How can I alphabetize the list of charitable donations?

[BPBear]

Year after year TT carries over my historical charitable contributions as a start for the next year. However, this list is never alphabetized and there appears no way to reorder the list. This is a major inconvenience, making it difficult to ensure I am entering a complete list. I've used TT for years. So, the list gets more and more garbled. TT really needs to do something about this.

[ScruffyCurmudgeon]

Unfortunately, for reasons never explained, TurboTax does not provide sorting of the Charitable Donations table.  The one place that you can see donations alphabetized is in the Forms Mode list of forms entered - see attached picture.  NOTE THAT THIS IS ONLY FORMS MODE in a desktop software version of TurboTax.

[BPBear]

Thanks for answer. I thought so. Unfortunately TT has ("for reasons never explained") never responded to this simple request to reduce errors and improve user experience.

[daveorinda]

Yes, I wish to echo the concern/complaint.  I have maybe 50 or so charities (small contributions) and being able to re-order them would be of IMMENSE help to me!!!

TurboTax, are you listening?

Dave Anderson

[drbking]

I would absolutely love this feature as well.  It's crazy not to be able to do it.

[MM-CV]

I, too, wish we could alphabetize the list in Step By Step View!  As it is now, it's really frustrating and time consuming.  PLEASE ADD THIS, TURBOTAX!  Does any one know how to enter a total gift of, for example,  $130 to a charity in Forms View if there are multiple small cash gifts?  Forms View seems to have a dizzying array of forms for each charity.  

[VictoriaD75]

The forms are listed in the order of the Federal tax return. You should not make entries in Forms Mode. This donation should be entered in the Deductions & Credits section of the software. 

Follow these steps:

1. Click on Deductions & Credits
2. Click Start/Revisit next to Donations to Charity in 2019
3. Answer Yes to the question Do you want to enter your donations for 2019?
4. List the organization (ie., Goodwill) in the box Who did you donate to in 2019?
5. Click Add next to Items
6. Choose how you wish to value your donations. If you choose I'll value them, follow the screens and enter the information requested
7. You will need to enter the donation date. Each separate donation (date) will have to be entered separately
8. Choose your category for the donation on that particular date, click Continue
9. Enter the Description, Value, and choose the Method Used to Determine Value from the drop down menu
10. Click Done with This Donation
11. You may need to enter purchase information for the items that were donated. Here, you can enter Various in lieu of a specific date.

[erblaser]

It is hard to believe that TurboTax doesn't allow you to alphabetize the names of the organizations to which you make donations, at least in the Mac Deluxe version I am using.  Considering that Quicken allows you to do it routinely, as is possible in almost every other program I use, why on earth is this feature NOT available. 

Definitely very annoying for anyone who makes a lot of donations each year.

[relem]

This does not address the OP issue and the following comments agreeing with his requested improvement.  I've been using TT since the 1990's and have posted this issue any number of times with no no direct response.  I just don't understand why the list of charitable donations cannot have a provision for sorting the by the charity name.  I don't understand your comment that it's the feds tax return order, you can still sort it in TT.  TT is suposed to create the return.  We have over 50 charities. It's a real PITA.

[drbking]

VictoriaD75, you miss the point.  I make dozens of donations every year, and every year the list grows.  But when TT shows me my list from the previous year so that I can simply edit rather than retype every name, it does not allow me to alphabetize the list.  Therefore, I must continually search the list for each name where I want to enter an amount.

[relem]

A suggested workaround, since TT can't get around to working on a real solution:  when I get to that raggety-a** list of charities TT brought over from last year, I sort them by name by clicking on the "Charity Name" or the diamond next to it.  Only problem with this is that you have to re-sort after each donation entry or edit.  You can also do this for the amount as well, for whatever reason.

[relem]

Something else really strange about alphabetic sorting in TT is that the individual Charitable Donation Worksheets under forms used in the return are sorted in alphabetic order.  The Charitable Donations Summary is in the same messed up order as in the charities review.  I guess that's what Victoria means as "listed in the order of the Federal tax return."  Again I wonder, since TT is completing these forms for the federal return, why don't they sort them?  Is the summary submitted to the feds?

[davidnknudson]

Yes, I discovered this by accident; if you click on the bar at the top of the list of charities, it will alphabetize them -- and if you click a second time, it will alphabetize them in reverse order.  If you click over in the amount column, it will list them by total amount of donation - lowest to highest, or click again - highest to lowest.

The alphabetical listing is not "saved" so when you go away from the page and then return, you'll have to do it all over again.  But at least for working on your deductions, you can get an alphabetical list to find your charities - particularly helpful if you have multiple deductions/contributions for a specific charity and/or want to make sure you didn't enter something twice!

[drbking]

What version are you using?  I have Premier.  Clicking within or near the top bar doesn't have any effect.  Does yours look like there attached photo?

[erblaser]

Ditto for me.  I am also using Premier for the Mac and clicking on the "Charity Contrib" bar does nothing for me. 

Also, I was able to see only the very top of your attached photo.