Is anyone seeing the $300 charitable donations deduction for non-itemizers?

[MConner2]

I'm working on 2021 taxes.  Answer does not help.  I am filing a joint return and using std deduction.  I have over 3100.00 in charity.  Line 12b of form 1040/1040SR appears to default to 300.00 (should be 600.00).  Error message is:  "charitable contributions has an unacceptable value."  Is there a workaround?  My solution is to remove all charity figures and recalculate without benefit of deduction!

[DoninGA]

---

@MConner2 wrote:

I'm working on 2021 taxes.  Answer does not help.  I am filing a joint return and using std deduction.  I have over 3100.00 in charity.  Line 12b of form 1040/1040SR appears to default to 300.00 (should be 600.00).  Error message is:  "charitable contributions has an unacceptable value."  Is there a workaround?  My solution is to remove all charity figures and recalculate without benefit of deduction!

---

I am running TurboTax Premier for Windows Version 021.000.0415 and only see this error if I entered a Charitable Donation in the Deductions & Credits section and only eligible for the Standard Deduction.

To remove the error I went into Forms mode and deleted the Charitable Organization Worksheet.  Then on the Form 1040 Worksheet for Line 12b removed the $300 amount so Line 12b is now blank (empty).

Going back to Step-by-Step I completed the Deductions & Credits section without entering anything for a charitable donation.  Continuing through the screens until landing on the screen labeled Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act, I entered $600.  Continued through Final Review without error.

For the TurboTax online editions -

The problem appears to be that a charitable donation was entered in the Deductions and Credits section of the program when you are only eligible for the Standard Deduction.

Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the online program screen

Click on Tools

Click on Delete a form

Scroll through the all the forms, schedules and worksheets listed and delete all the Charitable Organization forms listed.

When completed with removing forms click on Continue With My Return at the bottom of the list.

Click on Federal on the left side of the screen

Click on Deductions & Credits at the top of the screen

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Wrap up tax breaks

Continue through the screens.  After the screen showing that you are getting the Standard Deduction the following screen is Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act.  Enter $600 if filing Jointly or $300 for all other filing status'.  The federal review and the Final Review should no longer show an error for the charitable donation.

[tmmill]

For some reason I never get to the CARES act screen.  I can not find a workaround for this error.  Don't really want to lose the deduction but I want to file my taxes ASAP!

[slowreader]

I much prefer to work directly with the forms instead of limping through the interviews. But I learned when ACA (Obamacare) was instituted that sometimes we have to use Step by Step or the information doesn't migrate. TTax fixed the ACA problem the following year, but seems to have introduced it again. When I saw the fix on this forum, I fired up TTax and followed the solution step by step (Step by Step, I guess) and it happened so easily that I really don't remember all the Steps. I entered $600, peered at form 1040, and bingo! there it was. Why don't you try it again?

[tmmill]

Thanks for saying this.  I went completely out of Turbo Tax, re-started it and the error is gone 🙂

I had been working on this for at least 30 minutes, trying everything!

[cjlang]

This is very frustrating.  The design/programming/coding could be much more logical.  I enter my itemized deductions, including cash contributions, knowing that I'm better off with the standard deduction. The 1040 shows the amount of my cash contributions but only shows a $300 deduction even though I am filing married/joint.  That is the first issue.  

After I get the message that I am better off taking the standard deduction, I am not asked for my cash contributions for non itemizers unless I go back and delete only my cash contributions entered under Deductions and Credits.

In order to get a valid comparison of itemized vs standard, you have to include ALL contributions.  Since the 1040 already recognized the cash contributions entered under Deductions and Credits, it should be easy to calculate the deduction for non-itemizers based on the filing status.

[Jazzper01]

$600 for married filing jointly.

[MarilynG1]

If you wish to take the Standard Deduction and claim 600 for the Charitable Contribution Credit for MFJ, please return to the Deductions & Credits section. 

Scroll down to "Charitable Donations" and DELETE any cash entries you made there. 

The program will ask you for that entry at the END of the FINAL REVIEW. 

You may then enter 600 (or 300 for Single Filers) and it will stick. 

[cjlang]

That's exactly how I resolved the issue, but this could be so much better designed, as I mentioned in an earlier post.  If one has entered all one's itemized deductions, which includes cash contributions, and it is determined that taking the standard deduction is more beneficial, the program should automatically calculate and populate the deduction for non-itemizers on the 1040 based on the information, i.e. cash contributions and filing status,  already entered.   This is much more intuitive and user-friendly.

[miprender]

Thank you. This worked by deleting all my charitable deductions.

I was going crazy trying to fix it.

[rkpittman]

I have 300 showing up in this line, but an Error that it is an unacceptable value. As I did not enter this amount but Turbo Tax program did, I cannot fix it and it is keeping me from filing my taxes!. I have tried deleting all my charitable deductions changing the 300 to 0 but NOTHING is working it keeps putting the 300 in and saying it is  an unallowable value. Very frustrating!

[DaveF1006]

@rkpittman You may need to delete Schedule A if this still in your return. Also you may need to delete all worksheets that allude to charitable donations. Try this. 

1. Go to tax tools>tools>delete a form
2. If Schedule A is listed delete it. Also delete any worksheets or forms that reference charitable donations.
3. Now to federal>deductions and credits. Navigate through the entire section until the reach the section that mentions the Standard Deduction is right for you. Check down toward the bottom of that form and make sure it does not say You've chosen itemized deductions, so let's keep going and lock that in for you. if it says this, choose change deduction so you can receive the standard deduction.
4. The next screen will allow you to enter $300 ($600 if filing jointly).
5. You should receive no error messages now but let me know if this works. 

[heinrich51]

This should be automatically correction in the system.  Makes me wonder about changing from standard to itemize deductions to make it passthrough the program. 

[DaveF1006]

@heinrich51 No, don't do like so suggest. Try this first.

1. First go through and delete all your charitable deductions in the program
2. Go to tax tools>tools>delete a form
3. If Schedule A is listed delete it. Also delete any worksheets or forms that reference charitable donations.
4. Now to federal>deductions and credits. Navigate through the entire section until the reach the section that mentions the Standard Deduction is right for you. Check down toward the bottom of that form and make sure it does not say You've chosen itemized deductions, so let's keep going and lock that in for you. if it says this, choose change deduction so you can receive the standard deduction.
5. The next screen will allow you to enter $300 ($600 if filing jointly).
6. You should receive no error messages now but let me know if this works. 

[returnertax]

**Thanks