Retirees age 70.5+ can give up to $100,000 to charity tax-free from an IRA ,and have it count as their required minimum distribution for the year.
If you make a tax-free transfer from your IRA to charity, you can’t also deduct that money as a charitable contribution. But the tax-free transfer could give you extra benefits. You don’t need to itemize your deductions to get a tax benefit from the gift (and many people who no longer have a mortgage don’t itemize their deductions).
Making the tax-free transfer also keeps the money out of your adjusted gross income. That could help you avoid the Medicare high-income surcharge, which boosts your Part B and Part D premiums if your AGI is more than $85,000 if single or $170,000 if married filing jointly. Keeping the money out of your AGI could also make less of your Social Security benefits taxable. It may also allow you to deduct more of your Medical expenses if you do itemize..
