Making Charitable Contributions in 2026

OBBBA introduced several significant changes for individuals who deduct charitable contributions. Starting in 2026, you may deduct itemized charitable contributions if the total exceeds 0.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). This change effectively limits the deductibility of smaller contributions, particularly for lower- and middle-income taxpayers.

However, OBBBA also brings some good news for individual donors. It makes permanent the 60% AGI limit for cash contributions to public charities, a provision originally enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). TCJA increased the AGI limit from 50% to 60%, allowing taxpayers to deduct cash contributions to public charities up to 60% of their AGI in a single year. Without the change under OBBBA, the limit would have gone back to 50% of AGI after 2025.

When donating to a charity, ensure the organization is qualified by searching the IRS database, https://www.irs.gov/charities- non-profits/search-for-taxexemptorganizations. Only donations qualified by the IRS are eligible for tax deductions.