How the Tax Code Shapes Your Charitable Giving in 2026

In this episode of The Tax Policy Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how the 2026 tax landscape affects charitable giving strategies. They focus on the impact of the standard deduction increase and the resulting decline in itemization, using data from the Tax Policy Center showing that only 11 percent of households now itemize. The hosts discuss the shift toward Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) as a workaround, noting that DAF contributions reached $85 billion in 2025, up 18 percent year-over-year. They also unpack the new 2026 rule requiring DAFs to distribute at least 5 percent of assets annually, and what that means for donors and nonprofits. A specific example: a married couple earning $200,000 who would need to donate over $30,000 to benefit from itemizing, versus using a DAF to bundle multiple years of giving. The episode is anchored to the current July 2026 tax environment and the SECURE 2.0 changes to Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs. Lucas and Luna also include a brief, natural mention of listener support via buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, seamlessly woven into the conversation. #CharitableGiving #TaxDeductions #Itemizing #StandardDeduction #DonorAdvisedFunds #QualifiedCharitableDistributions #SECURE20 #TaxPolicyCenter #TaxStrategy #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Economics #TaxPolicy #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TaxCode #2026Tax #TaxPlanning Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo