Qualified Charitable Distributions
You’ve been saving for years. Now your IRA can give back, too.
If you’re 70½ or older, you can give directly from your IRA to Second Harvest, tax-free. It counts toward your required minimum distribution, and it’s one of the simplest, smartest ways to turn retirement savings into meals for your neighbors.
A smarter way to give from your IRA
A qualified charitable distribution lets you direct money straight from your IRA to Second Harvest. Because the funds never pass through your bank account, it’s not counted as taxable income. You can give up to $111,000 per year this way (a limit indexed for inflation), and every dollar goes to work right here in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
If you’re 73 or older and required to take minimum distributions, a QCD counts toward that requirement. That means money you’d otherwise have to withdraw and potentially pay taxes on can go directly to making more food available to neighbors who need it instead.
$111,000
Annual limit per person
Tax-free
Not counted as income
Counts toward RMD
If you’re 73 or older
Three steps. Your IRA provider handles the rest.
- Contact your IRA provider
Let them know (or ask your financial advisor to let them know) that you’d like to make a qualified charitable distribution to Second Harvest. - Share our information
Your IRA provider, or the advisor handling this for you, will need the following to process the distribution:Tax information
Legal name: Second Harvest Inland Northwest
Employer Identification Number (EIN): 23-7173826
Address: 1234 E. Front Ave., Spokane, WA 99202
Second Harvest Inland Northwest is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. - Let us know it’s on the way
So we can acknowledge your gift properly and make sure it’s recorded correctly. Email taxsmart@2-harvest.org or call (509) 252-6298.
A note on the process
Some IRA custodians send the check directly to the charity. Others send it to you, made payable to the charity. Either way works. If you’re not sure how your custodian handles it, your financial advisor can walk you through it — or give us a call.
One thing to know
For a distribution to qualify as a QCD, the funds need to go directly from your IRA to Second Harvest. If the money lands in your personal account first, it won’t qualify — even if you donate the same amount afterward. Your IRA provider can make sure this is set up correctly.
Not sure if this fits your situation?
I’m 70½ or older and have a traditional IRA.
You’re eligible. A QCD lets you give from your IRA without adding to your taxable income, and you don’t need to itemize deductions to benefit.
I’m 73 or older and have to take required minimum distributions.
A QCD counts toward your RMD, so instead of withdrawing money you don’t need and paying taxes on it, you can direct it here.
I already give to Second Harvest and I’m looking for a more tax-efficient way.
If you’ve been writing checks from post-tax income, a QCD could let you give the same amount (or more) with less tax impact. If your giving pushes up against deduction limits, a QCD lets you give above those caps.
My financial advisor handles my retirement accounts.
Send them this page or put us in touch. They’ll know exactly what to do.
Here’s where it goes. Every dollar from a QCD goes straight into the work — Mobile Markets carrying fresh produce into neighborhoods that need it, Bite2Go making sure kids have food over the weekend, partner food banks staying stocked across 26 counties. Your IRA becomes a direct line to someone’s next meal.
Questions? We’re here to help.
Already made a QCD to Second Harvest?
Let us know so we can acknowledge your gift properly and make sure it’s recorded correctly.
Second Harvest cannot provide specific legal, financial, or tax advice. Please consult your tax or financial advisor to determine how these giving options may impact your personal situation.