I get an error on federal 1040/1040SR Wks: Cash Charitable is too large with a value of 300 on Worksheet filing joint? Why is that too large?

[KrisD15]

TurboTax ONLINE

Click Tax Tools on the left side bar

Click Tools from the drop-down

Click the "Topic Search" box on the screen

Type or scroll down to    standard deduction and exemptions

Click GO 

The next screen gives you an option to change your selection from Standard to Itemized and back. You do not need to change your selection

Scroll down to the bottom of that screen and click CONTINUE

The next screen is the Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act screen

IF YOU ARE CLAIMING STANDARD DEDUCTION enter the amount of cash contributions you made, up to  300

IF YOU ARE ITEMIZING DEDUCTIONS enter 0

Scroll down and click Continue

Click Continue on the next screen

DESKTOP

Go to Step-By-Step input

Click Federal

Click Deductions & Credits along the top

Click “I’ll choose what I work on”

Edit or Update Donations to Charity in 2020 if needed, then click “Done with Charitable Donations”

Scroll down the “Your 2020 Deductions & Credits” screen and click “Done with Deductions”

Click Continue on the “Let’s Check Your Deductions and Credits” screen

Continue through the following interview questions until you get to the “Here Are Your 2020 Deductions & Credits” screen

Click Continue

If the next screen says “The Standard deduction is Right for You!” click Continue

ON THE NEXT SCREEN enter the cash contribution made in 2020 and click Continue

Your 1040 should update

“The new "up to $300 above the line cash charity donation" is available for tax year 2020. This allows a Taxpayer to claim up to a $300 credit which is subtracted from income on the 1040 line 10c if the Taxpayer is claiming the Standard Deduction. (If you Itemize Deductions, all your donations will be listed on Schedule A.) “

[daherbie]

I'm using online (browser) and am doing standard deduction.

I followed your steps to the point where I put in the "Charitable Cash Contributions under Cares Act" - it is 300 and i put in 300 again.

I get the same error when it checks my federal return. 

I went back and put in 0 (also tried setting it to blank). Doesn't matter  - blank, 0, 300 it says there is an error on this form and the form will have a 10. in the worksheet if i put in blank or 0 for my contributes or 300. if i put in 300. No mater - it says its wrong. 

I'm all done w/ my taxes state and federal and up to file and it won't let me efile - brings me back here and says there is an error.  Says i can print it out and file but that is not right.  I'm thinking there is a bug in turbo tax and i need to delete some worksheet and have it recreate it somehow but not quite sure how.

I'm all done

[daherbie]

Here's the bug/problem and how I fixed it.

When determining if i should use standard or itemize, Turbo Tax asked me how much I donated to charity and I put in a total number.  It asked a few more questions and then said you should take the standard deduction.  Because of that short cut, it never asked me to itemize my cash charitable contributions. So my $300 covid cash contribution deduction was more than what I had put into that list.

To fix it, on Left side Tax Tools->Tools-> Topic Search. find "Charitable contributions - Cash" and hit Go.
In the next pages enter cash contributions made.  After getting through the standard vs itemized calculations when it determines standard is best, put in the 300 for the charitable contribution again and it will accept it.

[Yodo12]

I have received the same error and I am using Turbotax online and I am itemizing my deductions. When I put zero in the field I keep getting a loop back to the same error. The solutions haven't worked and I am on the threshold of $150000 limit for the third stimulus for 2020 returns. If they go by 2019 I will not receive any amount of stimulus check and will be out $2400 I am ready for the return to be filed and this is the only thing holding me up. I need this to be processed now or it will be to late. How do we get pass this? This error is only seen after the purchase of turbo tax and it then reviews.  

[WendyN2]

For claiming the $300 Charitable Contributions amount, here is another way to try - I just tried it in test and it worked, so hopefully it does the trick for you. 

At the top of your screen, click on "Personal" > then click on "Deductions and Credits" just underneath that > then select "I'll choose what I want to work on" > then scroll down to the "Charitable Donations" section and click on "Visit All" > select "Yes" > then "No" when it asks you about an "itsdeductible" account > Enter in the field a charitable name (Church Donations or the like) > and enter $300 into the appropriate box > Then when you do the Federal Review - it is going to tell you that you have xxx item(s) to review - one of them (if more than one) will be for the Charitable Deductions - this is where it is telling you that you need to also enter $300 on line 10b - just enter 300 in the top box and proceed and the system will populate the $300 in the correct spot. 

[Yodo12]

I am using Itemized deductions so that value needs to be 0.00. My  donations too the church a considerably more so the standard deduction of $300 and should not be used. The box right above 10B and to the left has my deduction in it. It even says"1040/1040SRWks:Charitable contributions : Charitable contributions should be blank". I then get into the loop again.

[LSch]

THANK YOU! I was running into this exact situation, and the TurboTax help was no help. Your post saved me from having to file an extension, and from throwing the computer out of the window!