If you are like many Americans, letters from your favorite charities may be appearing in your mailbox acknowledging your 2020 donations. But what happens if you have not received such a letter — can you still claim a deduction for the gift on your 2020 income tax return? It depends.

What is Required
To support a charitable deduction, you need to comply with IRS substantiation requirements. This generally includes obtaining a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the charity stating the amount of the donation, whether you received any goods or services in consideration for the donation, and the value of any such goods or services.

“Contemporaneous” means the earlier of:

• The date you file your tax return
• The extended due date of your return

So, if you made a donation in 2020 but have not yet received substantiation from the charity, it is not too late — as long as you have not filed your 2020 return. Contact the charity and request a written acknowledgment.

Keep in mind that, if you made a cash gift of under $250 with a check or credit card, generally a canceled check, bank statement, or credit card statement is sufficient. However, if you received something in return for the donation, you generally must reduce your deduction by its value and the charity is required to provide you a written acknowledgment as described earlier.

New Deduction for Non-Itemizers
In general, taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions (and instead claim the standard deduction) cannot claim a charitable deduction. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, individuals who do not itemize deductions can claim a federal income tax write-off for up to $300 of cash contributions to IRS-approved charities for the 2020 tax year. The same $300 limit applies to both unmarried taxpayers and married joint-filing couples.

Even better, this tax break was extended to cover $300 of cash contributions made in 2021 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The new law doubles the deduction limit to $600 for married joint-filing couples for cash contributions made in 2021.

2020 & 2021 Deductions
Additional substantiation requirements apply to some types of donations. We can help you determine whether you have sufficient substantiation for the donations you hope to deduct on your 2020 income tax return and guide you on the substantiation you will need for gifts you are planning this year to make sure you can enjoy the desired deductions on your 2021 return.