--- title: It's Now Easier for Millions of Americans to Get a Tax Break for Donating to Charity description: An above-the-line charitable giving deduction is in effect for the 2026 tax year and beyond — even if you don't itemize your tax return. authors: - name: Adam Hardy role: Lead Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/ bio: Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. Adam’s work has also appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Nasdaq, The Penny Hoarder, Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen local and regional newspapers. education: University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 501 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Technology also_seen_in: - The Penny Hoarder - Forbes Advisor - Creative Loafing - The New York Times - The Washington Post - Bloomberg - Harvard Law School - The Federal Register - National Consumer Law Center - CBS News - Becker's Hospital Review - Business Insider - Mother Jones - The Week - Fortune - The Philadelphia Inquirer - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) - Education Advisory Board (EAB) - The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) - This Morning with Gordon Deal - Empower - Reddit social: - https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/ editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: A graduate of the University of Florida, Julia has more than eight years of experience in personal finance journalism. In addition to overseeing news and newsletters, she leads Money’s tax coverage, which includes extensive reporting on tax credits, policy changes and the IRS. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Taxes - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - 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: '2026-01-01T16:59:16.000Z' modified: '2026-02-25T19:27:26.000Z' section: Taxes tags: - News word_count: 611 canonical: https://money.com/charitable-donation-tax-deduction-receipts/ 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/). ![Woman looking at tax receipt at her laptop](https://img.money.com/2025/12/News-Charitable-Donations-Taxes-Receipt.jpg) In a major change to the tax code, cash donations to charity can now lower your tax bill, even if you take the standard deduction. An above-the-line charitable giving deduction is in effect for the 2026 tax year and beyond as part of President Donald Trump’s [One Big Beautiful Bill Act](https://money.com/trump-tax-cuts-big-beautiful-bill/). The provision allows those who claim the standard deduction — about 90% of all taxpayers — to also deduct from their income charitable donations of up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. “This is one of the most meaningful charitable giving changes in years, and it’s aimed squarely at everyday households,” Will Kellar, managing partner at [Human Investing](https://www.humaninvesting.com/bios/will-kellar), says in an email. ### Rated A+ by the BBB ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/14979/medium_d9420f2c-6d0b-4726-b903-60fb37740830.png) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/db96a7097690?bidid=4133905819&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=672609185&ptoken=c5b068779e1babe1a6cc3cccd4e751be) ### Over 15 years of Experience ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/36123/medium_d8e31451-10fb-4690-a053-85981545c371.webp) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/688ca268d69e?bidid=4133905822&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=672609185&ptoken=ba220f32ee051c3ba910a0aa4b2b6cfb) ### 12+ years of tax resolution experience ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/19221/medium_21c467f5-9614-45a6-a827-5c1698cf1de6.png) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/233eee86010d?bidid=4133905818&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=672609185&ptoken=8eefc7b6c9e36f44d412ceb8cf4ec80c) ### 21+ years in service ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/37015/medium_cb5bc133-3b62-412b-9420-e17d1c5aaa63.webp) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/185ef0576ba4?bidid=4133905821&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=672609185&ptoken=f670dcabeed9b6f769b8d37bd91d1574) ### 24/7 Client Portal Access ![Get Started](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38669/medium_134094f5-0d61-4290-98dd-6ea7bc5551c2.webp) Our Partner [Get Started](https://money.com/go/5b11a17a6f10?bidid=4133905820&pmeta=p129-c739-u28541&ptid=672609185&ptoken=9d3174f2883d9bd2d8790570d6a5efd2) Previously, only taxpayers who itemized their taxes could write off charitable contributions. Itemizers tend to be among the wealthiest Americans, which meant charitable tax breaks haven’t been an option for the vast majority of taxpayers (notwithstanding a brief period during the pandemic in which non-itemizers could claim a $300 deduction for cash contributions to charity — a provision that expired in 2022.) “For years,” Kellar says, “the tax code implicitly favored wealthy households who itemized and sidelined the rest.” Starting this month, approximately 150 million Americans are newly eligible for the modest ~a~ break if they donate to charity — but the benefit won’t be automatic. Here’s what you need to know. ## How to qualify for the new charitable giving deduction For most taxpayers claiming the standard deduction, the key qualifications for the new tax break for charitable giving are that the donations need to be cash-based, and the organization needs to be a qualified public 501(c)(3) charity, according to Mitchell Kraus, a financial planner who specializes in philanthropy at [Capital Intelligence Advisors](https://www.capintelligence.com/team/mitchell-kraus). These rules mean you'll want to lean toward giving to the American Red Cross, churches or Habitat for Humanity rather than unions or think tanks. Another important clarification: The cash-based donations don’t need to literally be dollar bills. They can take the form of bank transfers, card payments or checks. The main exclusions are goods and services, so time spent at the soup kitchen won’t qualify. Neither would the clothes you donated to the Salvation Army. While you're sending over the cash, remember to keep good records. A paper trail, including a “written acknowledgement” from the charity, is important, Kraus says That way, you’ll easily be able to substantiate your deduction if the IRS comes knocking. “Many families never tracked their giving because it didn’t matter before. Now it does,” Kellar says. “Save receipts, keep confirmations and be intentional about how gifts are made. The bar isn’t high, but it is real.” There are other new charitable giving rules that affect itemizers. (You can read more about them [in this story](https://money.com/charity-donation-tax-deduction-non-itemizers/).) For taxpayers who take the standard deduction, though, they're looking at a tax benefit worth potentially hundreds of dollars depending on filing status and income bracket. For example, a single filer with a top tax rate of 22% who donated $1,000 or more would receive a benefit of $220, while a married couple in the 37% bracket who donated at least $2,000 would get a tax break of $740. Kellar says everyday donors typically give because they care, not because they're angling for a tax break. But still, he says, it’s nice that they will finally get acknowledged by the IRS. “This law didn’t create generosity,” he says. “It corrected a blind spot.” ## If you owe more than $10,000 in taxes, Tax Relief can allow you to break down your debt into payments ### Anthem Tax Relief provides a full menu of tax relief services to help clients get out from under the yoke of tax debt. [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/h7d8f6f742c9?ap_referrer=%2Fcharitable-donation-tax-deduction-receipts%2F) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/14979/medium_d9420f2c-6d0b-4726-b903-60fb37740830.png) Owe over $10,000 in taxes? Get Tax Relief with Anthem now! 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