Federal>Deductions and Credits>Charitable Donations>Donations to Charity
A charitable donation almost never changes your tax due or refund all by itself. First, your donation does not count "dollar for dollar"--it is calculated by a percentage based on your tax bracket. You need a LOT of other itemized deductions like mortgage interest or property taxes, medical expense, etc. to itemize and exceed your standard deduction.
Your itemized deductions have to be more than your standard deduction before you will see a change in your tax owed or tax refund. The deductions you enter do not necessarily count “dollar for dollar;”—medical expenses, for example, must meet a threshold that is pretty hard to reach. (Only the amount that is MORE than 7.5% of your AGI counts) The software program uses all the IRS rules that apply to the deductions you enter, and it tells you if you have enough to use your itemized deductions or if using the standard deduction is more advantageous for you.
The standard deduction makes some of your income “tax free.” It is not a refund. You will see your standard or itemized deduction amount on line 12e of your Form 1040.
2025 STANDARD DEDUCTION AMOUNTS
SINGLE $15,750 (65 or older/legally blind + $2000)
MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY $15,750 (65 or older/legally blind +1600)
MARRIED FILING JOINTLY $31,500 (65 or older/legally blind + $1600)
HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD $23,625 (65 or older/legally blind + $2000)
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
