Free donation receipt generator
Fill in one gift and download a receipt as a PDF, with the wording the IRS asks for.
Nothing is uploaded. What you type stays on this device.
A whole year of gifts?
This page makes one receipt at a time. If you have a spreadsheet of gifts, the statement maker builds a year-end statement for every donor at once, with each gift listed and the total at the bottom.
What a donation receipt has to include
The IRS does not require a particular form. A letter, a postcard, an email or a computer-generated receipt all work, as long as it shows:
- the name of your organization
- the amount, if the gift was money
- a description of the gift, without a value, if it was not money
- a sentence saying whether the donor received any goods or services in return, and an estimate of their value if they did
Include the date of the gift as well. A donor's record of a gift of money is supposed to show the date.
When a receipt is required
A donor cannot deduct any single gift of $250 or more without a written acknowledgment from you, and they need it before they file their tax return. If a donor pays more than $75 and gets something back, such as a dinner, you must tell them in writing how much of the payment is deductible. For smaller gifts a bank record is enough, but most donors appreciate a receipt.
Gifts that aren't money
For goods, stock and other property, describe what was given and leave the value out. Working out the value is the donor's job. Donated cars, boats and airplanes have their own rules and their own form, and this page does not cover them.
Sources
- IRS Publication 1771, Charitable Contributions: Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements
- IRS Topic no. 506, Charitable contributions
This page is general information, not tax or legal advice. See what the IRS requires for more detail, or the letter templates if you would rather write it yourself.