Charitable Donation Tax Calculator
Calculate the tax savings on charitable donations in 2026. Compare cash vs appreciated stock donations, analyze the bunching strategy, and model IRA qualified charitable distributions (QCD).
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Total Tax Savings
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After-Tax Cost of Donation —
Should You Itemize? —
Extended More scenarios, charts & detailed breakdown ▾
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Tax Savings (if itemizing)
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After-Tax Cost of Gift —
2026 Standard Deduction —
Total Itemized (incl. donation) —
Itemize or Standard? —
AGI Limit Check (60%) —
Professional Full parameters & maximum detail ▾
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Deductibility
Deductible Amount (after AGI limits) —
AGI Deductibility Limit —
Tax Savings Breakdown
Federal Tax Savings —
State Tax Savings —
Capital Gains Avoided (stock only) —
Total Tax Benefit —
Net Cost & Strategy
After-Tax Cost of Donation —
QCD Strategy (if applicable) —
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your donation amount, filing status, and marginal tax rates.
- The simple calculator shows tax savings and after-tax cost assuming you itemize.
- Use Cash Donation tab to see whether itemizing beats the standard deduction given your other deductions.
- Use Stock Donation tab to compare donating appreciated stock vs cash for maximum tax efficiency.
- Use Bunching Strategy tab to calculate the extra savings from concentrating multiple years of giving.
- Use Professional for a full breakdown including QCD analysis, AGI limits, and capital gains savings.
Formula
Tax Savings (cash) = Donation × (Federal Rate + State Rate) [if itemizing]
Stock Donation Benefit = FMV × (Federal + State Rate) + (FMV − Basis) × Cap Gains Rate
QCD Benefit = Donation × Marginal Rate (excluded from AGI, no itemizing needed)
Example
$10,000 cash donation, 32% federal + 5% state = 37% combined rate. Tax savings: $3,700. After-tax cost: $6,300. If you donate $10,000 in appreciated stock (basis $3,000): income deduction saves $3,700 + cap gains avoided on $7,000 gain at 15% = $1,050. Total benefit: $4,750.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Cash donations to public charities are deductible up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Donations of appreciated stock are limited to 30% of AGI. Excess amounts can be carried forward for up to 5 years. You must itemize deductions — the 2026 standard deduction is $15,000 (single) or $30,000 (married filing jointly).
- When you donate appreciated stock held over one year directly to a charity, you get two tax benefits: (1) you deduct the full fair market value, and (2) you avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation. This is almost always more tax-efficient than selling the stock and donating cash.
- A donor-advised fund lets you make a large charitable contribution in one tax year (getting the deduction now), then distribute the funds to specific charities over many years. This is ideal for the bunching strategy: contribute 2-5 years of charitable giving in one year to itemize, then take the standard deduction in other years.
- A QCD allows IRA owners age 70½+ to transfer up to $108,000 (2026) directly from their IRA to a qualified charity. The QCD counts toward the RMD but is excluded from taxable income entirely — meaning you get the tax benefit without needing to itemize deductions. This is especially powerful for retirees who take the standard deduction.
- The bunching strategy makes sense when your normal itemized deductions are close to but below the standard deduction. By combining 2-3 years of charitable giving into a single tax year, you push your itemized total above the standard deduction and save tax. In alternate years, you take the standard deduction. A donor-advised fund makes this seamless.
Related Calculators
Sources & References (5) ▾
- IRS Publication 526 — Charitable Contributions — Internal Revenue Service
- Schwab Charitable — Donor-Advised Fund Guide — Schwab Charitable
- Fidelity Charitable — Tax-Smart Giving — Fidelity Charitable
- Vanguard Charitable — Appreciated Assets and Giving — Vanguard Charitable
- Tax Policy Center — Charitable Deduction Analysis — Tax Policy Center