The Average Deduction for Charitable Contributions

You can take a deduction on your taxes for charitable contributions.

The generosity of the American people when it comes to making charitable donations is encouraged by the U.S. tax code. The IRS treats contributions to tax-exempt organizations as deductible on your income tax, as long as you itemize deductions, rather than opt for the standard deduction. IRS statistical publications provide the details on how much deductions Americans actually take for their charitable contributions.

IRS Statistics on Income

According to the IRS Statistics of Income Bulletin for Fall 2010, there were 142.4 million tax returns filed in 2008 (the most recent year available for statistical analysis). These returns included total adjusted gross income of $8.3 trillion.

IRS Statistics on Deductions for Charitable Contributions

In the same tax year, 39.2 million returns reported a total of $172.9 billion in deductions for charitable contributions.

Average Deduction for Those Reporting Charitable Contributions

For the 39.2 million individuals and families that reported charitable deductions, the average deduction was $172.9 billion / 39.2 million, or $4,411.

Average Deduction for All Returns

For the 142.4 million individuals and families that filed tax returns, the average deduction was $172.9 billion / $142.4 million, or $1,214.

References

• IRS.gov: Statistics of Income: Individual Income Tax Returns, 2008