Does $5000 charitable donations threshold apply only to item donations or include cash donations? Does threshold apply per charity name or the sum of all your charities?

[cstogner45]

I have cash charity donations across 16 charities and item donations across 8 charities, which total over $5000.  

1. Does the $5000 apply to the sum both cash and item donations?

2.  How is the $5000. total calculated, i.e., is it up to $5000. for an individual charity or the sum of all your charities donations?

[Coleen3]

You are not subject to the $5000 rule for multiple cash contributions. However, see below for recordkeeping.Cash Contributions

Cash contributions include those paid by cash, check, electronic funds transfer, debit card, credit card, or payroll deduction.

You can't deduct a cash contribution, regardless of the amount, unless you keep one of the following.

A bank record that shows the name of the qualified organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution. Bank records may include:

1. A canceled check,

2. A bank or credit union statement, or

3. A credit card statement.

A receipt (or a letter or other written communication) from the qualified organization showing the name of the organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution

Contributions of $250 or More

You can claim a deduction for a contribution of $250 or more only if you have an acknowledgment of your contribution from the qualified organization or certain payroll deduction records.

If you made more than one contribution of $250 or more, you must have either a separate acknowledgment for each or one acknowledgment that lists each contribution and the date of each contribution and shows your total contributions.

Amount of contribution.

In figuring whether your contribution is $250 or more, don't combine separate contributions. For example, if you gave your church $25 each week, your weekly payments don't have to be combined. Each payment is a separate contribution.

If contributions are made by payroll deduction, the deduction from each paycheck is treated as a separate contribution.

If you made a payment that is partly for goods and services, as described earlier under Contributions From Which You Benefit , your contribution is the amount of the payment that is more than the value of the goods and services.

Acknowledgment.

The acknowledgment must meet these tests.

1. It must be written.

2. It must include:

   1. The amount of cash you contributed,

   2. Whether the qualified organization gave you any goods or services as a result of your contribution (other than certain token items and membership benefits),

   3. A description and good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services described in (b) (other than intangible religious benefits), and

   4. A statement that the only benefit you received was an intangible religious benefit, if that was the case. The acknowledgment doesn't need to describe or estimate the value of an intangible religious benefit. An intangible religious benefit is a benefit that generally isn't sold in commercial transactions outside a donative (gift) context. An example is admission to a religious ceremony.

3. You must get it on or before the earlier of:

   1. The date you file your return for the year you make the contribution, or

   2. The due date, including extensions, for filing the retur

Noncash Contributions

For a contribution not made in cash, the records you must keep depend on whether your deduction for the contribution is:

1. Less than $250,

2. At least $250 but not more than $500,

3. Over $500 but not more than $5,000, or

4. Over $5,000.

5. Deductions Over $5,000

   If you claim a deduction of over $5,000 for a noncash charitable contribution of one item or a group of similar items, you must have the acknowledgment and the written records described under Deductions Over $500 but Not Over $5,000 . Generally, you must also obtain a qualified written appraisal of the donated property from a qualified appraiser. See Deductions of More Than $5,000 in Pub. 561 for more information.

   In figuring whether your deduction is over $5,000, combine your claimed deductions for all similar items donated to any charitable organization during the year.

6. Deduction over $5,000 for one item.

    You must complete Section B of Form 8283 for each item or group of similar items for which you claim a deduction of over $5,000. (However, if you contributed publicly traded securities, complete Section A instead.) In figuring whether your deduction for a group of similar items was more than $5,000, consider all items in the group, even if items in the group were donated to more than one organization. However, you must file a separate Form 8283, Section B, for each organization. The organization that received the property must complete and sign Part IV of Section B