I don't think TurboTax is trying to play the IRS, or police your entries. You're correct: you could enter any numbers you wish and make up fake charities. TurboTax won't stop you from doing that. But the IRS likely will.
As you may imagine, there are TurboTax users of varied "skill levels" in preparing tax returns. That's why the Online program requires users to answer the interview questions step-by-step, and then generate the forms that their answers dictate. As a self-prepared tax program, TurboTax can only report the data that you've entered. However, one of the core tenets is that TurboTax can file only a return that has been prepared properly, i.e. from a technical standpoint. You get it....correct Schedules and Forms based on data input.
Please accept my apologies for you having to repeat data entries. An Excel spreadsheet is a great way to keep up with things. With any tax prep software, you'd have to enter your charitable contributions in order to generate Schedule A. I'm not a TT employee, by the way. Simply a volunteer.
Thanks for being a charitable person. That means a lot these days, in my opinion. Best of luck.
*** I am NOT a tax expert. I am a seasoned TurboTax user, and volunteer to provide assistance to TT users. Nothing I post is to be considered TAX ADVICE; I bear no legal liability for responses.***
