IRA Charitable Rollover is Permanent
On December 18th, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2029, which combines the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes (PATH) Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016. A provision of H.R.2029 brings back the ability for eligible IRA participants to take Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRA accounts. The QCD provision is now permanent and is available retroactively for tax year 2015.
Donating IRA funds directly to qualified charities allows the IRA holder or beneficiary to avoid taking possession of the funds and the tax bill that comes with them. It also allows the extra income to be excluded from tax formulas for Medicare premiums or for the Pease limitation on itemized deductions.
In brief, a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from an IRA can be made only by an IRA owner or beneficiary age 70½ or older, and can total up to $100,000. A spouse age 70½ with an IRA could give up to $100,000 as well. A QCD can be used to meet your required minimum distribution. The funds, which cannot come from active SEP or SIMPLE IRAs, must be sent directly to the qualified (IRS-approved) charitable organization.
