Charitable donations are an itemized deduction. You can only deduct charitable contribution on the tax return of the year the donations were made.
The total of all your itemized deductions on Schedule A must be greater than the standard deduction for your filing status to have any tax benefit.
Standard deductions for 2025
Single - $15.750 add $2.000 if age 65 or older
Married Filing Separately - $15,750 add $1,600 if age 65 or older
Married Filing Jointly - $31,500 add $1,600 for each spouse age 65 or older
Head of Household - $23,625 add $2,000 if age 65 or older
