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Smart Giving From Your IRA

A Tax-Saving Way to Support Better Care

It's possible to make a difference today and save on taxes when you support your favorite MultiCare program or foundation through your IRA.

A Special Opportunity for Those 70½ Years Old and Older

You can give any amount $1 to $100,000 per year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity like MultiCare without having to pay income taxes on the money. This popular gift option is commonly called the IRA charitable rollover, but you may also see it referred to as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD for short.

Why consider this gift?

  • Your gift will be put to use today, allowing you to see the difference your donation is making.
  • Beginning in the year you turn 72, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution (RMD).
  • You pay no income taxes on the gift. The transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you benefit even if you do not itemize your deductions.
  • Since the gift doesn’t count as income, it can reduce your annual income level. This may help lower your Medicare premiums and decrease the amount of Social Security that is subject to tax.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m turning age 70½ in a few months. Can I make this gift now? +

No. The legislation requires you to reach age 70½ by the date you make the gift.

I have several retirement accounts—some are pensions and some are IRAs. Does it matter which retirement account I use? +

Yes. Direct gifts to a qualified charity can be made only from an IRA. Under certain circumstances, however, you may be able to roll assets from a pension, profit sharing, 401(k) or 403(b) plan into an IRA and then make the transfer from the IRA directly to the non-profit organizations you care about like MultiCare. To determine if a rollover to an IRA is available for your plan, speak with your plan administrator.

Can my gift be used as my required minimum distribution? +

Yes, absolutely. Beginning in the year you turn 72, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your RMD.

Do I need to give my entire IRA to be eligible for the tax benefits? +

No. You can give any amount $1 to $100,000 under this provision per year. If your IRA is valued at more than $100,000, you can transfer a portion of it to make a charitable gift.

When do I need to make my gift? +

We must receive your gift by Dec. 31 for your donation to qualify this year. If you have check-writing features on your IRA, please be aware that your check must clear your account by Dec. 31 to count toward your required minimum distribution for the calendar year.

I have two charities I want to support. Can I give $100,000 from my IRA to each? +

No. Under the law, you can give a maximum of $100,000 per year. For example, you can give each organization $50,000 this year or any other combination that totals $100,000 or less. Any amount of more than $100,000 in one year must be reported as taxable income.

My spouse and I would like to give more than $100,000. How can we do that? +

If you have a spouse (as defined by the IRS) who is 70½ or older, they can also give any amount up to $100,000 from their IRA.

Can I use the transfer to fund life-income gifts like charitable remainder trusts or charitable gift annuities? +

Unfortunately, the law does not permit using a qualified charitable distribution to establish a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust. However, you can designate some or all of your retirement plan assets to fund a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust after your lifetime. A charitable trust or gift annuity provides lifetime income to your family or other loved ones. When the gift arrangement ends, the balance will support your favorite MultiCare program or foundation.

I’ve already named a MultiCare program or foundation as the beneficiary of my IRA. What are the benefits if I make a gift now instead of after my lifetime? +

By making an IRA charitable rollover gift, you can see your philanthropic dollars at work now. You are jump-starting the legacy you would like to leave and giving yourself the joy of watching your philanthropy take shape. Moreover, you can fulfill any outstanding pledge you may have made by transferring that amount from your IRA as long as it is $100,000 or less for the year.

For Those 59½ Years Old or Older

If you’re at least 59½ years old, you can take a distribution and then make a gift from your IRA without penalty. If you itemize your deductions, you can take a charitable deduction for the amount of your gift.

At Any Age

No matter your age, you can designate the MultiCare program or foundation you care about as the beneficiary of all or a percentage of your IRA and it will pass to us tax-free after your lifetime. It’s simple, just requiring that you contact your IRA administrator for a change-of-beneficiary form or download a form from your provider’s website.

Tip: It’s critical to let us know of your gift because many popular retirement plan administrators assume no obligation to notify a charity of your designation. The administrator also will not monitor whether your gift designations are followed. We would love to talk to you about your intentions to ensure that they are followed. We would also like to thank you for your generosity.

Free resources to help you plan

The MultiCare Foundations is proud to provide free and confidential estate planning services through Thompson & Associates for friends like you. Learn more

The MultiCare Foundations have also partnered with FreeWill to offer you a secure, online estate planning tool that can help you write your legal will—entirely free of cost. Learn more

Not sure how to begin planning?

Download a free personal estate planning kit

Ready for next steps?

  1. Use our tool above Take action! Give from your IRA to connect to your retirement provider and to find sample letters for you to use.
  2. Contact our gift planning team at 253-403-3093 or plannedgiving@multicare.org to discuss using your IRA to support your favorite MultiCare program or foundation and better care in your community.
  3. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor. (Need an advisor? Look here for advisors familiar with MultiCare foundations and services.)
  4. To include a MultiCare program or foundation in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.
  5. Please let us know of your gift (many retirement providers assume no responsibility for letting nonprofits know of your intentions so your goals won't be honored).

Legal name: MultiCare Health System
Legal address: 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, WA 98405
Federal tax ID number: 91-1352172

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to MultiCare a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I give to MultiCare, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, WA 98405, or its successor thereto, ______________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to a MultiCare program or foundation or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to a MultiCare program or foundation as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to a MultiCare program or foundation as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and a MultiCare program or foundation where you agree to make a gift to a MultiCare program or foundation and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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