Giving to charity matters. Let's make it as tax-efficient as possible.
Plain answers on the main ways to give in retirement. You can give from your IRA with a QCD (money sent straight from your IRA to a charity at 70½ or older, not taxed as income, up to a yearly limit). You can give stock that has grown. You can use a donor-advised fund (a giving account at a charity that holds your gifts until you pick where they go). Every rule links to the IRS or the tax law behind it.
Which describes you?
Pick the one that fits. Each goes to a plain-English guide.
You're 70½ or older and have a traditional IRA
A QCD is often the first thing worth a look. Your IRA sends the gift straight to a charity that qualifies. Up to a yearly limit, it's usually left out of your income and your AGI (your total income minus a few set subtractions, the number many tax rules start from). Once your RMDs (the least you must take out of a regular IRA each year once you reach a set age) start, it can count toward the part of that year's RMD you haven't taken yet. It works even if you don't itemize.
You hold investments that have gone up in value
Have the shares moved straight to the charity instead of selling them, and you skip the tax on the gain. If you've held them over a year and you itemize, you can usually deduct what they're worth today. That's for gifts to a public charity (a charity like a church, school or hospital that gets the best tax treatment for gifts). Yearly limits and the new 2026 floor apply.
You itemize, or you're close to it
The deduction rules changed in 2026. Giving several years of gifts in one year can help. This is called bunching (giving several years of gifts in one year so they are big enough to deduct).
You have a big income year coming
If you itemize, a donor-advised fund lets you take the deduction the year you put money in. You suggest charities later. But it can't take a QCD.
Meet Josh
I'm a CFP® professional. I help retirees with the tax side of retirement. I also created Motion Retirement. Every rule here ties to the tax code or to official IRS guidance. How pages are checked.
The 2026 numbers
Each number links to the IRS document that sets it. More on the QCD limit.
| Item | 2026 |
|---|---|
| QCD limit, per IRA owner | $111,000 |
| One-time QCD to a charitable remainder trust or gift annuity | $55,000 |
| Standard deduction, married filing jointly | $32,200 |
| Standard deduction, single or married filing separately | $16,100 |
| Extra standard deduction, per married person for each of 65+ and blind | $1,650 |
| Senior deduction at 65+, per person (phases out) | $6,000 |
| Cash gift deduction without itemizing, joint | $2,000 |