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Under the current tax code, you may have changed the ways in which you give or the tax-beneficial strategies you employ with your charitable giving as compared to previous tax laws. What hasn’t changed, is that you may choose to deduct from your federal income tax any charitable contributions of money or property made to qualified organizations if you itemize your deductions. But, there are record keeping requirements you’ll want to stay on top of, so you’re not scrambling during tax time!
Payroll deduction substantiation
Making a charitable deduction directly from your paycheck is a great and steadfast way to be sure to meet your charitable giving goals. For charitable contributions made via payroll deductions, the donor needs two documents to substantiate the gift:
- a pay stub, W-2, or other document furnished by the employer that sets forth the amount withheld from the taxpayer during a taxable year by the employer for the purpose of contributing to a charity;
- a pledge card or other document prepared by or at the direction of the charity that shows the name of the charity.
Donors who give to a local United Way or other organizations that funnel contributions to other charities need to only obtain the pledge card or other document from the United Way and not from the affiliated charities which ultimately receive the money.
Payroll deductions of $250 or more
Tax law requires that for any contribution of $250 or more, the taxpayer must substantiate the contribution by a contemporaneous written acknowledgement of the contribution by the charity. For payroll deductions, the contribution amount withheld from each payment of wages to a taxpayer is treated as a separate contribution for purposes of the $250 threshold.
So, for example, a taxpayer who gave $300 over the course of a year through payroll deductions, $30 per paycheck over ten paychecks, would not trigger the $250 substantiation requirement. The substantiation requirement would only kick in if $250 or more is withheld from each paycheck.
If any of this is confusing, know you don’t have to navigate these requirements just by yourself. Contact me at any time to discuss your situation and charitable giving goals. We’ll figure out the best course of action together!
