Normally, a distribution from your IRA is taxed as ordinary income, but a special IRS provision allows those who are 72 or older, to make a direct gift from your IRA to any qualifying charity, federal tax free. Your gift counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD). You can make a gift in any amount up to $105,000 per year to charities you support including your parish, the Archdiocese, a local Catholic school, institution or ministry, an endowment or fund at the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas, or any 501(c)3 charity without paying federal income tax on the distribution. 

This is an especially smart way to give to charities if you take the standard deduction rather than itemizing deductions, since gifts made this way can reduce your adjusted gross income (AGI). This can also reduce taxes on your Social Security benefits. Consult your tax advisor about your unique situation. 

1. To qualify the donor must be over age 72 (70½ if you reach 70½ before January 1, 2020) and required to make an IRA distribution under IRA rules. The distribution qualifies toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD). 

2. The IRA distribution must be a direct charitable gift and not a distribution to a donor-advised fund, a charitable remainder trust or for a charitable gift annuity. 

3. Distributions to charity cannot exceed $105,000 in a taxable year. 

4. The distribution must be from your IRA, not a 401(k) or other retirement plan. 

5. Contact your IRA custodian or representative before making a gift to arrange for the proper transfer of funds from your IRA directly to the Church and other qualified charities. The check issued from the IRA must be made payable to the charity. 

6. If you have elected to have income tax withheld from your normal IRA distributions, advise your IRA administrator not to withhold taxes from distributions to charity. 

7. Consult your tax advisor for the tax reporting of the special election described above. 

For more information about how you and the Church can benefit from an IRA charitable rollover, contact the parish office or the Archdiocese Office of Stewardship and Development at (913) 647-0325.

These helpful tips are only for your information on this change in the IRA tax law and are not to be considered as legal, tax or financial advice. You should consult with your legal, tax and financial advisors to implement the benefits of the IRA charitable rollover law and related matters.