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Illinois Gives Tax Credit Program Contributors Information

An Illinois Gives tax credit must be claimed in the tax year that the contribution was made regardless of whether the taxpayer has an income tax liability that year or not. Any Illinois Gives tax credit not fully used in the year it was first claimed may be carried forward for the next five tax years. For example: If a calendar year filing taxpayer makes an eligible contribution to a QCF in 2025, the tax credit must be claimed on the annual 2025 tax return. Any excess credit not used on the 2025 tax return may be carried forward until 2030.

Quick Start Guide to Applying For and Receiving the Illinois Gives Tax Credit

For a quick overview about how to apply and receive an Illinois Gives tax credit, follow these steps.

  1. Apply to make a contribution to a QCF through MyTax Illinois.
  2. Receive a Contribution Authorization Certificate (CAC) from IDOR through MyTax Illinois.
  3. Make the contributions to the QCF within 10 business days after receiving the CAC.
  4. After receiving the contribution, the QCF will confirm receipt within 30 business days and a COR will be created and issued to you through MyTax Illinois.
  5. After receiving a COR, you may claim the credit on your income tax return.

Income Tax Credits

Illinois Gives Tax Credit Program offers approved Illinois individual and business taxpayers income tax credits in the amount of 25 percent of their total qualified contributions made to one or more permanent endowment funds held by Qualified Community Foundations (QCFs) during a taxable year. Credits cannot exceed $100,000 per taxpayer, per year.

Example: A taxpayer makes a qualified contribution of $10,000 to an approved QCF. The taxpayer will be eligible to claim a $2,500 tax credit.

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) can issue up to $5 million in tax credits per calendar year. Income tax credits are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and approval is granted as long as certain limits outlined in the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Act have not been reached.

The Illinois Gives Tax Credit Program limits are:

  • Total Credit Limit - The aggregate amount of all Illinois Gives tax credits awarded by IDOR in any calendar year may not exceed $5 million (equivalent to $20 million in contributions).
  • Single Taxpayer Limit - IDOR will not award a single taxpayer more than $100,000 (equivalent to $400,000 in contributions) in Illinois Gives tax credits for any taxable year. 
  • QCF Limit - The amount of contributions to any specific QCF that are eligible for Illinois Gives tax credits in any calendar year shall not exceed $3 million (equates to $750,000 in income tax credits).
  • Small Gift Limit - 25% of the total credits (equivalent to $1.25 million in income tax credits or $5 million in contributions) are reserved for endowment gifts equal to or less than $25,000.

You must request approval to make a contribution and receive the Contribution Authorization Certificate (CAC) to be eligible to receive the income tax credit. Applications for the tax year will be available starting on January 1 at 12:01 a.m., and must be requested online through MyTax Illinois.

Important: You must have a registered MyTax Illinois account in order to apply for approval to make a contribution. If you want to apply, you are encouraged to create a MyTax Illinois account as soon as possible to avoid any processing delays when the application system goes live.

Contribution Authorization Certificates

Once your application has been submitted, and IDOR confirms that credits are available, IDOR will issue you a Contribution Authorization Certificate (CAC). The CAC will be issued electronically to your MyTax Illinois account within three business days of approval of your application.

Example 1: A taxpayer files an online application indicating they intend to contribute $1,000 to Community in Need Community Foundation, an approved QCF. As long as the statewide maximum ($20 million) has not been reached, the taxpayer has not donated its maximum contribution amount ($400,000), and the contribution will not make Community in Need's total contributions received exceed the maximum amount of contributions a foundation may receive ($3 million), the taxpayer will receive a CAC from IDOR authorizing their $1,000 contribution to the QCF, which equates to a $250 tax credit.

Example 2: A taxpayer files an online application indicating they intends to contribute $100,000 to All In Foundation, an approved QCF. As long as the statewide maximum ($20 million) has not been reached, the "large gift" maximum has not been reached ($15 million), the taxpayer has not donated its maximum contribution amount ($400,000), and the contribution will not make All In's total contributions received exceed the maximum amount of contributions a foundation may receive ($3 million), the taxpayer will receive a CAC from IDOR authorizing their $100,000 contribution to the QCF, which equates to a $25,000 tax credit.

You must make your contribution to the QCF within 10 business days after issuance of the CAC. You must provide a copy of the CAC to the QCF. Within 30 business days of receiving your contribution, the QCF will confirm receipt of the contribution and a Certificate of Receipt (COR) will be issued through your MyTax Illinois account.

Note: Your CAC number, the amount of your approved contribution, and your last name or business name will be made available to the QCF you select in its MyTax Illinois account.

Claiming Your Income Tax Credit

To receive a tax credit for your contribution, the payment for the contribution must be received by the QCF by the last day of your filing period and the approved QCF must confirm receipt of the contribution. Approved credits may be claimed beginning with the filing of your December 31, 2025, income tax return. You cannot take a tax credit under this Act if you claimed any portion of this contribution as a federal income tax deduction.

Individuals who are married and filing a joint return are each allowed to claim a credit they themselves have received, which may not exceed $100,000. A joint filed return may not claim more than $200,000 in Illinois Gives credit.

Example: Two married individuals contribute money to a fund. One of the married individuals, Individual 1, contributes $500,000 while their spouse, Individual 2, only contributes $200,000. The couple decides to file a joint return. Only $400,000 of Individual 1’s contributions are eligible for a credit, which equates to a credit of $100,000 (the maximum amount a taxpayer may earn in a year). The maximum credit allowed to be claimed on their joint return would be $150,000, which consists of the $100,000 of credit for Individual 1 and Individual 2’s credit of $50,000 ($200,000 multiplied by 25%). The extra $100,000 in contributions that Individual 1 made to a fund was not eligible for an income tax credit under this Act and therefore could not be claimed on the joint filed return.

You must claim the entire income tax credit in the year that you earned it regardless of whether you have an income tax liability that year or not. If you don’t use all of your income tax credit, you cannot receive a refund. However, any credit amount that exceeds your tax liability for the year may be carried forward and applied to your tax liability in the subsequent five taxable years. Credits carried forward do not require additional approval. Credits are applied to the earliest year for which there is a tax liability. Credits cannot be carried back to a prior tax year.

Please note: To make a new Illinois Gives tax credit contribution, you must apply for a new CAC each calendar year.