Tax Smart Giving

The charitable IRA, or qualified charitable distribution, is a special provision allowing donors age 70.5 or older to transfer assets from their IRA directly to a public charity – like the Texas A&M Foundation. This distribution gift is excluded from taxable income and counts toward a donor’s required minimum distribution (RMD). Many donors have used this popular giving option to support Texas A&M with gifts ranging from $100 to $100,000.

Contact your IRA administrator and request to have the gift amount distributed directly from your IRA to the Texas A&M Foundation and/or other charities of your choice. If you have check writing privileges on your IRA account, this may be the most efficient way to make your gift directly from your IRA. Remember, when making a charitable IRA rollover gift you should not withdraw the funds yourself prior to making the gift; otherwise it will be taxed as income.

Yes, there is a limit. An individual taxpayer’s total charitable IRA rollover gifts cannot exceed $100,000 per tax year.

If you have not already taken your required minimum distribution in a given year, a qualifying rollover gift can count toward satisfying this requirement. If you are set up to automatically receive your RMD each year, you may want to turn off the payment and instead request two distributions: the QCD and any remaining RMD amount. For example, if an individual is automatically set to receive a $25,000 RMD, they could stop the automatic distribution and request two distributions: a $10,000 distribution directly to Texas A&M Foundation, and a $15,000 regular distribution. Together, these will have satisfied the RMD requirement for the year.

No. A donor can receive no benefits in return for the gift.

While this is a great option, other types of gifts may be more advantageous for certain situations. As with any gift planning question, donors should consult their professionals for specific advice.

Of course! Whether or not you choose to make a charitable IRA rollover gift, you can still designate the Texas A&M Foundation as a beneficiary to receive IRA assets after your lifetime. The lifetime charitable IRA rollover is simply another option for donors who would like to see their philanthropy at work now.