Smart Giving From Your IRA
A Tax-Saving Way to Help OHSU or Doernbecher
Did you know that you can designate Oregon Health & Science University Foundation or Doernbecher Children's Hospital as the beneficiary of all or a percentage of your IRA and it will pass to us tax-free after your lifetime? It's simple, just requiring that you contact your IRA administrator for a change-of-beneficiary form or download a form from your provider’s website.
If you’re at least 59½ years old, you can take a distribution and then make a gift from your IRA without penalty. If you itemize your deductions, you can take a charitable deduction for the amount of your gift.
A Special Opportunity for Those 70½ Years Old or Older
You can take advantage of a simple way to benefit Oregon Health & Science University Foundation or Doernbecher Children's Hospital and receive tax benefits in return. You can give any amount up to $100,000 per year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity such as Oregon Health & Science University Foundation or Doernbecher Children's Hospital without having to pay income taxes on the money. This popular gift option is commonly called the IRA charitable rollover, but you may also see it referred to as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD for short.
Why Consider This Gift?
- Your gift will be put to use today, allowing you to see the difference your donation is making.
- You pay no income taxes on the gift. The transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you benefit even if you do not itemize your deductions.
- If you reached the age of 70½ on or before Dec. 31, 2019, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution for the year. If you turn 70½ on or after Jan. 1, 2020, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution starting at the age of 72. (Note: The RMD requirement has been waived for 2020, per the CARES Act signed into law on March 27, 2020.)
- Since the gift doesn’t count as income, it can reduce your annual income level. This may help lower your Medicare premiums and decrease the amount of Social Security that is subject to tax.
Frequently Asked Questions
By making a gift this year of any amount up to $100,000 from your IRA, you can see your philanthropic dollars at work. You are jump-starting the legacy you would like to leave and giving yourself the joy of watching your philanthropy take shape. Moreover, you can fulfill any outstanding pledge you may have made by transferring that amount from your IRA as long as it is $100,000 or less for the year.
No. The legislation requires you to reach age 70½ by the date you make the gift.
Yes. Direct gifts to a qualified charity can be made only from an IRA. Under certain circumstances, however, you may be able to roll assets from a pension, profit sharing, 401(k) or 403(b) plan into an IRA and then make the transfer from the IRA directly to Oregon Health & Science University Foundation or Doernbecher Children's Hospital. To determine if a rollover to an IRA is available for your plan, speak with your plan administrator.
Yes, absolutely. If you reached the age of 70½ on or before Dec. 31, 2019, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution for the year. If you turn 70½ on or after Jan. 1, 2020, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution starting at the age of 72. Contact your IRA custodian to complete the gift. (Note: The RMD requirement has been waived for 2020, per the CARES Act.)
We must receive your gift by Dec. 31 for your donation to qualify this year. If you have check-writing privileges on your IRA, please mail your check by Dec. 18 in order to give us time to process your gift before the end of the year.
No. You can give any amount under this provision, as long as it is $100,000 or less per year. If your IRA is valued at more than $100,000, you can transfer a portion of it to fund a charitable gift.
No. Under the law, you can give a maximum of $100,000 per year. For example, you can give each organization $50,000 this year or any other combination that totals $100,000 or less. Any amount of more than $100,000 in one year must be reported as taxable income.
If you have a spouse (as defined by the IRS) who is 70½ or older and has an IRA, they can also give any amount up to $100,000 from their IRA.
Unfortunately, the law does not allow a lifetime gift made directly from your IRA to fund a charitable remainder trust or charitable gift annuity.
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