WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service today reminded IRA owners age 70½ or over of their option to transfer up to $100,000 to charity tax-free each year.

These transfers, known as qualified charitable distributions or QCDs, offer eligible older Americans a great way to easily give to charity before the end of the year. Moreover, for those who are at least 72, QCDs count toward the IRA owner’s required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year.

How to set up a QCD

Any IRA owner who wishes to make a QCD for 2022 should contact their IRA trustee soon so the trustee will have time to complete the transaction before the end of the year.

Normally, distributions from a traditional individual retirement arrangement (IRA) are taxable when received. With a QCD, however, these distributions become tax-free as long as they’re paid directly from the IRA to an eligible charitable organization.

QCDs can be made electronically, directly to the charity, or by check payable to the charity.

An IRA distribution, such as an electronic payment made directly to the IRA owner, does not count as a QCD. Likewise, a check made payable to the IRA owner is not a QCD.

Each year, an IRA owner age 70½ or over can exclude from gross income up to $100,000 of these QCDs. For a married couple, if both spouses are age 70½ or over and both have IRAs, each spouse can exclude up to $100,000 for a total of up to $200,000 per year.

The QCD option is available regardless of whether an eligible IRA owner itemizes deductions on Schedule A. Transferred amounts are not taxable, and no deduction is available for the transfer.

Report correctly

A 2022 QCD must be reported on the 2022 federal income tax return, normally filed during the 2023 tax filing season.

In early 2023, the IRA owner will receive Form 1099-R from their IRA trustee that shows any IRA distributions made during calendar year 2022, including both regular distributions and QCDs. The total distribution is in Box 1 on that form. There is no special code for a QCD.

Like other IRA distributions, QCDs are shown on Line 4 of Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. If part or all of an IRA distribution is a QCD, enter the total amount of the IRA distribution on Line 4a. This is the amount shown in Box 1 on Form 1099-R.

Then, if the full amount of the distribution is a QCD, enter 0 on Line 4b. If only part of it is a QCD, the remaining taxable portion is normally entered on Line 4b.

Either way, be sure to enter “QCD” next to Line 4b. Further details will be in the final instructions to the 2022 Form 1040.

Get a receipt

QCDs are not deductible as charitable contributions on Schedule A. But, as with deductible contributions, the donor must get a written acknowledgement of their contribution from the charitable organization, before filing their return.

In general, the acknowledgement must state the date and amount of the contribution and indicate whether the donor received anything of value in return. For details, see the Acknowledgement section in Publication 526, available on IRS.gov.

For more information about IRA distributions and QCDs, see Publication 590-B, also available on IRS.gov.

Source: IRS-2022-201, November 17, 2022

WASHINGTON — Today, the IRS Independent Office of Appeals released its focus guidePDF for fiscal year 2023. Appeals is taking important steps to expand communications with external stakeholders and to improve taxpayer access to Appeals. Promoting transparency and taxpayer access helps Appeals fulfill its mission to resolve tax disputes in a fair and impartial manner without the need for litigation.

The focus guide outlines the taxpayer service initiatives you can expect over the coming year, including:

Increasing stakeholder outreach – including to historically marginalized and limited English proficient communities—about the appeals process.
Improving access to in-person and video conferences and revising letters and notices to ensure taxpayers understand that it is generally their choice how to meet with Appeals.
Leveraging technology to improve how Appeals works and manages its cases.
Continuing the Practitioner Perspectives series in which tax practitioners share insights and feedback with Appeals employees. Recordings of prior panel discussions on Collection Appeals and Examination Appeals are available.
Developing training for Appeals employees on enhancing customer engagement.
“We are excited to share Appeals’ 2023 priorities,” said Andy Keyso, Chief of Appeals. “We will keep doing all we can to promote a positive experience for taxpayers and practitioners, while building upon our past accomplishments and applying lessons we learned from the challenges posed by COVID-19.”

A key success in 2022 is how Appeals addressed a significant increase in cases referred for settlement after the taxpayer filed a petition in the United States Tax Court. Many of these cases involved taxpayers without legal representation and resulted from communications challenges and difficulties in obtaining and sharing documents during the pandemic.

To avoid further delays, Appeals prioritized these docketed cases and dedicated additional resources to promptly resolve them. Appeals shared guidelinesPDF for how employees would streamline their approach to these cases with the public in April 2022. Under these guidelines, Appeals attempted to reach affected taxpayers by telephone shortly after receiving the cases. In addition, Appeals considered specific-dollar settlements, expedited tax computation, and streamlined internal documentation of proposed settlements. As always, Appeals Officers applied their professional judgment, including to accept oral testimony where appropriate, to settle the cases efficiently.

Using this approach, Appeals resolved all 7,500 docketed cases pending when the initiative began. To achieve permanent improvements to the taxpayer experience, the IRS is working to increase the number of cases resolved at the earliest stage possible—before a dispute arises.

“Ensuring that taxpayers and practitioners are satisfied with the appeals process is an ongoing goal for us,” said Shahid Babar, Acting Deputy Chief of Appeals. “The 2023 focus guide is a way to share with the public and with employees our ideas for continually improving how Appeals resolves tax disputes.”

Source: IRS