Gifts From What You Own
Give From Your IRA and Make Your Gift Go Further
If you are 70½ or older, you can instruct your IRA administrator to send a gift directly to William Jewell College and keep it out of your taxable income.
No obligation. Private. A personal follow-up, on your timetable.
How It Works
At a Glance
- Age 70½ or Older
- Sent Directly From Your IRA
- Counts Toward Your Required Distribution
- No Itemizing Needed
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Step 1: Check That Your Account Qualifies
The gift must come from an eligible IRA: a traditional IRA, an inherited IRA, or an inactive SEP or SIMPLE IRA. Eligible funds in a 401(k), 403(b), or active SEP or SIMPLE plan generally must be rolled into an IRA first, subject to your plan's rules.
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Step 2: Ask Your Administrator for a Qualified Charitable Distribution
Request a qualified charitable distribution payable directly to William Jewell College, with your name and address included with the payment. Our EIN and mailing address are listed at the bottom of this page. Many administrators have a simple online form.
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Step 3: Tell Us It Is Coming
Let William Jewell College know the amount and your administrator's name, so we can identify your gift, thank you, and send your acknowledgment.
- Age guidance
- 70½
Minimums and age guidance can vary. Please confirm current guidelines with our team.
Why People Choose It
What This Gift Can Do for You
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Keep the Distribution Out of Your Taxable Income
A qualifying gift is excluded from your income rather than deducted, which is often the better result.
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Use a Gift to Meet a Distribution You Have to Take Anyway
Your gift counts toward your required minimum distribution for the year, up to the full amount required.
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Benefit Whether or Not You Itemize
Because the exclusion doesn't depend on the deduction rules, the tax benefit holds either way.
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Give From the Account That Is Taxed Hardest
Traditional IRA dollars are taxed as income when they come out to you. A direct gift avoids that tax on the amount you give, and lower reported income can also help keep Medicare premiums and the tax on Social Security down.
See It in a Couple of Minutes
Watch How It Works
What Is a Qualified Charitable Distribution?
A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows you to make a gift directly from your IRA to William Jewell College. The amount is excluded from your taxable income, and that benefit applies whether or not you itemize deductions.
Who Can Make One?
Anyone 70½ or older on the day of the distribution who owns a traditional IRA. Beneficiaries of an inherited IRA who are 70½ or older qualify as well.
Is There a Limit on How Much I Can Give?
There is an annual limit per person, and it rises with inflation each year. The calculator below shows the current figure. If you're married, each spouse can give up to the limit from their own IRA.
How Do I Make the Gift?
Contact your IRA administrator and ask for a qualified charitable distribution payable to William Jewell College. Include our EIN and mailing address, listed at the bottom of this page. Many administrators have a simple online form. Then let us know it's on the way.
Your QCD must be a pure gift. If you receive anything in return, such as event tickets or a meal, the entire distribution loses its QCD treatment.
Can I Do This From My 401(k)?
Not directly. QCDs must come from an IRA. Eligible funds in a 401(k), 403(b), or active SEP or SIMPLE plan may be rolled into a traditional IRA first, subject to your plan's rollover rules. A required minimum distribution from an employer plan can't be rolled over, so it can't be turned into a QCD.
Does It Count Toward My Required Minimum Distribution?
Yes, up to the amount of your required minimum distribution for the year. Make your gift before taking other withdrawals that year. Once your required distribution has been taken, a later gift can't be applied against it.
Is There a Deadline?
To count for a given year, the gift must leave your IRA by December 31. Administrators can take several weeks, so start well before year-end. If you write a check from an IRA checkbook, it counts when the check clears your IRA account, which can be later than the date we deposit it. Mail it early.
Do I Need to Itemize to Benefit?
No. The income exclusion applies whether you itemize or take the standard deduction. Because the amount is excluded from your income, you can't also claim a charitable deduction for it.
Can I Send It to My Donor-Advised Fund?
No. QCDs can't go to donor-advised funds, including one you hold at William Jewell College. You can direct your gift to our unrestricted or designated funds, and we're glad to help you choose.
How Do I Report It on My Taxes?
Your administrator's year-end tax form may not identify the distribution as a QCD. Identify it on your tax return and give our written acknowledgment to your tax preparer.
I Made Deductible IRA Contributions After Age 70½. Does That Matter?
Yes. Deductible contributions made for years in which you were 70½ or older can reduce the amount of your QCDs excluded from income. Your tax advisor can calculate the effect.
How Will You Know the Gift Is From Me?
Administrators don't always include your name. Tell us when you've requested the gift, and we'll watch for it, thank you, and send your acknowledgment.
Can I Leave My IRA to William Jewell College?
Yes. Name us as a beneficiary on your administrator's form. Heirs generally owe income tax on distributions from an inherited traditional IRA, and William Jewell College owes none, so it's one of the most tax-efficient gifts you can leave. You can name us for a percentage and leave the rest to family.
Run the Numbers
See What a Gift Could Mean for You
Adjust the figures and watch the estimate update. It takes about a minute, and nothing is saved or sent unless you ask us for an illustration.
Estimates are for education only and are not tax or legal advice.
One Step Away
Start the Conversation
Tell us how you would like to hear from us and a member of our team will follow up personally. There is no cost, and nothing is decided today.
We use what you share only to prepare your information and follow up with you. Privacy policy.
What Happens Next
- A member of our team reads your note.
- We follow up the way you asked — by phone or email.
- You review it with your family and advisors, on your own timetable.
Prefer to talk?
Andrea Meloan
Sr. Director, Advancement and Alumni Relations, William Jewell College
A gift that works for you and for William Jewell College.
Let us talk through what it could look like for you. We follow up personally, and it costs nothing to ask.
For Your Records
Our Giving Details
Share these with your IRA administrator or financial advisor so your gift reaches us and we can thank you.
- Legal Name
- William Jewell College
- EIN
- 44-0545914
- Mailing Address
- 500 College Hill
Box 1032
Liberty, MO 64068 - Questions
- Andrea MeloanSr. Director, Advancement and Alumni Relations (816) 415-7831 [email protected]