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Level 2

Solved

Form 1040-sr, Line 12b (charitable contributions if you take the standard deduction (Turbo Tax Deluxe)

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
January 28, 2022
20 replies
117 views

We are married filing a joint return. We have a charitable contribution of $2100 to our church.

When running the "Smart Check" on the federal return it says we have an unacceptable value on line 12b.

That value shows up to be $300 (as the unacceptable value) The correct value should be $600 for us filling a joint return.

I change the value to $600 and re-run the "Smart Check" and it says there are now no errors.

When I do the check and/or final check before the "Filing" step, it goes through the "Analysis" process and it changes the $600 value back the $300. I now have an unacceptable value again on the Federal return.

What do I do?

Best answer by ColeenD3

Please see this post from JotikaT2.

You can correct this by logging back into your TurboTax program and following the steps below.

Click on the Federal Taxes tab.
Select the Deductions & Credits tab.
On the screen titled How do you want to enter your deductions and credits?, select I'll choose what I work on.
Scroll down to Charitable Donations.
Select Update to the right of Donations to Charity in 2021.
You will see a screen titled Review All Your Charities.
To the right of any deductions entered, select Delete to remove any input.
You will then select Done with Charitable Donations.
On the next page (Deductions), scroll down to the bottom and click on Done with Deductions.
Proceed through the following screens until you pass the screen letting you know you are getting the Standard Deduction.
The next screen titled Charitable Cash Contributions under the Care Act will allow you to enter your charitable contributions for 2021. Enter your total cash contributions on this screen and select Continue.

This will correct the issue and allow you to continue with your tax return.

ColeenD3Answer

Level 15

Please see this post from JotikaT2.

You can correct this by logging back into your TurboTax program and following the steps below.

Click on the Federal Taxes tab.
Select the Deductions & Credits tab.
On the screen titled How do you want to enter your deductions and credits?, select I'll choose what I work on.
Scroll down to Charitable Donations.
Select Update to the right of Donations to Charity in 2021.
You will see a screen titled Review All Your Charities.
To the right of any deductions entered, select Delete to remove any input.
You will then select Done with Charitable Donations.
On the next page (Deductions), scroll down to the bottom and click on Done with Deductions.
Proceed through the following screens until you pass the screen letting you know you are getting the Standard Deduction.
The next screen titled Charitable Cash Contributions under the Care Act will allow you to enter your charitable contributions for 2021. Enter your total cash contributions on this screen and select Continue.

This will correct the issue and allow you to continue with your tax return.

acdeleeuwAuthor

Level 2

Your solution resolved my question.

Thanks!!

mw48

Level 2

I followed the instructions given to fix my federal taxes related to charitable contributions, but by removing them and adding them in a different place, in impacts my state taxes and reduced my state refund as it isn't showing any charitble contributions in my state tax return (KS), how do I fix this?

KrisD15

Level 15

I am not an expert on the Kansas return, but it seems that in order to Itemize on the K-40, (and claim charitable contributions) you need to Itemize on your Federal return.

If you want to take the 300/600 charity contribution, you must take the Standard Deduction and not Itemize.

However, you may be asking about the Kansas Community Service Contribution Credit K-60.

For a work-around you can enter the donations under Deductions & Credits but as a non-cash item.

It is a bit cumbersome, but the result will be the same, the entry won't interfere with the 600 Charity Contribution.

You would need to enter the amount as "Items" and name the charity.

Select "I'll value them"

Enter the date

Select "Other personal property"

Type CASH as the description and the amount

Enter the Purchase as the same as the amount donated, Type Various as Date Acquired and Select Purchase as How Acquired

This information goes to a TurboTax worksheet and is not transmitted with your tax returns.

Keep the information about the donations with your tax file.

This should allow you to carry an amount over to your state return

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DeltonaBob

Level 2

Basically, after working with TurboTax support, the solution is a kludge. (delete all contributions to charity data in the forms to just leave one entry with $600 for filing jointly in my case).

This should be a concern as the whole purpose of entering data into the forms is to provide a record of truth in preparing taxes.

My opinion is that the software should have calculated the result properly into the 12b box correctly based upon the rule of a limitation of either $300 or $600 (even if the pre-populated contributions within the forms exceeded that amount).

macpharlan

Level 2

I agree, especially if you are itemizing, why would you remove items? This is making me doubt turbotax (and I have been using it for years), if I am audited they are not going to represent me for their own mistake.

JamesG1

Level 15

You would not remove the items in the online version under Federal / Deductions & Credits / Your tax breaks / Donations to Charity in 2021 if:

The intent is to itemize deductions, and
You qualify to itemize deductions in your tax return.

Removing the donation entries allows the software to qualify your tax return for the standard deduction so that you will see the screen Based on what you just told us, the Standard Deduction is best for you.

When your tax return qualifies to itemize deductions, you do not see the screen to enter a Charitable Cash Contributions under the CARES Act.

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