How do i submit proof from church tithes if my church doesnt send me letter of my annual contributions? Do I print out all my checks and give to accountant? Easier way?

[ch83311s]

How do I provide proof to the IRS about church tithes if my church didn't send me a list of all my contributions? Should I just print out a copy of all my cleared checks during that year? And give those to my accountant?  I would hate to do that but I want my charitable credit. Thanks.

[mesquitebean]

Why does your accountant need copies of your checks?  Are you being audited, or are you asking theoretically in case you are audited in the future?     You don't have to submit any proof at the time of filing a return.

"My church doesn't send me a letter of the annual contributions."

Can you request one from them, or do they not keep a record for each person?

Checks and bank statements do serve as evidence.   You can treat each check as a separate contribution.

If any check was $250 or more, however, you must have an acknowledgement from the charity/church for that donation, and there are certain other requirements, as explained in the record keeping section of this publication:

See IRS Pub. 526--Charitable Contributions.
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p526">https://www.irs.gov/publications/p526</a>

[SweetieJean]

Please ask your accountant.  This is a forum for Turbotax users.

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

Your accountant really only needs a spreadsheet listing the donations or a total dollar amount, unless they are being a pain in the butt.

However, by law you are required to have, for any donation amount no matter how small, an electronic or bank record such as a canceled check or credit card statement.  And the church is required by law to issue either individual receipts, or an annual statement, if any individual gift or your total of annual gifts is more than $250.  This is a big deal so I would be very surprised if the church does not do this and I would wonder what else they are doing wrong with their money that might be less obvious.  If you don't have these proofs, you will lose the deduction if you are audited.

However, as a practical matter, this means that if you prefer to donate by placing loose cash in the collection plate anonymously, you can't deduct it from your income tax.