QCD Calculator United States

What the QCD calculator does

The QCD calculator shows how a Qualified Charitable Distribution changes the tax on your Required Minimum Distribution. Enter your RMD for the year (your custodian can provide it), the amount you plan to give directly to charity, and your marginal tax rate. The tool caps the gift at the annual limit, treats the eligible amount as excluded from your income, leaves any remaining RMD taxable, and estimates the tax you save by multiplying the excluded amount by your marginal rate.

An IRA owner who must take money out each year can use a QCD to give that money away without it being taxed. The dollar figure lets you compare a QCD with writing a check from a taxable account.

How a QCD works

A Qualified Charitable Distribution is a direct payment from your IRA to a qualified charity. The custodian sends the money to the charity and it never passes through your hands, so the amount is excluded from your taxable income instead of being reported as a distribution and then deducted.

Eligibility begins at age 70 and a half. Once you reach the age at which Required Minimum Distributions start, a QCD can also count toward that year's RMD, up to the amount of the RMD itself. The annual limit per taxpayer is adjusted by the IRS for inflation, and the calculator uses the current figure.

Why exclusion beats a deduction

Taking the RMD, paying tax on it, then donating and claiming a charitable deduction can look equivalent to a QCD. The QCD usually comes out ahead for two reasons. Most taxpayers now claim the standard deduction, so a separate charitable deduction gives them no benefit, while a QCD gives its tax break whether or not you itemize. And keeping the distribution out of your adjusted gross income can head off AGI-linked costs such as higher Medicare premiums, more of your Social Security being taxed, and phase-outs of other benefits.

How the calculation works

• It caps your intended gift at the annual QCD limit, since only that much is eligible for exclusion.
• It treats the eligible amount as excluded from income.
• It subtracts the eligible QCD from your RMD to find how much of the RMD is still taxable.
• It multiplies the excluded amount by your marginal tax rate to estimate the tax saved.

Anything you enter above the annual limit is shown separately as an amount over the limit, because that excess would be treated as an ordinary taxable distribution.

Use your marginal rate, the rate on your top dollar of income, and not your average rate, because the excluded income would otherwise have been taxed at the top of your stack. If you are over 70 and a half but not yet subject to RMDs, you can still enter a QCD to see the income exclusion, though there is no RMD for it to offset.

Reading your results

The main figure is the estimated tax saving. The calculator also shows the QCD amount excluded from income, the taxable RMD that remains, and the annual limit for reference. The chart splits your RMD into the tax-free portion covered by the QCD and the portion still taxed.

The full benefit can be larger than the saving shown if the lower AGI also reduces Medicare premiums or the taxation of Social Security. Those effects depend on your full return and are not included here.

The annual limit changes with inflation and your marginal rate can shift, so recalculate each year before you give. Work from an RMD calculation so you know the figure you are starting with, and confirm the details with your custodian and a tax professional before you act.

This is general information only and not financial or tax advice.

About This QCD Calculator

Use this QCD calculator to get an instant, accurate estimate. The figures follow official IRS guidance and every rate and threshold is kept up to date for 2026. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation, or browse all our calculators to plan your next step.