QCD Documentation

[lenboush]

Does anyone require any type of documentation for a QCD? If so, what do you require?

[RWG1950]

Do you mean the documentation required by the IRA custodian to authorize the distribution to the qualifying charity ? You'll want to ask the IRA for their procedure.
Because the IRA funds are being distributed to a third party, all IRA custodians will need written authorization - and they each have their own particular distribution form.
They'll need to know the exact charity name, amount of distribution, and the mailing address of the charity. Some (but not all) also want the federal tax I.D. # of the charity.
If the QCD involves securities, (mutual funds etc) the donor will likely be required to have their signature guaranteed by a bank or brokerage to authorize the distribution.
Remember that such a distribution, while intended by the donor to be a QCD, does not actually become a QCD until the return preparer designates it as such on the tax return.
Hope this helps.

[JON]

I think you are required to show that the distribution was done from the IRA. Usually that is a listing provided by the fiduciary. You then make sure that you get from the charity that they received from the IRA your contribution and they are a qualified charity. I have not seen a fiduciary yet who will make sure it is a qualified charity. In fact there is one major brokerage firm who gave my client a check book to write checks out of his IRA. Fun, when I told him he has to get all the information himself and please do not have any charity checks that are written before the year end and are not clearing until after. The fiduciary does the 1099 based on what clears during the year.

[FEDUKE404]

It's been my experience that you get specific documentation / authorization from the IRA custodian and a receipt from the charity that specifies not only receipt of the donation but also the "fine print" related to the QCD rules.
The custodian rules are fairly tight, whereas the receipt paperwork from the qualifying charity may not necessarily tell the whole story,