If you do make a Qualified Charitable Distribution, it doesn't matter whether it's your RMD or an additional IRA distribution
When entering this Form 1099-R into TurboTax, in the follow-up questions you'll need to enter the amount that was transferred to charity. TurboTax will exclude this amount from the amount reported on Form 1040 line 15b or Form 1040A line 11b and will include the notation "QCD" next to the line.
You need to transfer the money directly from the IRA to the charity for it to count as the tax-free transfer. Ask your IRA administrator and the charity about making a direct transfer, or you can have the IRA administrator send a check from your account to the charity.
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.
