What are limits in donating stock in my charitable donor account in retirement? How much can I use in write off on taxes in retirement?

[Terri Lynn]

The limits for deductions for donations of  stock that has gone up in value and that has been held for more than one year is generally limited to 30% of your adjusted gross income, (AGI).

• For example: if your AGI was $150,000, you could deduct up to $45,000 in stock contributions in that year.

There is however, a carryover rule if your contribution exceeds the 30% limit, which means you can carry over the unused amount forward for up to five future years.

In order to take advantage of this write off, you will need to itemize your deductions on your federal tax return, using, the Form 1040, Schedule A, and your total itemized deductions will need to be higher that your standard deduction  for your filing status.

For More Details see:

• IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions 
• IRS Form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions 
• Charitable Contributions - TurboTax Tax Tips & Videos  

Please feel free to reach backout with any additional questions or concerns you might have!

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[Anonymous]

Donating stock is a powerful way to reduce your tax liability while supporting the causes you care about. It allows you to give more generously and potentially avoid capital gains tax. However, the IRS sets specific limits based on the type of stock and the recipient organization. Here's a breakdown:

• Long-term appreciated stock (held over 1 year) donated to a public 501(c)(3) charity → Deduction limit: 30% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) IRS Publication 526 – Charitable Contributions 

• Long-term appreciated stock donated to a private foundation → Deduction limit: 20% of AGI

• Short-term stock (held under 1 year) donated to any qualified organization → Deduction limited to cost basis, not fair market value → Overall limit: up to 60% of AGI

For more details on how TurboTax handles these limits, see: TurboTax Guide to Charitable Contributions 

Carryover Rules

If your donation exceeds the AGI limit for the year:

• You can carry forward the excess for up to five years

• The carryover retains its original deduction limit (e.g., 30% or 20%)

Learn more about carryovers in IRS Publication 526 

Thank you! 

[Tax Hero Niki]

Hi user17524233574!

When you say "donating stock in my charitable donor account in retirement", it is possible you are referring to Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) made directly from an IRA to a qualified charity. To add to the discussion here in this thread:

What are the limits? Tax year 2025:

• Individual over 70.5 yrs old: Up to $108,000
• Married filing jointly: Up to $108,000 per spouse; thus up to $216,000
• Limits on donations to a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) or Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA):
  • Individual: $54,000
  • Married Filing Jointly: $54,000 per spouse; thus up to $108,000

What are the limits? Tax year 2024:

• Individual over 70.5 yrs old: Up to $105,000
• Married filing jointly: Up to $105,000 per spouse; thus up to $210,000
• Limits on donations to a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) or Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA):
  • Individual: $53,000
  • Married Filing Jointly: $53,000 per spouse; thus up to $106,000

How much can I write off?

QCDs are an above-the-line deduction, and they reduce the amount of the retirement withdrawal dollar-for-dollar. In other words, during the year, $50,000 is withdrawn from your retirement account. $20,000 was sent directly to a qualified charity as a QCD. That means that only $30,000 of the disbursement is added to taxable income. This is different from what has already been discussed here, as it does not get reported on Schedule A as an itemized deduction. In fact, the benefit of a QCD is that it lowers your AGI, and a lower AGI has further impact, such as a possible reduction in the amount of taxable Social Security earnings.

Here is an article with further discussion on QCDs: https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/form-1099-r/qualified-charitable-distrib...

And here is an article on the IRS website about QCDs: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/qualified-charitable-distributions-allow-eligible-ira-owners-up-to-1000...