1040/1040SR Wks: Charitable Donations: Unacceptable amount

[BranaghanC]

I did not donate to charity in 2020, therefore the amount I am entering for Charitable Contributions is: "0"

I am not the only one who is having this problem and Turbo Tax employees don't know how to fix it. I have spoken to two live chat specialists who can't help. I am not entering any special characters or decimal points, I have tried "0", "5", "10" and left it blank (which is what the live specialists advised) and nothing has helped. TurboTax you need to fix this. I see posts made from over 2 weeks ago with the same problem and no answer.  

[MaryM428]

This was a known issue and has now been resolved - for most people. Some returns are still getting the error.

Try doing it this way:

Go to Federal on the left panel
Donations & Credits at the top of the screen

Find Charitable Donations  - you might have to click add more deductions.

Start or Revisit to the right of Donations to Charity
Click No at the bottom of the screen.

Wrap Up Tax Breaks
Select No for Did You Donate to Charity in 2020?
Continue
Continue through all of the screens until it gets to the one about Standard Deduction
Continue

That form should now be completely gone.

[jharvey3177]

I had the same problem and it was definitely not fixed as of yesterday as the expert said. Just happened to me today but I found what caused the issue. What happened on mine is if you delete something in the self employed section of income, turbo tax is not deleting the form associated with it like it is supposed to and it is creating a duplicate form when you enter the correct information. I had duplicate 1099NEC and section c forms. I just deleted all of the 1099NEC and all of the section C and went back and started a new 1099NEC. Worked fine after that. I’m sure if it is happening in the self employed section, it is happening everywhere. Just go through the forms and look for duplicates to delete and redo that section of your return after you delete them.

[Bob772]

I'm having a problem with the 1040/1040SR Charitable contributions:Charitable contributions Wks: must enter an amount and a blank.  It will not take anything.  I tried to follow instruction by MaryM428 to no avail.   Bob

[KathrynG3]

To resolve the 1040/1040SR Wks Charitable Donations Unacceptable amount issue, try instead the following:

• Answer Yes about the Charitable Donations to return to the original entry point.
• Next, be sure to run completely through to Wrap Up Tax Breaks so that TurboTax calculates whether the Standard Deduction or Itemizing Deductions is best for you.
• At Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act, highlight everything in the cell and Delete and Continue.

This will remove the amount from Line 10b.

To review what the new charitable donation deduction is while taking the standard deduction, see IRS: How the CARES Act changes deducting charitable contributions.

@Bob772

[suzyrn81]

These fixes are not working.  I cannot find "At Charitable Cash Contributions".  I made contributions and getting this error.

[KathrynG3]

When itemizing deductions, and not taking the standard deduction, you will not be prompted for an entry or see the screen Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act.

If the error is still presenting, try these two steps:

Step 1:

• temporarily reducing a deduction in order to be eligible for the standard deduction. ($12,400 for Single Filers and $24,800 for Married Filing Jointly Filers). 
• Next, run completely through to Wrap Up Tax Breaks
• This prompts the next screen: Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act, highlight everything in the cell and Delete and Continue.

Step 2:

• Return to your charitable donations section and correct the temporarily reduced deduction to re-establish that you will itemize

• Run completely through to Wrap Up Tax Breaks.

• Do not leave the Deductions & Credits section until TurboTax has optimized your deductions and you see the screen suggesting that Itemizing your deductions is the best option for you.

I recommend closing the program and the browser at this point. Re-open in Chrome and run the review again.

@suzyrn81

[yetisbrother]

The proposed fixes are not working. Need a fix!

[benkbaron]

This is also broken for me and none of the previously suggested fixes have worked.

[mjconnor9]

HI

I'm using the desktop version on Mac and this solution isn't even presenting the option for CARES act contributions, can you please detail another resolution?

[PD23]

I have itemized all my charitable donations and I am getting the Charitable contributions has an unacceptable value.   I have tried all the fixes that were given but nothing works.  There should be a contribution totaling 15K. For the life of me, I don't know what answer it is looking for.  I have gone back through the questions again and exited the return but I still get the same error message.

Can someone help?

[PD23]

Did not work for me.

[JamesG1]

@yetisbrother If you are in TurboTax Online, the screen Charitable Cash Contributions under CARES Act appears as the end of Deductions & Credits. First, you have to pass the screen Based on what you told us, the standard deduction is best for you at the end of Deductions & Credits.

But you have to qualify for the standard deduction before the screen appears.  So you may want to change the value of one or more itemized deductions to $1 so that you qualify for the standard deduction.

Follow these steps: 

• At the top of the screen, click on Deductions & Credits.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Wrap up tax breaks.
• Continue through several screens.
• At the screen Based on what you told us, the standard deduction is best for you, click Continue.
• At the screen Any Charitable Cash Contributions? remove the dollar amount. 
• Continue through Federal Review to make sure that things look correct.
• Then restore your itemized deductions dollar amounts.

See also this TurboTax Help.

[Uncle_Jerry]

Thank you for instruction, but the error still there. 

[KathrynG3]

If the steps outlined are not working, then follow these steps:

• Go to Tax Tools in the left menu,
• select Tools and 
• Delete a Form.
• Scroll down to Charitable Organization and select Delete, Delete Selected Form and Continue.
• Return to your program by selecting Federal from the left menu.

The key is the sequencing of the entry in posting cash donations made and having TurboTax recalculate your tax breaks. Anything listed in the Cares Act section before first being entered as a deduction will produce unexpected results.

To enter the cash donation first, follow these steps:

• From the left menu, select Federal.
• Go to the second tab across the top in TurboTax, Deductions & Credits.
• Scroll down to Donations to Charity in 2020 and select Edit/Add.
  • At Review All Your Charities,
    • if you still see the entry causing the issues, select Delete and Delete this Donation.
      • At Enter a donation select Add next to Money if you had donated money and continue through the prompts and
  • If you had no other donations, you will be at Let's enter your donations one at a time where you must enter who you donated to and what time of donation it was.
    • Click Add next to Money to record the cash donations to Charity.
    • Enter the amount.
• Select Done with this Donation, Done, Done with Charitable Donations.
• Scroll down and select Wrap up tax breaks.
• Select Continue through all additional questions until you see Based on what you just told us, the Standard Deduction is best for you and Continue.
• If the deduction is carrying properly, you will see your cash donations listed already at Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act. Select Continue without adjustment.

@Uncle_Jerry

For Mac Users:

If the program is not updating so the right screens are presented

• after entering an amount in the Charitable Donations section as Cash and
• before entering anything in the CARES Act option (if you are at a Check this Entry in the Review, delete the value in this box) and
• then clicked Done with Deductions so that TurboTax recalculates, clicking Continue through the screens to get to Charitable Contributions under Cares Act with the amount previously entered already posting,

then try going to the Forms Mode and following these steps:

• Double Click the 1040/1040SR Wks listed under Forms in My Return.
• Scroll down to Line 10b and click the cell to override and enter  value up to $300 ($150 if married filing separately).

@mjconnor9