure that the information provided is accurate, Hoyle, CPA, PLLC, and its shareholders, managers, and staff, make no warranties, expressed or implied, on the information provided. The participant accepts the information as is and assumes all responsibility for the use of such information.