--- title: Time Is Running Out to Get a $300 IRS Tax Deduction for Donating to Charity description: A special $300 IRS tax deduction ($600 for married couples) is available for charitable donations if you meet the deadline of Dec. 31, 2021. authors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2021-12-21T16:24:19.000Z' modified: '2024-01-10T17:05:02.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - Charity - News - Taxes word_count: 361 canonical: https://money.com/charitable-donation-tax-deduction-2021/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![IRS tax forms alongside a tax refund check](https://img.money.com/2021/12/News-Time-running-out-for-600-IRS-tax-deduction-for-charitable-donations.jpg) Feeling the holiday spirit? Consider donating to charity, and you'll end up giving the best kind of present — one that benefits you, too. The IRS has a special tax rule right now that allows Americans to deduct certain charitable donations on their 2021 taxes, lowering their tax liability and translating into savings. Single filers can deduct up to $300; married couples that file jointly can deduct up to $600. Crucially, you don't even have to itemize your taxes to claim it. However, you *do* have to move fast. The deadline for making an eligible donation is Dec. 31. Usually, the roughly 90% of households that take the standard deduction aren't able to deduct charitable contributions when they [do their income taxes](https://money.com/best-tax-prep-software/). But the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by Congress in March 2020, [loosened those restrictions](https://money.com/cares-act-300-charitable-deduction/) in light of COVID-19 crisis. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act, passed in December 2020, then extended the provision through 2021. "The pandemic has created unique challenges for tax-exempt organizations, and we want to make sure people don't overlook this special tax deduction that's available this year," the IRS's Sunita Lough said in a recent news [release](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-joins-leading-nonprofit-groups-to-highlight-special-charitable-tax-benefit-available-through-dec-31). "Donations to qualifying charities can reduce people's tax bill when they file in 2022." To be eligible, donations have to be made in cash or via check, credit card or debit card. (The IRS says "amounts incurred by an individual for unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses in connection with their volunteer services to a qualifying charitable organization" count, as well.) Recipients must be tax-exempt charitable organizations, not supporting groups, donor-advised funds or private foundations. Check to make sure your charity of choice is eligible — and not a [scam](https://money.com/stimulus-check-scams-irs/) — by checking the IRS [database](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations). One final note of warning: If you take advantage of this limited-time-only deduction, keep proof. Hang on to your receipts and any letters of acknowledgment you receive just in case the IRS later asks you to substantiate your claims. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/charitable-donation-tax-deduction-2021/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philanthropy", "item": "https://money.com/philanthropy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Time Is Running Out to Get a $300 IRS Tax Deduction for Donating to Charity" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/charitable-donation-tax-deduction-2021/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/charitable-donation-tax-deduction-2021/", "name": "Time Is Running Out to Get a $300 IRS Tax Deduction for Donating to Charity", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2021-12-21T16:24:19.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/charitable-donation-tax-deduction-2021/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/charitable-donation-tax-deduction-2021/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-01-10T17:05:02.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Time Is Running Out to Get a $300 IRS Tax Deduction for Donating to Charity", "articleSection": "Economy and Politics", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2021/12/News-Time-running-out-for-600-IRS-tax-deduction-for-charitable-donations.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "News-Time running out for $600 IRS tax deduction for charitable donations" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julia Glum", "url": "https://money.com/author/julia-glum/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/julia-glum/#author", "description": "Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. 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