topic $600 cash charitable contributions (Tax Year 2021) in Deductions & credits

$600 cash charitable contributions (Tax Year 2021)

dorrminator369 — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:26:34 GMT

I'm working on my 2021 income taxes (to be filed in 2022) and the software won't give credit for the $600 joint contributions. Even if I change the numbers in the contributions deduction, the overall federal amount on the return remains static which tells me it isn't taking it into account. In addition when the software reviews my deductions, it lists the standard deduction of $27,800 as the best option, lists the $600 below that, and then still gives me a total amount of $27,800 and doesn't add in the extra $600. Somethings appears to be wrong with the software. Is a fix in order?

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions for 2022 will not pass check after state tax entered

scottxray — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 19:44:58 GMT

I also am having a problem with the charitable contributions in TTAX 2022 .

I have TTAX deluxe CDrom, am filing joint with my wife, and have about $3,120 in charitable cash contributions.

The standard deduction for us is on line 12a is $27,800 (we are both >65).

The contributions are shown on my schedule A, and on the lines and box between 12a and 12b that states to enter 600 if filing joint and using the standard deduction. If I enter the 600 it appears to take the entry and will complete JUST the federal review, and say there are no errors. When I then go through my state tax (which also passes when the state review is done) and then TTAX does a check of the complete return it changes line 12b back to 300 and the review flags it as wrong.

This is an apparent bug in the program and must be corrected to file.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

rjs — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 20:29:09 GMT

@dorrminator369

Look at the actual Form 1040, not the summary screens in the TurboTax interview. There is a bug in the summary display that, as you have observed, makes it look like it's not adding the $600 to your deductions. But the problem is only in the summary screen. The actual tax form is correct. If you have $600 on Form 1040 line 12b you are getting the deduction. The total on line 12c will include the $600.

The bug in the summary screen has been reported to TurboTax.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

Jdoucett — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 18:37:12 GMT

I am in the final run through. It says that I have one item to correct. This is considering the items twelve a through c. I am to take the lower of. I am filling married. I put in 600 on 12:b ( not sure which line. The system accepts. Then I do a recheck and it comes back to the same. Regardless of what I do, it just sends me back to correct. I am at a loss here. I would appreciate some help.

All of this is the charitable worksheet.

Jim

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

rjs — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 19:28:08 GMT

@Jdoucett Don't do the recheck. That seems to be what changes the amount. Enter the $600, then proceed. When you look at your actual tax return before you file it you should see $600 on Form 1040 line 12b.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

scottxray — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 21:41:18 GMT

I agree that the check of the return resets line 12b to $300 if it was set to 600. When it is flagged you can then correct it to 600, and then, as long as you don't do a recheck ( which the instructions on the page says you SHOULD do), the program will go ahead and allow you to finish the return, and file it.

However, the program is not just changing the summary screen. It is also changing the 1040, since when the the $600 figure is used ( before the check sets it to $300) the refund amount I receive is $66 larger then when it is set to the $300 amount. As soon as the final check occurs the extra $66 disappears. Reentering the $600 returns the extra $66 refund.

As has been said by several others, the problem is in the coding of the program. Last year ( 2020) the maximum allowed amount for the charitable deduction was $300, if married filing joint and using the standard deduction. The problem is likely that the 2021 program has the same code in the check for this deduction, as last years program, and has not been updated to allow the $600 that is this years allowance.

So, it IS a failure of the program and not an error by the user. At the very least Intuit could give the users with this issue a firm statement to simply not repeat the check, if this is the single and only issue that the final check finds. And then they could PATCH the program to work properly, instead of just leaving the bug in place.

CHAMP (rjs) is replying to this thread and saying don't do the Recheck. However, I do not know who CHAMP (rjs) is, and if they represent Intuit directly. So Champ, are you replying as a rep of Intuit?

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

cautery — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 04:55:16 GMT

Champ.... in spite of your "Level 15", you sir are wrong. This is a TRUE bug; verified by HUNDREDS of people that I have found so far, and it is NOT just Standard Deduction either.... A similar but different result happens at the SAME place if you switch to itemized....

At best there is a non-sanctioned work-around or two.... NONE of which are acceptable to ME while preparing official documents for submission to a Fed agency that could frack my life up 7 ways to Sunday.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

TheRealTax2 — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 23:09:48 GMT

Add me to the list with the same issue. I will wait for the fix. Last year I made recommended workarounds from one of these discussions regarding a different issue and had to amend tax returns. The good news is that amended returns can now be efiled.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

rjs — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 00:59:30 GMT

@scottxray wrote:

I do not know who CHAMP (rjs) is, and if they represent Intuit directly. So Champ, are you replying as a rep of Intuit?

I am not a representative or employee of Intuit. I am a user who has been helping other users and answering questions in this community and its predecessors for over 17 years.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

jw9972 — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 15:10:28 GMT

Must be a software problem. Any idea when it will be fixed?

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

MichelleLO — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 17:53:31 GMT

To correct this issue, please click here and follow the steps provided by @JotikaT2.

@jw9972

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

cautery — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 18:34:56 GMT

@MichelleLO

Ma'am, with all due respect, you are WRONG. STOP passing off that kludgy work-around to every swingin' Richard who comes along. It is NOT a SOLUTION. And is for danged sure NOT the SOLUTION for everyone.

JUST STOP! <shaking head in disgust>

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

scottxray — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 19:32:53 GMT

As previously mentioned by others, removing the Itemized deductions from the Federal return will also remove them from the AZ state tax return, resulting in a tax increase there. AZ automatically uses itemized deductions if you have them, for most State returns, even if the federal return is using the standard deduction. This would then require a different fix for the state return as the state return lists the federal charitable deductions shown on schedule A .

I will try this later to see if the state form can accept and list separate charitable deductions than the Federal return. But it is still a program bug that should be fixed by Intuit.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

scottxray — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 00:42:23 GMT

After following the instructions to remove the charitable deductions from schedule A, and then proceeding, the program did list the $600 deduction I had and allowed it to pass all checks. The AZ state form then has a area to claim the charitable contributions that you did not list on the Federal form, but you have to manually subtract which of those contributions you claim a state tax credit for from the total. Note that The AZ form asks the user to go back, and enter all charitable contributions on the federal schedule A , at the start of that process. So, there is still a disconnect in either the federal or the state process, due to a bug in turbo tax itself.

AZ allows a tax credit of up to $800 for approved charities in AZ, and you must list them in a later step. Once you do that the Federal form will maintain the $600 entry, and both it and the state form will pass the final checks and allow you to file with NO errors reported. I did give Michelle a thumbs up for the information, but there is still an issue that TTAX should correct to make the program work without a work around having to be done. Once the standard deduction is selected after entering all the schedule A items TTAX should default to the $600 allowed, if it was less than the amount on Schedule A.

I think that it is actually more accurate to list all the charitable contributions made on schedule A ( which still keeps me below the Itemizing point on the federal and which TTAX asks you to enter when following it step by step)) and then after resetting the $600 that will change to $300 when the state form is finished and the whole return is checked, just not doing the second check , and filing.

This is still a disappointment and lack of support by Intuit and TTAX.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

TheRealTax2 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 12:47:15 GMT

I think I'll do the latter and just skip the second check. It takes me about an hour to enter all charitable contributions in schedule A. Thanks for testing the workaround.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

TheRealTax2 — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 02:16:16 GMT

Changing value back to 600 at the error window and then skipping 2nd check worked. I was able to e-file while maintaining the 600 value on the fed 1040. I would advise that you read your state tax form instructions to be sure you're not required to adjust for the 600 deduction if you take this route. My state didn't mention it, unlike last year where the 300 contribution had to be added back on state return. Good luck guys.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

scottxray — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 20:30:21 GMT

So, today, after receiving some of my final tax forms (1099- HSA) and interest statements from different sources I reran the program, and paid particular attention to the AZ form.

The AZ form asks you to enter your total charitable deductions. It also asks how much of the state tax credit for those contributions you will claim, and subtracts that amount from the total contributions. It will then calculate how much the other contributions would reduce your state tax if you are not itemizing the Federal form, and reduces your state tax that amount. However, it disallows any contribution that is NOT listed on the Schedule A.

Therefore you MUST enter the charitable contributions on schedule A in order to get the correct state tax if you are not itemizing federally.

This results in the same issue occurring again with the $300, instead of the $600 amount being entered on the 1040 worksheet and on the 1040, after the final review done after the state tax is done. The $600 figure is correct on both forms until the state tax is done.

This time, even WORSE, the final review did NOT flag it as an Error and said everything was correct, and simply miscalculated the federal tax, thereby reducing my refund by $66. When I looked at the forms after the review the 1040wks did show the 300 figure as an error. I then corrected the figure to the correct $600 and did not redo the review and the federal refund regained the missing $66.

Frankly, it appears that some change may have done to this process which actually made things even worse.

I am extremely disappointed.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

KrisD15 — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 20:42:48 GMT

Please return to the Deductions & Credits section, scroll down to "Charitable Donations" and DELETE any cash entries you made there.

(NOTE: Some states allow you to Itemize Deductions when taking the Standard Deduction on the Federal Return. To include charitable donations as an Itemized Deduction on your STATE return, you can enter the donations as "Items" select "I'll value them, select "Other intangible property" enter the description as cash if it was and the amount as the value.)

Go back through the review. The program will ask you for your charity donation again although it may not be until AFTER THE STATE RETURN is complete and at the END of the FINAL REVIEW. (After the "Tax Summary for 2021" screen)

Enter the amount up to 600 Married Filing Joint.

The Tax law allows a Taxpayer to claim Charity Donations on their Schedule A or, if using the Standard Deduction, on their 1040 line 12b as an addition to their Standard Deduction amount.

This amount can be up to 600 for Married Filing Joint, or 300 for all others.

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

scottxray — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 18:42:26 GMT

As I said earlier, Arizona requires you to enter your charitable deductions on Federal schedule A , and will not allow you to deduct them if they aren't listed. Your suggestion to remove all the Schedule A cash deductions is simply another workaround to try to get Turbotax to work properly, and does not solve the problem.

The problem lies in the Program , not in how we input the deductions!

Again, the federal review alone will pass without error and correctly figure the tax. The state tax review will also complete without error. It is only the final review of both forms together that causes the incorrect figure of $300 for the charitable contribution to be placed in the 1040wks, which then changes the tax calculation.

Whatever has been done to the program regarding this, within the last few days, now does not only NOT flag the error introduced in the final review, but also proceeds to allow the Federal tax to be higher than initially calculated. The max return guarantee is broken. I have filed my final taxes by correcting the error manually after the final review. I will probably not use turbo tax next year due to this.

Fix the program!

Re: $600 cash charitable contributions

KrisD15 — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 03:57:04 GMT

My post has the donations entered on the screens that flow to the Schedule A, just don't enter cash. Enter everything as "Items".

Enter under Deductions & Credits, Charity Donations ITEMS

Unless the amount of donations you can deduct is limited by your income, listing cash as items makes no difference to the software and the amount is transferred to the state return. The state return treats donated Items the same as donated cash, as long as your cash donations are not limited.

I can only offer this as a solution at this time.