Long story short, I donated the wrong amount of money to an organization & they have no record of it. My bank refunded me the overpaid amount. What should I do tax-wise?

[flipside888]

On Saturday, 10/26/2019, I intended to donate (via Facebook) (dollar amount) to an organization. However, I mistakenly donated (dollar amount) instead. Once I realized my error (which was within minutes of making the donation), I contacted my friend who was the one raising the money, then filed a claim with my bank. My friend deleted my donation right away and my bank refunded me the amount I over-donated (dollar amount). However, the organization I donated to has no record of my donation. So (in my eyes) it's as if the amount I intended to donate never existed at all. I did receive an e-mail message from Facebook that contained a receipt for the amount I initially (and mistakenly) donated. However, I have no receipt whatsoever of my intended (dollar amount) donation. Given this situation, how would I go about filing my 2019 taxes?

[MichaelL1]

First you need to be able to itemize on your return to claim a contribution.

So if filing status is single, you would need at least $12,200 in mortgage interest, property taxes, contributions, etc. to be able to claim the contributions you made.

Click on below for more detail.

More details on Schedule A itemized deduction. 

If you are able to itemize, you do not need the contribution receipt to file the return. I would document what you have said in the question along with some more detail, and then if audited, you can explain what happened.

I hope this helps.